Scientists from Krakow are close to creating a cure for breast cancer. The drug should neutralize the tumor

The idea is to attack the disease and destroy the tumor, but not cause such harm to the body as modern drugs. The substance, which Krakow researchers are developing, could be part of a targeted drug used in chemotherapy to precisely target receptors on cancer cells and block them from multiplying. “Such targeted therapy will be more effective and safer for the patient than currently used chemotherapeutic drugs,” says Damian Kulaga, project leader of the Faculty of Chemical Engineering and Technology at the Krakow University of Technology (PC). The project is implemented in cooperation with the Institutes of Pharmacology of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Krakow and the Institutes of Immunology and Experimental Therapy of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Wroclaw.

Triple negative subtype. An extremely difficult opponent

Breast cancer is the most frequently diagnosed type of malignancy in women, as the university recalls in its report. Its triple-negative TNBC subtype (triple-negative breast cancer) is an extremely insidious variant of the disease. It is detected in about 10-15 percent of patients and is characterized by a high recurrence rate and an increased risk of distant metastasis. Currently, TNBC therapy is based mainly on surgical removal of the tumor and adjuvant administration of chemotherapeutic agents, which, however, are highly toxic not only to cancer cells, but also to healthy tissues. - For doctors and patients, triple-negative cancer is a particularly difficult adversary because its cell surface does not have weak spots, such as estrogen, progesterone or HER2 receptors, which are sensitive to chemotherapy or hormone therapy and are used in the treatment of other cancer subtypes. Triple-negative breast cancer cells do not have the well-studied Achilles’ heels as other types of breast cancer. - says Damian Kulaga.

That is why the scientists working on the project decided to look for a cure, focusing, as they themselves emphasize, on a non-obvious direction.

Many research groups are targeting typical, known molecular targets when developing new molecules, so we decided to target a protein that has been linked not to cancer, but to diseases of the central nervous system. - explains Damian Kulaga.

What does serotonin have to do with breast cancer?

Researchers from Krakow and Wroclaw want to use the “key” with which they get to cancer cells - the serotonin 5-HT receptor.₇. As they explain, it has been overexpressed in many cell lines belonging to TNBC. “It is known from previous studies that serotonin itself increases the proliferation of TNBC cancer cells. In turn, chemical blocking of the serotonin receptor can significantly reduce cell development in both in vitro and ex-vivo studies. We decided to test whether the chemical compounds we have developed can also have an effect that blocks the development of cancer cells. And we actually got this effect in our preliminary studies. This prompted us to work further, already as part of a more advanced research project, says Damian Kulaga.

New drug for breast cancer - when is there a real chance for its use?

Currently, new compounds are being synthesized and their anticancer potential is being studied. Scientists have already synthesized 100 compounds and will eventually develop as many more. – Each particle obtained will be tested – in radioisotope tests – for affinity for the 5-HT receptor₇, that is, whether and how it is related to it. We already have a particularly promising pool of such compounds that are active and selective only for this receptor,” explains the project leader. This is important because new compounds should become components of targeted drugs that will hit specific receptors on cancer cells and block communication pathways in them.

– We are developing new compounds so that they show affinity only for a specific molecular target and bind only to the 5-HT receptor₇. Thanks to this, the drug actually neutralizes the cancerous tumor and does not damage healthy cells, the scientist adds.

From the chemical laboratories of the Krakow University of Technology, the molecules will be sent for further testing to research centers in Krakow and Wroclaw. - From the stage at which we are - preclinical studies - to the introduction of a drug based on our compound for therapy is still a long way off, but we are the first in the world to take this path, believing that this will accelerate work on an effective treatment for TNBC cancer - emphasizes Damian Kulaga

The scientists received about PLN 1.5 million for the project under the Leader program of the National Research and Development Center.