They identify a new therapeutic target for the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma, a type of aggressive liver cancer.

TOP | Tuesday, October 22, 2024

Research collaborators at CIBER in Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD) and the Cima University of Navarra have identified a new epigenetic target that could revolutionize the treatment of cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a particularly aggressive liver cancer that is difficult to treat. address. Results published in a British journal intestineprovide new hope for the fight against a disease whose incidence has been increasing in recent years.

Cholangiocarcinoma represents one of the greatest therapeutic challenges in oncology, as current treatments have limited effectiveness. The research team identified a promising therapeutic target, the enzyme PRMT5, which plays a critical role in the progression of CCA. This discovery opens up new possibilities for creating more effective treatments.

Promising results in experimental models

“The study shows that levels of the PRMT5 enzyme are increased in patients with CCA, and this increase is associated with later stages of the disease. By blocking the PRMT5 enzyme using drugs already approved to treat other types of tumors, we were able to stop the growth of OCA tumor cells.“says CIBEREHD Principal Investigator Matías Ávila, Research Director and Co-Director of the Cima Solid Tumors Program, integrated into the Clínica Universidad de Navarra Cancer Center. Moreover, they observed that the combination of these inhibitors with traditional chemotherapy significantly increased the antitumor effect. These results were confirmed in mouse models of CCA and showed great therapeutic potential.

The study highlights the importance of epigenetic changes in CCA and suggests that PRMT5 is a promising therapeutic target. Additionally, it offers greater insight into the molecular mechanisms involved in the aggressiveness of this tumor type. These results could lead to new clinical trials that could significantly improve treatment for this disease.

International support and European funding

The research project was partly funded by the Spanish Association Against Cancer and CIBEREHD within the international project TRANSCAN-3, as well as by the Eugenio Rodriguez Pascual Foundation.

The TRANSCAN-3 international competition is an international initiative co-funded by the European Union under Horizon 2020. Through this competition, the AECC Science Foundation is collaborating with 24 other organizations from 17 countries to fund translational projects in the field of cancer. . Dr. Matias Avila’s project “New strategies for improving the diagnosis and treatment of biliary tract cancer” has funding of 1,300,000 euros.

This study was led by Matías Ávila and involved José Juan García Marín (University of Salamanca -USAL- and IBSAL), María Luz Martínez-Chantar (Centre for Collaborative Research in Biosciences – CIC bioGUNE) and Javier Cubero (Instituto Gregorio). Marañon Health Research – IiSGM – Complutense University of Madrid). These researchers belong to the Networked Biomedical Research Center for Liver and Digestive Diseases (CIBEREHD). In addition to researchers from Germany, Italy and Poland, whose support was instrumental in carrying out this cutting-edge work.

Link:

Elurbid J., Colin L., Latasa M.Y. et al. Identification of PRMT5 as a therapeutic target for cholangiocarcinoma. intestine. Published online September 11, 2024. doi:10.1136/gutjnl-2024-332998.