Korean Researchers Develop Substance Inducing Cancer Cell Apoptosis

KAIST Professor Kim Yu-cheon’s Team Develops Peptide-Based Derivative Inducing Cell Death in Cooperation with Immuno-Oncology Drugs

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] A Korean research team has developed a substance that induces cancer cells to self-destruct in cooperation with immune checkpoint inhibitors within the human body, drawing attention to its potential impact on improving cancer treatment efficacy in the future.

The Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) announced on the 27th that a joint research team led by Professor Kim Yoo-chun of the Department of Biological and Chemical Engineering at KAIST and Professor Yoon Chae-ok of the Department of Biotechnology at Hanyang University developed a peptide-based immunogenic cell death inducer that works synergistically with immune checkpoint inhibitors used in cancer treatment.

The peptide developed by the research team disrupts the mitochondrial outer membrane within cancer cells, increasing reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. The oxidative stress generated thereby stimulates the endoplasmic reticulum, inducing immunogenic cell death.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are therapeutics that block immune checkpoints inhibiting the activation of immune cells expressed on T cells (CTLA-4, PD-1) or cancer cells (PD-L1), thereby enhancing immune cell activity. Since the first approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 2011, various immune checkpoint inhibitors have been used in patients.

However, immune checkpoint inhibitors have several limitations. They are effective in only about 10-40% of patients, not all. Additionally, they require pre-existing T cells with anticancer capabilities.

To address these issues, the research team combined the immunogenic cell death inducer that induces anticancer immune responses with immune checkpoint inhibitors. They verified that the peptide-based immunogenic cell death inducer causes mitochondrial outer membrane disruption, leading to excessive production of reactive oxygen species inside the cell, and the oxidative stress generated stimulates the endoplasmic reticulum, ultimately inducing immunogenic cell death.

Furthermore, animal experiments confirmed that co-administration of the peptide and the immune checkpoint inhibitor anti-PD-L1 improved tumor suppression compared to single administration and reduced metastasis to the lungs through activated immune responses.

Professor Kim Yoo-chun, who led the research, stated, "Through the development of this new immunogenic cell death inducer, we expect to propose various methods to enhance treatment efficacy in cancers with low response rates to existing immune checkpoint inhibitors."

The research results were published as the back cover paper in the international journal Advanced Science on the 7th.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.