Found a Breakthrough for New Chemotherapy Immunotherapy in Colorectal Cancer

KRICT Uncovers Unique Mechanism of Action for New Low-Molecular-Weight Anticancer Immunotherapy Candidate

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Bong-su] Domestic researchers have found a clue to developing a new anticancer immunotherapy for colorectal cancer.

The Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology announced on the 8th that Dr. Lee Chang-hoon’s research team at the New Drug-Based Technology Research Center, in collaboration with Professor Lee Se-min’s research team at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST), developed an application technology for a low-molecular-weight-based 'anticancer immunotherapy candidate substance' for colorectal cancer.

The institute explained that by discovering a unique mechanism of action specific to the new low-molecular-weight anticancer immunotherapy candidate substance, which is differentiated from antibody-based therapeutics, they have found a key clue for developing colorectal cancer treatments.

Recently, 'anticancer immunotherapy' has attracted great attention as it is known to have excellent clinical effects on various cancers such as skin cancer, lung cancer, and liver cancer, showing outstanding cancer treatment efficacy through immune enhancement. The problem is that all anticancer immunotherapies approved for clinical use so far are antibody-based therapies, which have many limitations such as difficulty in application to various cancer types and challenges in medication adherence.

The research team developed an application technology for a low-molecular-weight anticancer immunotherapy candidate substance that inhibits the activity of 'ecto-5'-nucleotidase,' a protein that promotes cancer cell growth. Ecto-5'-nucleotidase refers to a protein that increases in cancer cells and immune cells within tumors in the body.

While existing antibody therapies mainly work by reducing the number of 'T cells' with impaired immune function within tumors, the research team discovered that the low-molecular-weight 'ecto-5'-nucleotidase inhibitor' reactivates ‘T cells’ within tumors so that they can effectively kill cancer cells. Through this unique mechanism of action differentiated from existing antibody therapies, it is possible to expand indications to various cancer types and significantly enhance anticancer immunotherapy effects by applying various combination therapies with existing antibody treatments. Additionally, it has the advantage of improved convenience by being administered orally.

This study confirmed that low-molecular-weight anticancer immunotherapy can be utilized as a colorectal cancer treatment by restoring the activity of ‘T cells’ within tumors in colorectal cancer. Since successful therapeutic effects of antibody-based anticancer immunotherapies have not yet been confirmed in colorectal cancer, the applicability of 'ecto-5'-nucleotidase inhibitors' as a colorectal cancer treatment holds great significance.

Lee Mi-hye, President of the Korea Research Institute of Chemical Technology, said, “This research result proved the efficacy of low-molecular-weight anticancer immunotherapy based on a colorectal cancer model, overcoming the limitations of the therapeutic effects of neutralizing antibody treatments (Keytruda, Opdivo) in colorectal cancer so far. We expect that new anticancer immunotherapies for colorectal cancer can be developed in the future.”

The research results were published online in July in the international journal in the field of tumor immunology, the Journal for Immunotherapy of Cancer.

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