Therapy for neurotensin positive cancers
Unmet Need
Under normal conditions, neurotensin signaling is largely constrained to the nervous system. However, abnormal expression is seen in cancers that are aggressive or have a poor prognosis such as pancreatic, which has a12.5% 5-year survival rate, and lung cancers which are the most common cause of cancer related deaths. Overexpression is also seen in some subsets of common cancers such as prostate, themost common male cancer, colorectal, the3rd most common cancer and 4th most lethal, and breast, themost common female cancer. Expression of the neurotensin signaling pathway makes these cancers resistant to therapies that promote cell death, which limits the treatment options available for the patient. There is a need for a treatment that inhibits neurotensin signaling in neurotensin positive cancers to inhibit cancerous cell growth.
Technology
Duke inventors have developed a therapy for neurotensin positive cancers. This is intended to be used by clinicians to help treat neurotensin positive cancers. Specifically, use of this therapy has shown to limit cancer cell growth and enhance cell death. This has been demonstrated in vitro in four different cancer cell lines, covering pancreatic, lung, prostate, and colon cancer. It was demonstrated to reduce proliferation of these cell lines as well as promoted cell death.
Advantages
- Provides another modality for treating cancer
- Inhibits cancer cell growth
- Enhances cancer cell death