New research funded by the Bone Cancer Research Trust is set to investigate two established chemotherapy drugs for the treatment of Ewing sarcoma. If successful, it will provide the necessary preclinical evidence that can open the door for a new treatment option for Ewing sarcoma patients internationally.
The grant has been awarded to Dr Nikolas Herold at the Karolinska Institutet Medical School in Stockholm in collaboration with researchers from the University of Manchester and Heidelberg University in Germany.
Ewing sarcoma is caused by a very specific change in the DNA of cells, resulting in the occurrence of so-called fusion proteins that doesn’t exist in healthy cells. That protein tells the cell to grow out of control, which can lead to cancer.
Having a drug that effectively attacks this fusion protein might kill Ewing sarcoma cells. To date, no such drugs have been developed.
However recent research by the group has shown that use of a combination of two established chemotherapy drugs can reduce the fusion protein, killing Ewing sarcoma cells.
These drugs are called cytarabine and gemcitabine and encouragingly, are approved for use in patients which means how safe they are is already known.
Cytarabine has been shown to effectively attack the fusion protein, but by itself, its’ effectiveness has been limited due to the presence of a protein called SAMHD1.
From looking into what can prevent or slow down the activity of SAMHD1 and encourage cytarabine activity, gemcitabine has been shown to work.
The research hopes to show that by using combinations of gemcitabine and cytarabine in Ewing sarcoma patient cell samples and laboratory models, this will effectively attack the Ewing fusion protein and kill the Ewing sarcoma cells.
If the research is effective, the group plan to design a protocol for a clinical trial in patients.
Dr Viqui Vinader, Head of Research at the Bone Cancer Research Trust, shared:
We’re thrilled to award this funding to Dr Nikolas Herold. This project brings us closer to discovering more targeted treatments for Ewing sarcoma patients. I’d also like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to our supporters. Your generosity makes research like this possible.
This project has been discussed with and endorsed by members of the Swedish Sarcoma Society, the largest sarcoma patient advocacy group in Sweden.
Find out more about the project below.