LMTK3 Inhibitors Show Efficacy in Breast Cancer Treatment
Researchers hope clinical trials will begin soon to evaluate oral LMTK3 inhibitors across cancer types.
LMTK3 inhibitors may be an effective treatment for breast cancer, according to a study published in Sciences Advances.
LMTK3 is a protein that is involved in the progression and development of different malignancies and other central nervous system-related diseases. The protein also plays a central role in controlling cancer cell processes.
The 5-year study, titled “The structure-function relationship of oncogenic LMTK3,” involved 7 institutions across 3 countries. Investigators found that LMTK3 is an active kinase that reports a compound that inhibits this protein, which resulted in anticancer effects in breast cancer cells in a mouse model.
According to the study, an oral LMTK3 inhibitor may also be effective against other cancer types. Additionally, it has the potential for broad clinical use as either a monotherapy or combinational therapy.
"We are now in the process of taking this research to the next stage by developing LMTK3 specific drugs. We hope that in the next five years we will be undertaking clinical trials, which is incredibly quick for this type of process," said study leader Georgios Giamas, PhD, professor of Cancer Cell Signaling at the University of Sussex, in a press release.
REFERENCE:
Sussex research points to new effective breast cancer treatment [News Release] November 13, 2020; Sussex, UK. Accessed November 17, 2020. https://eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/dls-srp111220.php.
