Research Roundup: Engineered Nanoparticles and New Potential Standards of Care

Positive results from a phase 3 trial of Astellas Pharmaceuticals’ zolbetuximab and modified folinic acid, fluorouracil, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) “may represent a new standard of care” in the first-line treatment of CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative gastric cancer.

“Based on the results of SPOTLIGHT, zolbetuximab should be considered as an option for first-line therapy in combination with chemotherapy in patients with CLDN18.2-positive, HER2-negative, locally advanced unresectable or metastatic gastric or [GEJ] junction adenocarcinoma… Zolbetuximab is being tested in other studies in CLDN18.2-positive gastric and pancreatic adenocarcinomas.”

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Italian researchers reported in a study that gastric cancer patients with mutated BRCA2 or homologous repair deficiency may benefit from treatment with PARP inhibitors.

“Despite negative results of clinical trials conducted on the overall population of patients with gastric cancer, PARP inhibitor (PARPi) therapeutic strategy still might represent a window of opportunity for a subpopulation of patients with gastric cancer. An estimated 7% to 12% of gastric cancers exhibit a mutational signature associated with homologous recombination (HR) failure, suggesting that these patients could potentially benefit from PARPis.”

People treated for H. pylori infection had a 63% lower risk of developing gastric cancer after 8 years than those who weren’t treated.

“Treating Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection markedly reduces the risk for stomach cancer.”

More about Gastric Cancer: Learn how gastric cancer spreads, how it develops, and the multiple stages of gastric cancer.

A recent study delved into the role of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) RNU12 in gastric cancer progression, shedding light on its potential as a prognostic biomarker and drug target.

“This study revealed that RNU12 inhibited proliferation, invasion and metastasis by sponging of miR-575 and regulating the downstream BLID and modulated EMT of GC cells.”

A Korean research team found a strong correlation between ACTA2 expression and response to immune checkpoint inhibitor response. Patients with high ACTA2 expression had a lower response rate (25%) compared to those with low ACTA2 expression (27%).

“Previously, there were few criteria for predicting the effectiveness of anticancer drugs in gastric cancer patients, which made it difficult to plan treatment, but this study identified a statistically significant biomarker,” Professor Cheong said. “We expect that the research will help the development of gastric cancer drugs that inhibit the expression of ACTA2 in the future.”

An experimental drug combining antibody fragments with engineered nanoparticles eliminated gastric cancer in mice.

“I’ve seen beautiful results before, but I’ve never seen something that eradicates a tumor like this.”

CARsgen therapeutics has launched a phase 2 trial in the US of its CAR-T cell therapy to treat patients with Claudin18.2 (CLDN18.2) positive advanced gastric cancer/gastroesophageal junction cancer.

“CT041 has shown promising results in previous trials, demonstrating clinical efficacy and a manageable safety profile… We believe that CT041 has the potential to become an effective treatment option for patients with advanced gastric cancer.”

A Korean study found an association between nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and gastric cancer diagnoses in young adults between the ages of 20 and 39.

“Our findings suggest a crucial opportunity to reduce premature morbidity and mortality associated with young-onset digestive tract cancers in the next generation.”

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