Therapeutics: Transforming growth factor (TGF) β
Studies in mice suggest TGFβ inhibition plus radiotherapy could help treat breast cancer. In two mouse models of breast cancer, anti-TGFβ antibody plus radiotherapy increased CD8+ T cell responses to tumor antigens, decreased tumor volume and the number and size of metastases, and increased survival compared with a control antibody plus radiotherapy. In a mouse model of breast cancer, combining the anti-TGFβ antibody, radiotherapy and an antibody against programmed cell death 1 (PD-1; PDCD1; CD279) increased survival compared with the anti-TGFβ antibody plus radiotherapy. Next steps could include testing the combination of the anti-TGFβ antibody and radiotherapy in additional tumor models.
Acceleron Pharma Inc. and Celgene Corp. have luspatercept (ACE-536), a modified activin receptor type 2B (ACVR2B) fusion protein that inhibits several ligands in the TGFβ superfamily, in Phase II testing to treat anemia and thalassemia...