BioCentury
ARTICLE | Distillery Therapeutics

Cancer

August 16, 2017 5:44 PM UTC

Cell culture studies suggest activating IRF3 or inhibiting its negative regulator CSNK2 could help treat glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). In mouse brain slices co-cultured with a patient-derived GBM cell line, vector-mediated constitutively active IRF3 in the GBM cells decreased the brain slice area invaded by cancer cells compared with empty vector. In three additional patient-derived GBM cell lines co-cultured with the mouse brain slices, the CSNK2 inhibitor CX-4945 decreased brain slice invasion and proliferation of cancer cells. In an orthotopic xenograft mouse model of GBM, CX-4945 decreased tumor invasiveness. Next steps include testing CSNK2 inhibition as part of combination therapies in animal models of GBM (see "Stopping the Invasion." BioCentury Innovations (Aug. 17, 2017)).

Senhwa Biosciences Inc. has CX-4945 in Phase II testing for advanced cholangiocarcinoma...