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Sound Waves Could Provide New Tool To Fight Cancer
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Ken Kingery
Pratt School of Engineering
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Armstrong Speaks on New Cell Surface Targets for Advanced Prostate Cancer
Multiple new cell surface targets are being investigated in advanced prostate cancer to hopefully lead to more effective therapies. Andrew Armstrong, MD, director of research for the Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, spoke with Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology about these developments.Cell surface targets are more accessible and engageable than other targets, making them more effective for therapies in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Armstrong said ideal cell surface targets are highly expressed in cancer cells and missing in normal cells, so therapies avoid damaging healthy tissue.Eight cell surface targets have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment; only one of those targets, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), applies to prostate cancer.“The hope is that in the future, researchers will make use of cell surface targets to develop new antibody-drug conjugates, radioligand therapies, bispecific or trispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell or natural killer/myeloid cell therapies,” Armstrong said.Investigations are currently underway to uncover cell surface targets for the three biological disease states of prostate cancer – adenocarcinoma, NEPC/small cell prostate cancer, and poorly differentiated prostate cancer. Each state has different cell surface proteomes, requiring tailored treatments.PSMA has already shown to be effective in typical prostate adenocarcinoma. Other targets, including STEAP1, hK2 and B7-H3, are being explored for treatment.Before administering these treatment options to patients, Armstrong said it is important to ensure durable responses and improved patient outcomes. Safety monitoring is also crucial, since targets could potentially be expressed in normal tissues. Finding adequate biomarkers with analytic and clinical viability also proves difficult.“Biomarker development needs to be intentional from the start because biomarkers must go through phases 1, 2, and 3 as a companion diagnostic, in line with drug development,” Armstrong said. “Biomarkers should be an integral part of the studies submitted for FDA approval to optimize dosing and patient benefit while minimizing toxicity and exposure to potentially harmful therapies in patients for whom treatment will be ineffective.”Research from the DCI Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers focuses on prevention and screening, early diagnosis, and the development of new treatments, including targeted treatments and individualized care. Learn more about the center.
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
Armstrong Speaks on New Cell Surface Targets for Advanced Prostate Cancer
Multiple new cell surface targets are being investigated in advanced prostate cancer to hopefully lead to more effective therapies. Andrew Armstrong, MD, director of research for the Duke Cancer Institute Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers, spoke with Clinical Advances in Hematology & Oncology about these developments.Cell surface targets are more accessible and engageable than other targets, making them more effective for therapies in solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. Armstrong said ideal cell surface targets are highly expressed in cancer cells and missing in normal cells, so therapies avoid damaging healthy tissue.Eight cell surface targets have received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment; only one of those targets, prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), applies to prostate cancer.“The hope is that in the future, researchers will make use of cell surface targets to develop new antibody-drug conjugates, radioligand therapies, bispecific or trispecific antibodies, and chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell or natural killer/myeloid cell therapies,” Armstrong said.Investigations are currently underway to uncover cell surface targets for the three biological disease states of prostate cancer – adenocarcinoma, NEPC/small cell prostate cancer, and poorly differentiated prostate cancer. Each state has different cell surface proteomes, requiring tailored treatments.PSMA has already shown to be effective in typical prostate adenocarcinoma. Other targets, including STEAP1, hK2 and B7-H3, are being explored for treatment.Before administering these treatment options to patients, Armstrong said it is important to ensure durable responses and improved patient outcomes. Safety monitoring is also crucial, since targets could potentially be expressed in normal tissues. Finding adequate biomarkers with analytic and clinical viability also proves difficult.“Biomarker development needs to be intentional from the start because biomarkers must go through phases 1, 2, and 3 as a companion diagnostic, in line with drug development,” Armstrong said. “Biomarkers should be an integral part of the studies submitted for FDA approval to optimize dosing and patient benefit while minimizing toxicity and exposure to potentially harmful therapies in patients for whom treatment will be ineffective.”Research from the DCI Center for Prostate and Urologic Cancers focuses on prevention and screening, early diagnosis, and the development of new treatments, including targeted treatments and individualized care. Learn more about the center.