PARP inhibitor drugs, like olaparib, are currently used to treat some cancer patients with changes in their BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes.
These are often referred to as the “Jolie genes” because of the actress Angelina Jolie’s connection to them. But new research hints that these drugs might be useful for a broader group of cancer patients.
Discovering a New Use
Researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research in London focused on changes in another gene called SF3B1. Changes in this gene are connected to several cancers, including some breast cancers, leukemia, and melanoma.
When testing 80 drugs, the researchers found that PARP inhibitors are effective against cancer cells with altered SF3B1 genes.
Normally, these drugs work by stopping cancer cells with BRCA gene changes from repairing their DNA, which eventually kills these cells.
But, the team discovered that even cancer cells with normal BRCA genes but altered SF3B1 genes are weakened by PARP inhibitors.
The reason? These cells lack a protein called CINP. Without CINP, these cells can’t copy their DNA properly when treated with PARP inhibitors. This means they accumulate damaged DNA and eventually die.
Potential for Existing Drugs
If further studies confirm these results, existing drugs like olaparib could help even more patients.
Roughly 3% of women with primary breast cancers have changes in the SF3B1 gene. The number is even higher for some melanomas and leukemia.
This means that many more people might benefit from treatments already available.
Dr. Rachael Natrajan from The Institute of Cancer Research noted the potential for a wider group of patients to benefit from this treatment, especially those with the most common type of breast cancer.
What’s Next?
The next step is clinical trials. As these drugs are already approved for some patients, researchers hope to start testing them on a wider range of patients soon.
If the trials are successful, more patients could quickly benefit from PARP inhibitors.
Dr. Simon Vincent highlighted the importance of further research to understand more about how these drugs can help various cancer patients. The hope is to change the future of cancer treatment for the better.
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The study was published in Nature Genetics.
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