Attacking the tumor on multiple fronts

Combined therapeutic approach: radiotherapy, immunotherapy and DNA repair inhibitors

Marie Dutreix, Philip Poortmans

Background: AsiDNA molecules developed by Marie Dutreix’s team act by miming DNA repair defects. The cell machinery no longer knows how to repair the lesions which provokes cancer cell death. The team recently demonstrated that these molecules used in percutaneous injection in combination with radiotherapy induce a therapeutic response in 63% of patients.

The team also demonstrated an abscopal effect (anti-cancer effect of tissues far from the irradiated site and the injection site) indicating a stimulation of the immune response.

Hypothesis: Combining a local radiotherapy treatment with molecules targeting DNA repair defects (Dbaits and / or PARP inhibitors) could boost the effect of immunotherapy. As such, some breast cancers could benefit from a radio/chemo/immuno-therapy.

Objectives: Test the effect of a combination (radiotherapy – therapy targeting DNA repair defects – immunotherapy) on animal models with the aim of reaching a clinical trial in humans.