Researchers are testing a dual-target therapy that may improve breast cancer treatment.
A new dual-target treatment approach is showing promise for people with breast cancer. Researchers in Australia, working with Pfizer, have developed a therapy that targets two proteins at once. This method may help the body’s immune system attack cancer cells more effectively than current treatments.
Breast cancer remains one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in Australia. Every year, more than 20,000 people are diagnosed, including over 1,000 women under 40. Many people do not respond well to existing treatments, so scientists are always looking for new ways to improve outcomes.
Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that uses the body’s own immune system to fight tumors. While it has been effective for some types of cancer, breast cancer has been more difficult to treat with this method. Researchers have now found that attacking two key proteins at the same time could help immune cells work harder to destroy cancer.
Cancer cells often protect themselves with special proteins that make them invisible to the immune system. Two of these proteins, CD47 and PD-L1, help tumors avoid detection. Previous treatments have focused on blocking these proteins separately, but this has led to problems such as side effects and limited success rates. The new approach targets both proteins at once, making it harder for cancer cells to hide.
In tests on mice, this dual-target therapy gave immune cells a stronger boost compared to single-protein treatments. Researchers saw a better response in destroying cancer cells, which could mean improved treatment options for people with breast cancer in the future.
One of the scientists leading this work, Professor Laura Mackay from the University of Melbourne, explained why this discovery matters. She said that finding better ways to activate immune cells is key to making immunotherapy more effective.
Dr. Susan Christo, another researcher involved in the study, described the potential impact. She explained that hitting two proteins at once could change the way immunotherapy works, not just for breast cancer but for other solid tumors as well. She believes this approach could help more patients benefit from immune-based treatments and is eager to see further research and possible clinical trials.
This study was supported by Pfizer and Australia’s National Health and Medical Research Council. While the results are promising, more work is needed before the treatment can be used in hospitals. The next step is to test this therapy in human trials to see if it works as well in people as it does in mice.
Scientists remain hopeful that this new strategy could lead to better treatment options for breast cancer and other cancers in the future.
Sources:
New dual-target therapy offers hope for better breast cancer treatment
Dual CD47 and PD‐L1 blockade elicits anti‐tumor immunity by intratumoral CD8+ T cells
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