Researchers at the University of Alberta have developed a new drug that could change the way cancer and heart disease are treated simultaneously.
This drug aims to protect the heart from damage caused by chemotherapy, while simultaneously enhancing the ability of cancer treatments to slow tumor growth and prevent its spread.
The team revealed that they targeted a protein known as ZNF281 and developed a new drug compound called ZIM, a molecule that inhibits this protein.
Experiments on mice with lung cancer showed that combining the new drug ZIM with the common chemotherapy drug anthracycline helped protect the heart from treatment-induced heart failure, while simultaneously leading to a significant reduction in tumor size and preventing its spread to other parts of the body. Similar results were observed when tested on models of melanoma, one of the most dangerous forms of skin cancer.
The study's lead researcher, Gopinath Sutendra, an associate professor at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Medicine, said the drug works by disrupting the activity of the ZNF281 protein, which plays a dual role in the body, contributing to damage to heart cells during chemotherapy, while simultaneously helping cancer cells grow within tumors.
Sutendra added that the results were remarkable, explaining that some mice fully recovered from cancer during the treatment period, along with complete protection of heart function from deterioration.
Researchers point out that this protein is particularly active when the body is exposed to chemotherapy, as the heart enters a state of stress that stimulates a cellular pathway that eventually leads to weakening of the heart muscle, known as treatment-induced cardiomyopathy.
Through years of research, the team discovered that this pathway can be stopped by inhibiting ZNF281, which prevents the chain of reactions that lead to heart damage, while simultaneously reducing the ability of cancer cells to grow.
The study also showed that the protein itself reacts differently depending on the cell environment; it harms oxygen-rich heart cells, while it supports the growth of tumors that live in a low-oxygen environment, which opened the door to targeting it therapeutically without harming the body.
The team collaborated with specialists in medicinal chemistry to develop a small compound capable of preventing this protein from binding to DNA, thereby disrupting its function within cells.
Researchers are currently testing the drug in additional animal models, in preparation for moving to clinical trials after obtaining regulatory approvals, while expanding the study to include other types of cancer and different forms of heart disease.
The team hopes this discovery will pave the way for a new therapeutic approach that combines cancer treatment and heart protection simultaneously, rather than choosing between the two as happens in some current treatments.
The study results were published in the journal Science Translational Medicine.
