A drug against melanoma is currently in clinical trials
01.05.2017 - How the basic research conducted by the group of Dr. Marisol Soengas at the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre (CNIO, Madrid) leads to first tests for therapy
Melanomas are inherently aggressive cancers for which basic and translational research have significantly improved patient prognosis. Nevertheless, clinical responses are still incomplete.
The long-term goals of the Group of Dr. Soengas are to identify new progression biomarkers and therapeutic agents. Transcriptomic and proteomic analyses of the melanoma secretome have enabled the scientists to define how tumour cells remodel the (lymph)angiogenic vasculature and avoid immune recognition. Moreover, a unique set of animal models has been generated for non-invasive imaging of melanoma progression in vivo. These systems have led to the validation of dsRNA nanoparticle-based drug called BO-110. This compound combines two therapeutic actions: immunotherapy and autophagy. This drug is currently being tested in clinical trials under the name of BO-112 in two Spanish hospitals, representing the first-in-human testing for this type of compounds
