MiReven announces positive preclinical results for miR-7 in head and neck cancer
MiReven announced the publication in the journal PLOS One of a study in which miR-7 was examined in combination with the head and neck cancer (HNC) treatment erlotinib hydrochloride (Tarceva, Genentech/OSIP).
Epidermal growth factor (EGFR) inhibitors are effective in only 20-30% of patients with head & neck cancer. The present study, which was conducted at the WAIMR, examined the capacity of miR-7 to regulate head and neck cancer growth in vivo and the combination of miR-7 with erlotinib in vitro, where it sensitised resistant cells to the tumour suppressive effects of erlotinib. Further, a microarray study found that miR-7 downregulated multiple mRNAs associated with the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway, which is strongly associated with the development, progression and treatment resistance of HNC.
Professor Peter Leedman from the WAIMR, who led the study, explained: “Although EGFR inhibitors like erlotinib have been developed for the treatment of many cancers, they are often not very effective, with responses typically short and tumours building up resistance quite quickly. However, when we combined erlotinib with the anti-cancer microRNA, miR-7, its effectiveness increased. “
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