Agents that cause ¡®copper overload¡¯ can overcome radiotherapy resistance in preclinical models
MD Anderson Research Highlight April 10, 2025
Radiation therapy, or radiotherapy, can successfully treat multiple cancers, but some patients develop resistance to this treatment, known as radioresistance, underscoring a need to understand the effects of radiation on various cell death pathways. Researchers led by , and , examined the role of cuproptosis ¨C a newly identified form of copper-induced cell death ¨C in preclinical models of thoracic cancer. The researchers showed that radiotherapy induces cuproptosis independently of other cell death pathways by increasing intracellular copper levels. Additionally, they discovered that radioresistant tumors evade cuproptosis by upregulating certain proteins that reduce copper levels. Adding copper-loaded agents to radiotherapy significantly increased intracellular copper levels and induced cuproptosis, overcoming radioresistance. The copper-loaded agents used are either already approved by the Food and Drug Administration or previously showed favorable profiles in clinical trials, highlighting their quick translational potential as a therapeutic strategy to overcome radioresistance. Learn more in .
¡°This is an exciting finding in a promising avenue of research. The ability to help many patients overcome radiotherapy resistance would significantly improve clinical outcomes across many different cancers.