Discovery of WRN inhibitor HRO761 with synthetic lethality in MSI cancers. (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38658754/)

These scientists found a special protein called WRN that is important for cancer cells with a specific type of genetic mistake called microsatellite instability. They discovered a new medicine called HRO761 that can stop WRN from working properly. When they tested this medicine in the lab, they found that it could damage the DNA of cancer cells and make them stop growing. The medicine worked specifically in cancer cells with microsatellite instability, which is a good thing because these types of cancer are hard to treat. They also tested the medicine in mice with cancer and found that it could slow down the growth of tumors. Now, they are doing a study in people with colorectal cancer and other types of cancer to see if this medicine is safe and if it can help treat their cancer.

Ferretti S., Hamon J., de Kanter R., Scheufler C., Andraos-Rey R., Barbe S., Bechter E., Blank J., Bordas V., Dammassa E., Decker A., Di Nanni N., Dourdoigne M., Gavioli E., Hattenberger M., Heuser A., Hemmerlin C., Hinrichs J., Kerr G., Laborde L., Jaco I., Nunez EJ., Martus HJ., Quadt C., Reschke M., Romanet V., Schaeffer F., Schoepfer J., Schrapp M., Strang R., Voshol H., Wartmann M., Welly S., Zecri F., Hofmann F., Mobitz H., Cortes-Cros M. Discovery of WRN inhibitor HRO761 with synthetic lethality in MSI cancers. Nature. 2024 May;629(8011):443-449. doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07350-y. Epub 2024 Apr 24.