A new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine has revealed a potential breakthrough in the treatment of therapy-resistant prostate cancer. The study, titled “Targeting therapy-resistant prostate cancer via a direct inhibitor of the human Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1 (HSF1)”, demonstrates how a small-molecule inhibitor developed by biotech company Sisu Pharma could be effective in treating even the most aggressive late-stage forms of the disease.
The study’s authors, Dong et al. from Duke University, found that HSF1, a transcription factor that can protect tumor cells and interfere with anticancer treatment, is a poor prognostic factor for patients with prostate cancer. The small molecule degrader designed by Sisu Pharma directly binds to nuclear HSF1 and promotes its degradation, making it effective in multiple models of prostate cancer, including a neuroendocrine model. This promising discovery suggests the inhibitor has potential for clinical testing, giving hope to those who are struggling with therapy-resistant prostate cancer.
The Sisu Pharma team is excited to see the results of their HSF1 degraders and platform being validated in such a prestigious scientific journal. This breakthrough discovery shows the potential for a new therapeutic option for patients with therapy-resistant prostate cancer, a disease that has been notoriously difficult to treat. With continued research and development, Sisu Pharma is hopeful that their innovative approach will lead to better outcomes for patients and their families.
About Sisu
Sisu Pharma (www.sisupharma.com) is a biotechnology company focused on exploiting cellular stress by directly targeting Heat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1), the central stress protective transcription factor. The company’s HSF1 targeting platform has delivered selective HSF1 degraders for oncology that demonstrate compelling efficacy in therapy-resistant cancer models and provides additional opportunities for developing treatments for neurodegenerative conditions and infectious diseases. The full text of the paper can be found at https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.abb5647
