Researchers in Israel have developed a new class of molecules that selectively kill aggressive cancer cells.   

Aggressive cancers such as bone tumours (sarcomas) and melanoma that no longer respond to existing targeted therapies have few treatment options. These cancers rely on proteins, known as  oncoproteins, that drive tumour growth and often develop ways to avoid cell death.   

A research team led by EARA member Technion-Israel Institute of Technology developed a class of experimental compounds, called R4VPs, that simultaneously trigger the destruction of two proteins involved in cancer survival. This causes cancer cells to undergo ferroptosis, a form of programmed cell death driven by the build-up of toxic damage inside the cell.  

The compounds rapidly killed treatment-resistant melanoma cells and several types of bone cancer cells taken directly from patients' tumours during surgery, while having little effect on healthy cells. The researchers also found the compounds were particularly effective against cancers driven by specific mutations, suggesting they may benefit a subset of patients with cancers that no longer respond to existing therapies.  

The approach will now be tested in mice before being considered for human trials. The study was published in Oncogene.