Work

Inhibition of kinase HASPIN as a novel anti-tumor strategy to radiosensitize and boost the in situ vaccination effect of radiation 9073

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Description Radiation therapy (RT) is a treatment used in roughly half of all cancer patients at some point over the course of their care. RT induces DNA damage that can kill cells if not properly repaired. DNA damaged by RT may also leak into the cytoplasm where it can be sensed by cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) synthase (cGAS) which activates Stimulator of Interferon Genes (STING) through a secondary messenger, cGAMP. STING activation induces the expression of pro-inflammatory genes that can potentiate the antitumor effect of RT. HASPIN is an understudied, atypical kinase involved in cell cycle progression and DNA repair; this kinase is frequently overexpressed in human cancers. Inhibition of HASPIN results in mitotic errors and DNA stress. We hypothesize that HASPIN inhibitors will work synergistically with RT to both radiosensitize the tumor and activate the cGAS/STING pathway. This novel treatment combination may result in a new strategy to augment the benefits of RT for treating cancer. Funding Sources Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, RP180725 (PI: Raquibul Hannan) Topic Categories Tumor Immunology: Cellular Responses and Tumor Microevironment (TIME)

Source: The Journal of Immunology

DOI: 10.1093/jimmun/vkaf283.2525

Authors: Oscar Mulvaney, Laurentiu Pop, Karunakar Saamarthy, Subash Kairamkonda, Komaraiah Palle, Raquibul Hannan

Institutions: The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center

Language: English

Topic: Effects of Radiation Exposure

Subfield: Radiology, Nuclear Medicine and Imaging

Field: Medicine

Domain: Health Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: bronze

OpenAlex ID: W4416451276