Scripps miRNA flips HER2-negative tumors to HER2-positive

Researchers at the Scripps Research Institute developed a dimeric small molecule that can switch on HER2 in cancers cells where it was previously not up-regulated, sensitizing HER2-negative breast cancer and liver cancer cells to HER2-targeted therapies in vitro.

The findings, published by Matthew Disney's lab at Scripps in Journal of the American Chemical Society Wednesday, show the compound inhibits microRNA-515 production by selectively targeting its hairpin precursor, which disrupts the SPHK1/S1P pathway that regulates HER2. miRNA-515 is expressed in some HER2-negative cancers but not healthy tissue...