Inhibiting SLC13A3 for immunotherapy-resistant cancer

Inhibiting tumor SLC13A3, a transporter that takes up macrophage-derived itaconate to promote ferroptosis resistance, could help treat cancer by increasing sensitivity to immune checkpoint blockade, and inducing ferroptosis to decrease tumor growth.

In tumor biopsies from patients with a range of solid cancers who were treated with an anti-PD-1 mAb, SCL13A3 mRNA levels were higher in tumors that did not respond than in tumors that did respond to immunotherapy. Additionally, higher tumor SCL13A3 mRNA expression was associated with shorter overall survival. ...