An international team from the Institute of Personalized Oncology at Sechenov University, part of the Russian Ministry of Health affiliation, explored why some patients do not respond to targeted cancer therapies. Their research indicates that components found in blood plasma may influence the effectiveness of these treatments. The researchers shared these insights with socialbites.ca, highlighting the collaborative involvement of First Moscow State Medical University in this work. Sechenov University’s researchers emphasize that understanding these plasma-related factors can help tailor therapies more accurately for individual patients.
Targeted drugs are designed to interfere with specific molecules that drive tumor growth and the spread of cancer. This focused approach often yields meaningful clinical benefits and tends to produce fewer side effects compared with traditional chemotherapy. Nevertheless, variability in patient response remains a challenge. Identifying the factors that diminish or negate the impact of these drugs is essential for optimizing treatment plans and outcomes.
The current study points to blood plasma components as potential modifiers of drug efficacy. Recognizing these influences is important when constructing models that predict how a patient might respond to a given targeted therapy and when planning dose and scheduling strategies for individual cases.
In their experiments, the team examined the effect of serum derived from 23 donors on two widely used targeted cancer drugs. Both medications target the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on cancer cell surfaces, a protein that plays a key role in controlling cell growth and differentiation. The findings showed that introducing blood serum into cancer cell cultures substantially reduced the therapeutic effect of both drugs. Moreover, the extent of this reduction varied markedly among donors, underscoring the degree of interindividual variability in treatment response that clinicians must consider.
Commenting on the implications, Dr. Marina Sekacheva, MD, the director of the Institute of Personalized Oncology at Sechenov University, noted that EGFR activity is a critical biomarker in many cancers. Increased EGFR activity is linked to enhanced tumor growth, and many targeted therapies are designed to capitalize on this vulnerability. This research adds a new layer of understanding by showing that plasma components can influence how effectively those therapies engage their target in real-world biological settings.
The study also revealed that to restore the therapeutic potency observed in controlled experiments, doses of the targeted drugs had to be raised by roughly five to twenty-five times, depending on the particular serum sample used. While such dose escalations are not practical or safe in routine clinical practice, these results illustrate the potential necessity of accounting for plasma-related factors during dose optimization, preclinical testing, and when evaluating alternatives or combination strategies in cancer care.
Ultimately, the researchers argue that recognizing the impact of blood plasma components will help clinicians select the appropriate dose for successful treatment or consider alternative strategies when necessary. The findings also hold implications for preclinical drug development, where early identification of plasma-driven variability can refine trial design, improve predictive models, and reduce the risk of late-stage failures in oncology drug development.
These discoveries align with a broader movement in oncology toward precision medicine that respects individual biological diversity. By integrating plasma-related considerations into predictive tools and treatment planning, healthcare providers can move closer to delivering highly effective, patient-specific therapies while mitigating unnecessary exposure and maximizing potential benefits.
In summary, the work from Sechenov University and its collaborators sheds light on how blood plasma components may undermine targeted cancer therapies in some patients. It calls for a careful, data-driven approach to dosing and strategy selection in precision oncology, and it emphasizes the importance of incorporating plasma dynamics into both clinical practice and early drug development processes. Further research will determine how these insights can be translated into routine clinical protocols and predictive models for varied cancer types, ultimately aiming to improve outcomes for patients in Canada, the United States, and beyond.