Institute for Cancer Research

The Research Institute of Fox Chase Cancer Center

Timothy J Yen

Vikram Bhattacharjee

Neil Beeharry

Alfonso Bellacosa

Mitchell Smith

Mark D Andrake

Greg H Enders

Pietro Mancuso

Rossella Tricarico

Michael J Hall

Biao Luo

Methods for treating tumors comprise contacting tumor cells expressing the vitamin D receptor with a vitamin D receptor ligand that inhibits homologous recombination in the tumor cells, and contacting the tumor cells with an amount of a Poly(ADP) Ribose Polymerase 1 (PARP-1) inhibitor. Inhibiting homologous recombination produces a synergistic therapeutic effect between the vitamin D receptor ligand and PARP-1 inhibitor, and may overcome PARP-1 resistance in killing tumor cells.

Combined inhibition of the vitamin D receptor and poly(ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) in the treatment of cancer

The invention provides methods for enhancing the cytotoxicity of DNA damage in cancer cells that express thymine DNA glycosylase, and treating tumors accordingly. The methods comprise inhibiting the expression or biologic activity of thymine DNA glycosylase, and inducing DNA damage in the cancer cells. DNA damage may be induced by administration of bendamustine or gemcitabine to the cancer cells.

Combination of DNA repair inhibition with bendamustine or gemcitabine in the treatment of cancer

The invention provides methods for overriding cell cycle arrest in a tumor cell, which comprise inducing DNA damage in the cell, and contacting the cell with an amount of bosutinib or a bosutinib isomer effective to inhibit one or more kinase constituents of a DNA damage checkpoint pathway. The invention also provides novel bosutinib isomers, as well as compositions of the novel isomers and the bosutinib isomer 3,5-dichloro-4-methoxyaniline.

Sensitization of cancer cells to DNA damage by inhibiting kinases essential for DNA damage checkpoint control

Methods for treating tumors comprising cells expressing the vitamin D receptor are provided, and comprise inhibiting the expression or the biologic activity of the vitamin D receptor in the tumor cells, and/or inhibiting the expression or the biologic activity of a constituent of the vitamin D receptor signaling pathway in the tumor cells, and administering to the tumor cells an effective amount of gemcitabine.

Combined inhibition of the vitamin D receptor and DNA replication in the treatment of cancer

Systems and methods for diagnosing or characterizing a predisposition to colon cancer are provided. Cell nuclei may be evaluated for the presence or quantity of gamma-H2AX foci. Nucleic acids may be evaluated for the presence, type, or quantity of genomic instability or surrogates of dsDNA breaks such as ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM), Rad3-related protein (ATR), and Tumor suppressor p53-binding protein 1 (53BP1) in gamma-H2AX foci. Nucleic acids comprising a germline nucleic acid sequence of the ERCC6, WRN, TERT, and FAAP100 genes may be sequenced or probed to determine if the nucleic acid sequence includes one or more alterations that cause genomic instability, dsDNA breaks, or gamma-H2AX foci or otherwise predispose a subject to develop colon cancer.

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Haverford, PA, United States of America

Timothy J Yen