Dll4 Inhibition plus Aflibercept Markedly Reduces Ovarian Tumor Growth.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4), one of the Notch ligands, is overexpressed in ovarian cancer, especially in tumors resistant to anti-VEGF therapy. Here, we examined the biologic effects of dual anti-Dll4 and anti-VEGF therapy in ovarian cancer models. Using Dll4-Fc blockade and anti-Dll4 antibodies (murine REGN1035 and human REGN421), we evaluated the biologic effects of Dll4 inhibition combined with aflibercept or chemotherapy in orthotopic mouse models of ovarian cancer. We also examined potential mechanisms by which dual Dll4 and VEGF targeting inhibit tumor growth using immunohistochemical staining for apoptosis and proliferation markers. Reverse-phase protein arrays were used to identify potential downstream targets of Dll4 blockade. Dual targeting of VEGF and Dll4 with murine REGN1035 showed superior antitumor effects in ovarian cancer models compared with either monotherapy. In the A2780 model, REGN1035 (targets murine Dll4) or REGN421 (targets human Dll4) reduced tumor weights by 62% and 82%, respectively; aflibercept alone reduced tumor weights by 90%. Greater therapeutic effects were observed for Dll4 blockade (REGN1035) combined with either aflibercept or docetaxel (P < 0.05 for the combination vs. aflibercept). The superior antitumor effects of REGN1035 and aflibercept were related to increased apoptosis in tumor cells compared with the monotherapy. We also found that GATA3 expression was significantly increased in tumor stroma from the mice treated with REGN1035 combined with docetaxel or aflibercept, suggesting an indirect effect of these combination treatments on the tumor stroma. These findings identify that dual targeting of Dll4 and VEGF is an attractive therapeutic approach. Mol Cancer Ther; 15(6); 1344-52. ©2016 AACR.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Huang, J; Hu, W; Hu, L; Previs, RA; Dalton, HJ; Yang, X-Y; Sun, Y; McGuire, M; Rupaimoole, R; Nagaraja, AS; Kang, Y; Liu, T; Nick, AM; Jennings, NB; Coleman, RL; Jaffe, RB; Sood, AK
Published Date
- June 2016
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 15 / 6
Start / End Page
- 1344 - 1352
PubMed ID
- 27009216
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC4893925
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1538-8514
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-15-0144
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States