STAT3 inhibition as immunotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer

Purpose and goal

STAT3 is a protein that is frequently over activated in different types of cancer which can lead to uncontrolled tumor growth, treatment resistance and immunosuppression. Preclinical studies using Glactone’s STAT3 inhibitor has shown that STAT3 inhibition can increase the efficacy of immunotherapy. The project’s objective was to identify the immunological mechanisms that enable STAT3 inhibition to potentiate the effect of immunotherapy and thereby generate knowledge and data that support the continued development towards a clinical use.

Expected results and effects

The results generated in the project identified a potential mechanism that could explain why prostate cancer responds poorly to a certain type of immunotherapy. Furthermore, using an animal model the project could demonstrate that this mechanism could be targeted through STAT3 inhibition and thereby increasing the efficacy of immunotherapy. The positive outcome of the project provides a rationale for combining immunotherapy with a STAT3 inhibitor to treat prostate cancer patients.

Planned approach and implementation

The project and its work packages were designed collaboratively within the project group. The different activities were performed by the group members. The original plan could be followed in almost its entirety with only slight modifications. The focus of the project activities were on flow cytometry in order to identify changes in cell populations following STAT3 inhibition. The results from the different work packages were analyzed as a group. The project included face to face meetings and regular email and telephone correspondence between the participating parties.