Zhongshan’s Combined Radiotherapy and Immunotherapy Strategy Receives International Recognition
News from this newspaper: In the actual treatment of liver cancer, many patients will develop resistance to radiotherapy, which greatly reduces the treatment effect. Recently, the team of Professor Du Shisuo from the Department of Radiotherapy at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University and the team of associate researcher Ke Aiwu from the Liver Cancer Institute of Fudan University (Zhongshan Hospital) achieved innovative breakthroughs under the guidance of Professor Zeng Zhaochong. This study systematically elucidates the key mechanism of MORF4L1 in radiotherapy resistance of liver cancer, and innovatively proposes a "precisely tuned" solution for argatroban combined with radiotherapy and immunotherapy. The relevant results were published as a cover article in Cellular & Molecular Immunology, an authoritative international journal of immunology, and were highly recognized by international peer reviews, providing an important theoretical basis for solving the problem of liver cancer treatment.
A new paradigm of precise regulation and construction of "DNA repair-immune activation". Through single-cell RNA sequencing and RNA sequencing technology, the research team identified death factor 4-like protein 1 (MORF4L1) as a key DDR marker in HCC. Through multiple clinical cohort analysis and patient-derived xenograft models, it was confirmed that MORF4L1 is highly expressed in HCC cells, and its expression level is significantly related to poor patient prognosis and radiotherapy resistance. This dual role of simultaneously targeting the intrinsic repair mechanism of tumor cells and microenvironment immune regulation provides a new idea for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: by inhibiting MORF4L1, radiotherapy sensitization and immune microenvironment remodeling can be simultaneously achieved, establishing a new paradigm of precise regulation of "DNA repair-immune activation".
The same periodical published a joint review by Virginia Tech scholars Tamalika Paul, Manali Powar and Irving Coy Allen, interpreting the academic value and clinical significance of this study from multiple dimensions. Comments pointed out that this study started from clinical problems, revealed the mechanism through basic research, and then returned to clinical translation, fully embodying the core value of translational medicine research. In particular, the strategy of “repurposing old drugs with new uses” provides a model that can be used for reference in cancer treatment innovation.
The positive evaluation by the international academic community not only reflects the depth and innovation of this research in scientific exploration, but also demonstrates its potential to solve practical clinical problems, providing important theoretical basis and practical direction for future immunotherapy combination therapy of liver cancer and even other solid tumors.
Source: Affiliated Zhongshan Hospital