AACR 2025: Colon cancer risk reduction, predicting melanoma spread and new drug therapies among Ohio State findings

(Press-News.org) COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new targeted drug treatment for small cell lung cancer, understanding how obesity drives endometrial cancer, and predicting early-stage melanoma spread are among the research topics being presented by scientists with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) at the American Association for Cancer Research® (AACR) Annual Meeting April 25-30 in Chicago.

A focal point for the cancer research community, the AACR annual meeting highlights the strongest cancer research from institutions around the world. Highlights from the OSUCCC – James team include (all times listed in central time):

LATE BREAKING/CLINICAL ABSTRACTS
EMBARGOED 4/25/25 AT 12 p.m. CT

New DHODH inhibitor therapy for advanced solid tumors, non-Hodgkin lymphoma
EXPERT: Asrar Alahmadi, MBBS, OSUCCC – James medical oncologist and assistant professor, College of Medicine
WHEN: 9 a.m. – Noon, Tuesday, April 29

The study focuses on a new drug called JBZ-001 (HOSU-53 when in preclinical testing), which was developed and then moved to commercialization at the OSUCCC – James. The trial represents the first human testing of a best-in-class DHODH inhibitor for stopping growth of various cancers, including certain lymphomas. This clinical trial is now enrolling patients with advanced solid tumors or lymphomas that have not responded to other treatments. Additional information about this research is noted in following abstract authored by Bahareh Nourmohammadi.

REGULAR ABSTRACTS – no embargo

New targeted therapy in testing for small cell lung cancer
EXPERT: Bahareh Nourmohammadi, doctoral student at the OSUCCC – James and College of Medicine
WHEN: 9 a.m. – Noon, Wednesday, April 30

This study looked at a new best-in-class DHODH inhibitor called HOSU-53 that might help treat small cell lung cancer (SCLC). SCLC is a very aggressive type of lung cancer that doesn't have many effective long-term treatments. The usual treatment is a combination of chemotherapy drugs, but it often stops working after a while. HOSU-53 targets a specific enzyme called DHODH, which cancer cells need to grow. When tested in preclinical models, HOSU-53 helped slow the growth of cancer cells. Study findings suggest a new possible way to treat small cell lung cancer and have led to starting human trials to see if HOSU-53 works well in people and if it is safe to use. The phase I study is led by Asrar Alahmadi, MBBS, a medical oncologist with the OSUCCC – James, and is now open to recruitment for patients with advanced solid tumors and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. 

Predicting which patients will develop melanoma spread to other parts of the body
EXPERT: Merve Hasanov, MD, OSUCCC – James medical oncologist and assistant professor, College of Medicine
WHEN: 2- 5 p.m., Monday, April 28

About 20% of early-stage melanomas spread to other parts of the body, like the liver, brain and lungs. Patients with this condition often have a poor outlook, but immunotherapies are beginning to increase survival by up to 50%. It is important to find out which patients are at the highest risk of their cancer spreading so they can be checked more often. This study examined if a 31-gene expression profile (31-GEP) could predict which patients were at the highest risk. Results from a study of 1,661 patients with early-stage melanoma showed that the test could help identify those at higher risk. This could allow doctors to monitor these patients more closely, finding the cancer early when it is easier to treat.

New drug target for aggressive brain tumor
EXPERT: Christian A. Showalter, PhD, postdoctoral scholar at the OSUCCC – James and College of Medicine
WHEN: 9 a.m. – Noon, Monday, April 28

This study focuses on glioblastoma (GBM), an aggressive type of brain cancer. The researchers wanted to understand how two treatments, radiation therapy (RT) and temozolomide (TMZ), affect a protein called PSMA7, which is overproduced in GBM tumors and linked to poor survival. Researchers found that when GBM cells were treated with RT, PSMA7 levels decreased as the radiation dose increased. These findings suggest that targeting PSMA7 could be an effective strategy to improve GBM treatments. Combining RT with drugs that inhibit (block) PSMA7 might be a promising approach to make GBM therapy more effective. New treatment strategies for GBM are critically needed, as less than 10% of patients with this disease reach five-year survival.

Obesity and endometrial cancer risk 
EXPERT: Lakshmi Narasimhan Chakrapani, PhD, postdoctoral fellow at the OSUCCC - James
WHEN: 2-5 pm, Monday, April 28 

Previous studies suggest that 57% of endometrial cancers are linked to obesity. This study looks at how obesity might contribute to endometrial cancer, which is the most common gynecologic cancer in women in the U.S. The researchers focused on small particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs) that are released by obese adipocytes and might lead to cancer. Increased EVs from adipose and uterine tissues in obese patients were found to carry cancer-promoting proteins. Preclinical experiments showed that a high-fat diet led to more EVs and cancer-related changes in the uterus. This research suggests that targeting EVs might be a new way to prevent and treat obesity-related endometrial cancer.

 

Metaformin for colorectal cancer prevention in high-risk patients
EXPERT: Holli Loomins-Kropp, PhD, OSUCCC – James Cancer Control Research Program and assistant professor in the College of Medicine
WHEN: 9 a.m. to Noon, Wednesday, April 30

Scientists at OSUCCC – James studied how a commonly used anti-diabetic medication called metformin affects colorectal cancer cells. They tested the medicine on two types of cancer cells: one with a normal KRAS gene and another with a mutated KRAS gene. The mutated KRAS gene is linked to colorectal cancers with poor outcomes. They found that metformin stopped the cancer cells with the mutated KRAS gene from growing, but it didn’t affect the normal cells. The medicine caused the mutated cancer cells to stop growing at a certain point, called cell cycle arrest. The scientists also saw that many genes involved with cell growth and division had changed when the cancer cells were treated with metformin. These results suggest that metformin might be useful for treating patients with colorectal cancer and KRAS mutations. This study provides new information on how metformin works and shows it could help treat some types of colorectal cancer. 

Exercise intervention for people at high risk for lung cancer
EXPERT: Marisa Bittoni, PhD, OSUCCC – James researcher and assistant professor, College of Medicine
WHEN: 2 – 5 p.m., Monday, April 28

Modifiable risk factors, including diet and exercise, have been shown to be associated with reduced lung cancer risk. Through the BEFIT exercise study, OSUCCC – James scientists wanted to know if a 12-week exercise intervention could help reduce lung cancer risk by reducing inflammation and improving the microbiome in high-risk smokers. This is a complementary study to the BEWELL study, which tested a black raspberry beverage intervention to improve gut microbiome health and reduce associated inflammation. Study leaders expect to recruit 40 people for this study, primarily through the lung screening clinic and social media. Participant characteristics include mean age 64, 75% female, 89% white, 45% current smokers, with a mean BMI of 35 (obese) and 40% body fat. Adherence to the intervention has been high with 90% of sessions attended and no adverse events reported. These lifestyle studies provide unique strategies for lung cancer prevention, which are greatly needed.

PASKETT ELECTED TO AACR FELLOWS ACADEMY
Electra Paskett, PhD, MSPH, FACE, deputy director for population sciences and community outreach at the OSUCCC – James, is among 33 newly elected AACR Fellows Academy. She also is a member of the AACR Board of Directors.

The AACR Academy noted that Paskett, who also directs the Center for Community Outreach and Engagement at the OSUCCC – James, was elected as a Fellow for “invaluable contributions to cancer screening, prevention and survivorship in underserved and high-risk populations for breast, cervical and colorectal cancer, as well as for seminal studies that established aspirin’s role in preventing colorectal adenomas and duloxetine’s impact on improving patient quality of life following chemotherapy.”

The mission of the AACR Academy is to recognize and honor extraordinary scientists whose groundbreaking contributions have driven innovation and progress in the fight against cancer. Elected through a peer-reviewed process that evaluates each candidate’s contributions to global cancer research, Fellows of the AACR Academy constitute a global brain trust of experts in cancer science and medicine.

MEDIA INTERVIEWS

For more information about Ohio State’s presence at the 2025 AACR meeting, visit cancer.osu.edu. To schedule a media interview, contact Amanda Harper at Amanda.Harper2@osumc.edu or call 614-293-3737 to reach the on-call public relations officer.

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