AXL inhibition improves BRAF-targeted treatment in melanoma.

ABSTRACT: More than half of metastatic melanoma patients receiving standard therapy fail to achieve a long-term survival due to primary and/or acquired resistance. Tumor cell ability to switch from epithelial to a more aggressive mesenchymal phenotype, attributed with AXL^high molecular profile in melanoma, has been recently linked to such event, limiting treatment efficacy. In the current study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of the AXL inhibitor (AXLi) BGB324 alone or in combination with the clinically relevant BRAF inhibitor (BRAFi) vemurafenib. Firstly, AXL was shown to be expressed in majority of melanoma lymph node metastases. When treated ex vivo, the largest reduction in cell viability was observed when the two drugs were combined. In addition, a therapeutic benefit of a

SUBMITTER: Nyakas M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8948193 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature