Randomized Phase 0/I Trial of the Mitochondrial Inhibitor ME-344 or Placebo Added to Bevacizumab in Early HER2-Negative Breast Cancer.

PURPOSE: We previously demonstrated that mitochondrial inhibitors' efficacy was restricted to a metabolic context in which mitochondrial respiration was the predominant energy source, a situation achievable by inducing vascular normalization/hypoxia correction with antiangiogenics. Vascular normalization can be tracked with 2[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose (FDG)-PET. We tested the efficacy of the mitochondrial inhibitor ME-344 or placebo added to bevacizumab in early breast cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Treatment-naïve HER2-negative patients with T > 1 cm (any N) underwent a breast-centered 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET (day 1) and received a single dose of bevacizumab (15 mg/kg), followed by a second FDG-PET (day 8). Patients were then randomized (1:1) to Arm A (ME-344 10 mg/kg intravenous on days 8, 15, and 21) or Arm B (placebo). Tumors were biopsied on days 0 and 29. Succinate dehydrogenase enzyme histochemistry (SDH-EHC), confocal microscopy of vessel architecture, and HIF1α staining were performed in pre- and posttreatment biopsies to assess the pharmacodynamics, vessel normalization, and tissue re-oxygenation by bevacizumab, respectively. RESULTS: ME-344 displayed significant biological activity versus placebo: compared with a 186% increase in Arm B, Ki67 decreased by 23.4% from days 0 to 28 in Arm A (P < 0.001) (N = 42 patients). FDG-PET predicted vascular normalization in about one-third of the patients in each arm, which was confirmed using confocal microscopy and HIF1α staining. In the subgroup with vascular normalization, ME-344 induced a Ki67 decrease of 33.4% (placebo: 11.8 increase). SDH-EHC suggested on-target effects of ME-344. CONCLUSIONS: ME-344 has significant biological antitumor activity in HER2-negative breast cancer, particularly after induction of vascular normalization and tissue reoxygenation with bevacizumab.

Role of gamma-delta T-cells in cancer: another opening door to immunotherapy.

The gamma-delta (γδ) T-cells are a subset of T-lymphocytes characterized by the presence of a surface antigen recognition complex type 2. Those γδ T-cells represent 2-5 % of peripheral T-cells only, but they are common in organs and mucosae, acting as a first defense system in the entries to the organism. The γδ T-cells take part on immune response by direct cytolysis, development of memory phenotypes, and modulation of immune cells, and they have been implied in autoimmune disorders, immune deficiencies, infections, and tumor diseases. We reported the role of γδ T-cells in oncology, focusing in their potential applications for cancer treatment. Experimental designs and clinical trials in the treatment of solid malignancies are extensively reviewed.