Krakow, Poland – January 17, 2020 – Researchers from Ryvu Therapeutics, a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company developing novel small molecule therapies addressing high value emerging targets in precision oncology, in collaboration with scientists from the Department of Medical Biotechnology, Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology of the Jagiellonian University, have jointly published a research paper presenting possible relevance of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) inhibition as a potential anti-cancer treatment in hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC).

The article entitled “Synthetically Lethal Interactions of Heme Oxygenase-1 and Fumarate Hydratase Genes” was published on January 16, 2020 in the Biomolecules, Special Issue: Therapeutic Significance of Heme Oxygenase Induction or Inhibition, a peer-reviewed open access journal on biogenic substances.

Elevated expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1, encoded by HMOX1) is observed in various types of tumors. Hence, it is suggested that HO-1 may serve as a potential target in anticancer therapies. In the current study, researchers aimed to validate the effect of genetic and pharmacological inhibition of HO-1 in cells isolated from patients suffering from hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell carcinoma (HLRCC)—an inherited cancer syndrome, caused by FH deficiency. Chemical inhibition of HO activity using commercially available inhibitors, zinc and tin metalloporphyrins as well as recently described new imidazole-based compounds, especially SLV-11199, led to decreased cancer cell viability and clonogenic potential, alllowing for a conclusion, that the current study points out the possible relevance of HO-1 inhibition as a potential anti-cancer treatment in HLRCC.

Free access to the article: https://www.mdpi.com/2218-273X/10/1/143