An Australian study published today suggests that the activity of protein CDK1 in estrogen‑receptor positive breast cancers may predict how well patients respond to CDK4/6 inhibitors, a widely used class of targeted therapy.
The researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research examined more than 400 biopsy samples of breast cancers and found that CDK1 activity rose as the disease became more aggressive, with higher levels linked to worse outcomes.
According to the study, published in Advanced Science, the findings indicate that CDK1 could serve as a biomarker for personalized therapy, allowing clinicians to identify which patients are likely to respond to CDK4/6 inhibitors and which may need alternative treatments.
However, the researchers note that larger patient groups treated with CDK4/6 inhibitors are needed to confirm the predictive value of CDK1 activity before it can be applied clinically.
Finally, the study suggests that CDK1 may become a target for new drugs, potentially opening a new avenue of treatment for patients whose cancers are resistant to current targeted therapies.
