Simultaneous Inhibition of Two Enzymes Suppresses Growth of Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma

Importantly, the drug combination that inhibited ERK and CHK2 activity did not cause any significant damage to normal cells or tissue.

At the molecular level, the results revealed a positive correlation between ERK and CHK2 expression. ERK physically interacted with CHK2, and inhibition of CHK2 activated ERK.

“The two proteins physically interact, which was not known before, and we may be able to use this interaction for therapeutic advantage,” said senior author Dr. Ronald B. Gartenhaus, associate professor of medicine at the University of Maryland. “We found that treating human B-cell lymphoma cells with both an ERK inhibitor and a CHK2 inhibitor killed substantially more cancer cells than treating the cells with either drug alone. Based on our findings, we believe that a combination therapy targeting both ERK and CHK2 could offer a potential new approach to treating diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.”

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