A recent study conducted by Northwestern faculty identified a novel therapeutic agent that has proven to be effective in treating metastatic breast cancer and brain metastases.

The study was conducted by Feinberg Prof. Maciej Lesniak and established that metixene — a central nervous system small-molecule inhibitor drug — killed cancer cells in mice models of metastatic breast cancer subtypes. The drug also lengthened the lives of mice with brain metastases, according to the study published Oct. 17 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

The study also suggests metixene decreased the size of breast tumors in the mice and increased the life-span of the mice afflicted with metastases. According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer is a major cause of brain metastases and the leading cause of cancer-related death in women worldwide.

There has historically been a lack of clinical trials and new therapeutic options to treat breast cancer.

For this reason, lead author Jawad Fares — a neurosurgery resident at Northwestern Medicine and a postdoctoral fellow in the Lesniak laboratory — said the results are promising.

“The study highlights the potential clinical significance of metixene as a promising therapeutic agent for the treatment of metastatic cancer and brain metastases,” Fares said in a Wednesday news release. “The drug was noted for having minimal reported side effects in humans, which makes it a strong candidate for consideration in clinical translation, i.e., further investigation and potential use in human clinical trials.”

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