A naturally-occurring protein that tends to be expressed at higher levels in breast cancer cells boosts the effectiveness of some anticancer agents, including doxorubicin, one of the most widely used chemotherapies, and a preclinical drug known as ErSO, researchers report. The protein, FGD3, contributes to the rupture of cancer cells disrupted by these drugs, boosting their effectiveness and enhancing anticancer immunotherapies.

The discovery is described in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research.

The new findings were the result of experiments involving ErSO, an experimental drug that killed 95–100% of estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer cells in a mouse model of the disease.