Drug that makes our ‘brains happier' can also fight tumors: study

New York Post

12 hours ago

This will brighten your mood.
A surprising new study has found that some common medication used to make people feel better might also be effective in the fight against cancer.
'These drugs have been widely and safely used to treat depression for decades, so repurposing them for cancer would be a lot easier than developing an entirely new therapy,' Dr. Lili Yang, a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA, said in a press release.
3 A surprising new study has found that some common medication used to make people feel better might also be effective in the fight against cancer.
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Yang and her team found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs — medications like Prozac and Celexa that millions of Americans take daily — can help T-cells tackle tumors with greater aplomb.
'It turns out SSRIs don't just make our brains happier; they also make our T-cells happier — even while they're fighting tumors,' she said.
In lab tests using both mouse and human tumor models — spanning melanoma, breast, prostate, colon and bladder cancers — SSRIs shrunk tumors by over 50%.
The drugs heightened killer-T‑cell activity, enhancing their ability to locate and destroy cancer cells.
'SSRIs made the killer T cells happier in the otherwise oppressive tumor environment by increasing their access to serotonin signals, reinvigorating them to fight and kill cancer cells,' Yang said.
3 Yang and her team found that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, or SSRIs — medications like Prozac and Celexa that millions of Americans take daily — can help T-cells tackle tumors with greater aplomb.
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While serotonin is primarily known for regulating mood, it also plays a crucial role in managing sleep, gut health, appetite, libido and blood clotting.
Now, it's being given its proper due in combatting this devastating disease.
The research, which was published in the journal Cell, has exciting implications for cancer treatment, since SSRIs are already FDA-approved, paving the way for clinical trials.
'Studies estimate the bench-to-bedside pipeline for new cancer therapies costs an average of $1.5 billion,' she said.
'When you compare this to the estimated $300 million cost to repurpose FDA-approved drugs, it's clear why this approach has so much potential.'
3 'It turns out SSRIs don't just make our brains happier; they also make our T cells happier — even while they're fighting tumors,' she said.
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Even better?
When SSRIs were paired with existing cancer immunotherapy, the results were even more dramatic.
Treated mice saw tumors shrink dramatically, and in some cases, vanish altogether.
'Immune checkpoint blockades are effective in fewer than 25% of patients,' study co-author James Elsten-Brown, a graduate student in the Yang lab, said.
'If a safe, widely available drug like an SSRI could make these therapies more effective, it would be hugely impactful.'