Panneerdoss Subbarayalu, PhD
American Cancer Society Research Scholar Grant Information
Principal Investigator: Panneerdoss Subbarayalu, PhD,
Co-Investigators: Dr. Peter Houghton, Dr. Gail Tomlinson, Dr. Yidong Chen, Dr. Suryavathi Viswanadhapalli, and Dr. Hareesh Nair.
Project Title: Novel Targeted Therapy for Treating Osteosarcoma with Lung Metastasis
Funding Agency: American Cancer Society (ACS)
Total Amount of Federal Funds Authorized: $879,000 for four years
New Research Identifies Promising Targeted Therapy Approach for Osteosarcoma
San Antonio, TX- Researchers at the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute (Greehey CCRI) at UT Health San Antonio have identified a promising new targeted therapy approach for osteosarcoma (OS), the most common primary bone cancer in children and adolescents.
Osteosarcoma remains a significant clinical challenge. Although current treatment strategies combine surgery with multi-modal chemotherapy, nearly half of all patients experience relapse, most often as aggressive metastatic disease. Once the cancer spreads to the lungs or other organs, the five-year survival rate drops to approximately 20%, highlighting the urgent need for safer and more effective therapies.
A research team led by investigators at GCCRI has uncovered a novel therapeutic target that may help address this unmet need. The study focuses on Leukemia Inhibitory Factor (LIF) and its receptor, LIFR, signaling molecules that are overexpressed in multiple solid tumors.
“Our work shows that LIFR plays a critical role in driving tumor growth, metastasis, treatment resistance, and the survival of cancer stem cells,” said the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Panneerdoss Subbarayalu, Assistant Professor, at Greehey CCRI.
In osteosarcoma, LIFR appears to sustain a population of stem-like cancer cells that enable tumors to resist therapy and recur after treatment. Targeting this pathway could therefore represent a powerful new strategy for improving patient outcomes.
The researchers have identified a novel LIFR-specific inhibitor as a strong candidate for therapeutic development. Early findings suggest that blocking LIFR signaling can suppress tumor growth, reduce cancer stem cell survival, and potentially restore sensitivity to radiation therapy.
“Validating LIFR as a therapeutic target could have a transformative impact,” Dr. Subbarayalu explained. “If we can sensitize osteosarcoma cells to radiation, we may be able to lower the required radiation dose, improving outcomes while reducing long-term treatment toxicity for young patients.”
The team believes that successful completion of this research will provide strong preclinical justification for advancing LIFR inhibitors into clinical evaluation as a targeted therapy for osteosarcoma. This work represents an important step toward developing safer, more effective treatment options for a disease that has seen limited therapeutic innovation over the past decades.
This new study was supported by the American Cancer Society, whose commitment to funding innovative cancer research was instrumental in translating these unique findings.