A common asthma drug could be repurposed to help tackle hard‑to‑treat cancers, such as triple‑negative breast cancer, an early study suggests.
The research finds that cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 1 (CysLTR1), a protein found on many cells, may be hijacked by tumors to turn important immune cells into sleeper agents that work for the cancer instead of against it. Those immune cells, called neutrophils, would normally directly kill tumor cells, help to rally other immune cells against cancer, or boost the effects of certain cancer therapies.
