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Study Finds FGD3 Primes Drug‑Swollen Breast Cancer Cells for Rupture, Boosting Chemo and Immunotherapy

Researchers tie FGD3 to drug‑induced lytic death that activates immune clearance across preclinical models.

Overview

  • A genome‑wide CRISPR knockout screen identified FGD3 as the top determinant of sensitivity to the experimental agent ErSO, and manipulating FGD3 levels controlled cell killing.
  • Across 2D cell lines, patient‑derived breast cancer organoids, and a mouse model, higher FGD3 enabled swollen tumor cells to rupture and amplified therapeutic effects.
  • FGD3 drove surface exposure of calreticulin and other immune‑stimulatory signals, recruiting natural killer cells and macrophages to clear damaged cancer cells.
  • The sensitizing effect covered multiple agents, including doxorubicin, epirubicin, and the ER‑targeting experimental drug ErSO that triggers lytic cell death.
  • Analysis of large human breast cancer datasets associated higher tumor FGD3 expression with better chemotherapy responses, indicating biomarker potential that requires clinical validation.