The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting showcases exciting new cancer therapies that help link translational science and clinical trials. MD Anderson researchers will be presenting more than 200 studies at AACR this year.

This research spans many topics, from gaining a better understanding of how cancer treatments are working to ways we can continue to improve our cancer therapies while minimizing side effects. Here are five of the most significant abstracts from MD Anderson researchers.

1. First-in-class Werner Helicase inhibitor

Sharing results on a first-in-class inhibitor, Timothy Yap, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., professor of Investigational Cancer Therapeutics, will present data from a first-in-human Phase I trial testing RO7589831.

RO7589831 is a new type of inhibitor — a covalent Werner Helicase (WRN) inhibitor. WRN is a key protein in one of several pathways that cells use to maintain the integrity of their DNA and repair the DNA when it’s damaged. Cancers classified as microsatellite instable (MSI) have a type of DNA repair deficiency, making them more dependent on WRN. Consequently, this makes WRN a possible therapeutic target.

This trial offers the first early clinical proof that we can effectively target WRN, which could add a new therapy to our arsenal. Though this is a first-in-human study, inhibiting WRN shows promising activity across tumor types, even in patients who have had multiple prior therapies.