British researchers may have found a way to make the drug tazemetostat effective for more patients with lymphoma, it has been announced.
Scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research, London, UK, have identified a drug that can overcome resistance to the treatment – and, they hope, make it feasible for the treatment of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL).
Tazemetostat is already used as a treatment for follicular lymphoma but, the researchers say, patients have varying responses, and the drug is not yet approved for DLBCL.
The research has identified the drug pinometostat, which is already in clinical trials, as having the potential to improve treatment. The drug inhibits the enzyme DOT1L while tazemetostat targets the enzyme EZH2, which is hyperactive in the cancer.
The combination has now successfully been tested in laboratory conditions on cells from follicular lymphoma and also from DLBCL, the researchers have reported in Blood. In addition, in a xenograft mouse model of DLBCL, the combination shrunk the tumours while tazemetostat failed to stop tumour growth on its own.
Researcher Dr Van Nguyen said: “Tazemetostat is a promising drug but unfortunately, many patients’ cancers either do not respond or they start growing again quickly. It’s exciting to see that combining it with a DOT1L inhibitor could allow thousands more people to benefit from the treatment.”
Professor Kristian Helin, study leader and chief executive of the Institute of Cancer Research, said: “For some types of blood cancer, we have shown that combining the targeted drug tazemetostat with an inhibitor of the DOT1L enzyme could shrink tumours that have stopped responding to tazemetostat treatment alone. We have also shown that the drug combination could work for patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma – which has not previously responded to tazemetostat treatment.
“Expanding the use of a drug which is already clinically approved will hopefully mean that more patients can benefit sooner, and I look forward to seeing clinical trials designed to test this combination in patients.”
Source:
Nguyen VTM, Namba H, Porter H, Shlyueva D, Lopez E, Melcher A, Béguelin W, Melnick AM, Helin K. (2025) “Synergistic antitumor effect of combined EZH2 and DOT1L inhibition in B-cell lymphoma.” Blood, 12 June 2025, doi: 10.1182/blood.2024026534.
Disclaimer: The news stories shared on this site are used as a way to inform our members and followers of updates and relevant information happening in Haematology. The BSH does not endorse the content of news items from external sources, and is not in a position to verify the findings, accuracy or the source of any studies mentioned. Any medical or drugs information is provided as an information resource only, and is not to be relied on for any diagnostic or treatment purposes.
News service provided by Englemed News.