Killing cancer cells with aggregates

Cancer The drug verteporfin, which is used clinically to enhance phototherapy, may also be useful as a cancer chemotherapeutic. Zhang et al. show that verteporfin triggered the accumulation of protein oligomers that selectively killed colorectal cancer cells in mice and in cells cultured in hypoxic and nutrient-deprived conditions (see the Focus by Avril and Chevet). Normal cells in culture and in tumor-adjacent tissue sections from mice cleared these aggregates through autophagy and survived. Verteporfin thus produces tumor-selective proteotoxicity, which may be a useful therapeutic for patients with solid tumors. Sci. Signal. 8 , ra98 and fs17 (2015).