Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is one of the deadliest forms of cancer with no effective
therapeutic options. A KRAS mutation can be found in up to 90% of all pancreatic tumors,
making it a promising therapeutic target. The introduction of new KRAS inhibitors
has been a milestone in the history of KRAS mutant tumors; however, therapeutic resistance
limits their efficacy. Thus, new therapeutic options, including combination therapies,
are urgently needed. Recently, we have shown that KRAS G12C inhibitors in combination
with farnesyl-transferase inhibitors exert synergistic antitumor effects. Here, we
provide evidence for the feasibility of this combinational approach to break down
resistance in KRAS G12D mutant pancreatic cancer. Although we have shown that the
3D environment dramatically sensitizes cells to MRTX1133 treatment, the synergistic
effect of this drug combination is present in both 2D and 3D in the PANC1 pancreatic
adenocarcinoma model, which showed high resistance to MRTX1133 in 2D. The effects
of the combination treatment show an association with the inhibition of farnesylated
regulatory proteins, including HRAS and RHEB, along with the expression level of KRAS.
Our study warrants further investigation for the potential applicability of KRAS G12D
inhibitors in combination with farnesyl-transferase inhibitors for the treatment of
KRAS mutant pancreatic adenocarcinoma.
