Abstract 1743: Identification of mesothelin binding peptide for targeted therapy against pancreatic cancer

Abstract Pancreatic cancer is the main cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide and is difficult to diagnose before the extensive local invasion and distant organ metastasis. Mesothelin is abnormally overexpressed in tumors such as ovary cancer and pancreatic cancer. Studies show a significant link between mesothelin overexpression and short survival in patients with pancreatic cancer. In this study, we screened a phage displayed-peptide library for peptides that selectively bind to mesothelin using mesothelin-overexpressing cells. After five rounds of screening, we selected a 9-mer peptide (named MSLN-Pep) that preferentially bound to mesothelin-high pancreatic cancer cells such as ASPC-1 and Panc-1 cells over mesothelin-low cells such as HEK 293 cells. MSLN-Pep was efficiently internalized into ASPC-1 cells and inhibited the cell migration and invasion while little affected the phosphorylation of Akt. Moreover, a MSLN-Pep-guided proapoptotic peptide (MSLN-Pep-KLA) exerted selective cytotoxicity against pancreatic cancer cells over mesothelin-low cells. MSLN-Pep-KLA when combined with gemcitabine, a chemotherapeutic agent against pancreatic cancer, sensitized ASPC-1 cells to the gemcitabine treatment. These results suggest that MSLN-Pep is a promising tool for a targeted therapy against pancreatic cancer expressing mesothelin at high levels. Citation Format: Min-Sung Park, Byungheon Lee. Identification of mesothelin binding peptide for targeted therapy against pancreatic cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 1743.