AACR 2023 - Differential expression of a novel transport receptor in cancer versus healthy tissues that can be utilized for targeted delivery of anti-cancer drugs

Sortilin (SORT1), or neurotensin receptor-3, is a scavenger receptor in the Vacuolar Protein Sorting 10 protein (Vps10p) family.  SORT1 is involved in the rapid transport of molecules across the cell membrane with an internalization half-life of ≤4 min of its ligands (neurotensin and progranulin).  SORT1 is thus an ideal candidate for the internalization of peptide-drug conjugates (PDCs).  The role of SORT1 in cancer continue to be investigated; it is associated with progression, invasion, and more aggressive disease. The PDC TH1902, a new drug in development has been shown to exert its anti-cancer effects in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), ovarian, and endometrial cancers. The pattern and prevalence of SORT1 expression in different healthy and cancer tissues is still not well understood, but it has been shown to be highly expressed in many cancers such as breast and ovarian.  The goal of this study was to gain better understanding of the expression of SORT1 in healthy tissues and multiple cancer types.