Synthetic Lethality Triggered by Combining Olaparib with BRCA2-Rad51 Disruptors

In BRCA2-defective cells, poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase inhibitors can trigger synthetic lethality, as two independent DNA-repairing mechanisms are simultaneously impaired. Here, we have pharmacologically induced synthetic lethality, which was triggered by combining two different small organic molecules. When administered with a BRCA2-Rad51 disruptor in nonmutant cells, Olaparib showed anticancer activity comparable to that shown when administered alone in BRCA2-defective cells. This strategy could represent an innovative approach to anticancer drug discovery and could be extended to other synthetic lethality pathways.