A small-molecule compound cocktail for tumor reprogramming therapy for breast cancer

The emergence of lineage reprogramming technology has enabled us to reprogram terminally differentiated somatic cells into other lineages. Tumor cells can reduce malignancy and even restore the function of benign cells through reprogramming technology. Establishing a tumor reprogramming system to induce tumor cell fate transformation and reduce malignancy provides a new strategy for tumor treatment. In this study, we rapidly reprogrammed breast cancer cells with novel cocktails of small-molecule compounds, and their proliferation, metastasis, tumorigenicity, and malignancy were significantly reduced, while drug sensitivity increased, both in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, the cocktail may promote the transition of breast cancer cells to Luminal subtype by downregulating the stemness-related gene TSPAN8. In summary, our results suggest that chemically induced reprogramming may be effective in the treatment of breast cancer.