BEZ235 vs CD44+

Combination Therapy Targeting Both Tumor-Initiating and Differentiated Cell Populations in Prostate Carcinoma

Results: Here, we show that inhibition of PI3K activity by the dual PI3K/mTOR inhibitor NVP-BEZ235 leads to a decrease in the population of CD133⁺/CD44⁺ prostate cancer progenitor cells in vivo. Moreover, the combination of the PI3K/mTOR modulator NVP-BEZ235, which eliminates prostate cancer progenitor populations, and the chemotherapeutic drug Taxotere, which targets the bulk tumor, is significantly more effective in eradicating tumors in a prostate cancer xenograft model than monotherapy.