Common asthma drug montelukast (Singulair) blocks CysLTR1 to restore cancer immunotherapy in treatment-resistant tumors (Northwestern Medicine, Nature Cancer, May 2026)
Northwestern Medicine researchers reported in Nature Cancer that the generic asthma pill montelukast blocks a tumor escape pathway called CysLTR1, restoring sensitivity to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy in preclinical models. Triple-negative breast cancer and other hard-to-treat tumors
Northwestern Medicine researchers reported in Nature Cancer that the generic asthma pill montelukast (sold as Singulair) blocks CysLTR1, a molecule tumors exploit to recruit neutrophils and reprogram them into immune suppressors. Removing CysLTR1 or treating mice with montelukast made neutrophils mature differently, accumulate less in tumors, and lose their suppressive features. Multiple tumor models that had stopped responding to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy regained sensitivity. Findings were confirmed in human tissues. Patient trials could start soon.