DOTAP:Chol-TUSC2 + erlotinib

DOTAP:Chol-TUSC2 + erlotinib is a combination therapy consisting of DOTAP:Chol-TUSC2 (a gene therapy) and erlotinib hydrochloride (an EGFR inhibitor). DOTAP:Chol-TUSC2 is a nanoparticle delivery system that contains the tumor suppressor gene TUSC2 (also known as FUS1) complexed with DOTAP:Cholesterol liposomes. This gene therapy aims to restore TUSC2 expression in cancer cells, as TUSC2 is frequently deleted or silenced in lung cancer. Erlotinib is an EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks a protein on tumor cells that may control tumor growth and survival. The combination therapy shows enhanced antitumor efficacy compared to either treatment alone, particularly in wild-type EGFR non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells that are typically resistant to erlotinib. The mechanism involves inactivation of multiple pathways including FGFR2 and mTOR signaling.