Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41873535›Full record

ArticleMolecular cancer therapeutics2026

DHX9 Inhibition Enhances Paclitaxel Sensitivity by Inducing Mitotic Failure in Ovarian and Endometrial Cancers.

Tzu-Ting Huang, Jayakumar R Nair, Courtney Bowen, Jennifer Castro, Darryl Nousome, Sunaina Nayak, Serena J Silver, Jung-Min Lee

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular cancer therapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Tzu-Ting HuangWomen's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.ORCID 0000-0002-3675-2760
Jayakumar R NairWomen's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.ORCID 0000-0002-4478-4607
Courtney BowenWomen's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.ORCID 0009-0000-9261-6029
Jennifer CastroAccent Therapeutics , Lexington, Massachusetts.ORCID 0009-0007-5718-2692
Darryl NousomeCenter for Cancer Research Collaborative Bioinformatics Resource, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.ORCID 0000-0002-5259-8599
Sunaina NayakAccent Therapeutics , Lexington, Massachusetts.ORCID 0009-0003-2736-3100
Serena J SilverAccent Therapeutics , Lexington, Massachusetts.ORCID 0000-0001-8090-2941
Jung-Min LeeWomen's Malignancies Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.ORCID 0000-0003-1280-5909

Funding

Targeting DNA damage repair and related pathways in HRD-womens cancersZIABC011525 · NCI · DIVISION OF BASIC SCIENCES - NCI · PI LEE, JUNG-MIN · 2013 to 2025
$14.8M
Intramural NIH HHS ZIA BC011525National Cancer Institute (NCI) ZIA BC011525
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Recurrent high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma (HGSOC) and endometrial cancer remain major clinical challenges with limited effective treatment options. DExH-box helicase 9 (DHX9), a DNA/RNA helicase essential for genomic stability, has not yet been explored as a therapeutic target in gynecologic cancers. In this study, we show that a selective DHX9 inhibitor (DHX9i) suppresses proliferation in a subset of HGSOC and endometrial cancer cell lines by inducing DNA damage, chromosomal instability, and mitotic failure. This effect was independent of microsatellite instability status and prior resistance to platinum or PARP inhibitors. Genomic analysis indicated that DHX9i resistance was unlikely to be driven by single-gene mutations but was instead associated with copy-number alterations in mitotic spindle and microtubule-regulating genes in both HGSOC and endometrial cancer. Transcriptomic profiling further revealed consistent alterations in microtubule- and spindle-associated pathways in DHX9i-resistant models following DHX9i treatment. Mechanistically, DHX9i induced mitotic defects in DHX9i-sensitive models, whereas resistant lines maintained mitotic integrity. Given the convergence of resistance-associated features on microtubule-related pathways, we combined DHX9i with the microtubule-stabilizing agent paclitaxel to enhance mitotic stress. This combination triggered mitotic disruption and enhanced cytotoxicity in DHX9i-resistant cells. In vivo, the combination led to sustained tumor regression and prolonged survival in both DHX9i-sensitive and DHX9i-resistant models without notable toxicity. Overall, our findings define genomic, transcriptomic, and phenotypic characteristics associated with differential responses to DHX9i and support the clinical evaluation of the DHX9i-paclitaxel combination as a therapeutic strategy in recurrent gynecologic cancers.

Indexed as

DEAD-box RNA HelicasesEndometrial NeoplasmsMitosisNeoplasm ProteinsOvarian NeoplasmsPaclitaxelAnimalsCell Line, TumorCell ProliferationDrug Resistance, NeoplasmFemaleHumansMiceDEAD-box RNA HelicasesDHX9 protein, humanNeoplasm ProteinsPaclitaxel

Identifiers

PMID41873535
PMCPMC13098759

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.