Bulk-RNA seq in PC3shTIMP cell treated with Vehicle, Docetaxel , Adapelene or their combination (Combo)

Cellular senescence, a stable cell growth arrest, can have dual effects in tumors, either suppressing or promoting tumor progression. The Senescence-Associated Secretory Phenotype (SASP), released by senescent cells, plays a crucial role in this dichotomy. Consequently, the clinical challenge lies in developing therapies that safely enhance senescence in cancer, promoting tumor-suppressive over tumor-promoting SASP factors. Here, we identified the Retinoic-Acid-Receptor (RAR) agonist Adapalene as an effective pro-senescence compound in prostate cancer (PCa). The reactivation of the RARs triggers a strong senescence response and a tumor-suppressive SASP. In preclinical mouse models of PCa, the combination of Adapalene and Docetaxel, promotes a tumor-suppressive SASP that activates NK cell-mediated tumor clearance more effectively than either agent alone. This approach increases the efficacy of allogenic infusion of human NK cells in mice injected with human PCa cells, suggesting an alternative therapeutic strategy to stimulate the anti-tumor immune response in "immunologically cold" tumors.