Developing a therapy for a challenging but promising target in cancer
Cancer types:
General cancer research
Project period:
–
Research institute:
Ben Gurion University of the Negev
Award amount:
£194,883
Location:
Israel
Professor Niv Papo and his team aim to engineer new molecules that could be developed into a drug against an important but elusive target in cancer.
Meet the scientist
Professor Niv Papo studied and worked in a wide variety of locations and is now continuing his research at Ben Gurion University in Israel. His multidisciplinary training includes spells in chemistry, protein engineering and biophysics.
The science
There are certain molecules in cancer that we know would make great targets, but that are difficult to reach. Mesotrpysin is one of these. Mesotrypsin is a molecule whose abnormal activities assist cancer progression and metastasis. Researchers have long tried to find a way to target this molecule, but without much success. There is currently not a single drug on the market that targets mesotrpysin.
Professor Niv Papo and his team are taking up the challenge and are trying to create a new drug that can bind to mesotrpysin and stop it from working. They want to develop a drug that can inhibit mesotrypsin, while ignoring any similar molecules. This approach could drastically reduce the potential for side effects. Professor Papo hopes that the newly generated drug will be further developed in the future as a viable anti-cancer therapy.
Without the support from Worldwide Cancer Research, we would not be able to reach our goal to promote the development of the next generation of cancer therapeutics.
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