Grant: Foundation Grant

We study the regulation of protein synthesis in normal and cancer cells. Making proteins is the most energy-consuming process in a cell and there are a number of checkpoints that control this critical process. This regulation is disrupted in cancer cells and in turn this fuels the progression to tumorigenesis. Altered regulation of protein synthesis has also been associated with resistance to chemotherapy. Hence, the mechanisms that control how proteins are made and the activity of key regulators of this process are emerging as new anti-cancer targets and represent an Achilles' heel for cancer therapy. My research program is to better understand how this process is perturbed in cancer, the extent of its deregulation across tumor types, and how to capitalize on this information for drug development purposes. This proposal has several linked research themes, which include to: (i) better understand the fundamental process of protein synthesis in normal and cancer cells, (ii) characterize the anti-cancer activity of novel drugs previously identified by my lab that selectively block protein synthesis in tumor cells, and (iii) understand how tumor cells modify their micro-environment to influence the gene expression pathways of normal cells. Our research is based on a multi-disciplinary approach, combining chemistry expertise with the power of molecular biology and cutting-edge pre-clinical cancer models. It is forged on strong international collaborations with labs that bring complementary expertise, colleagues in the Pharmaceutical industry to ensure our end-goals are correctly aligned with drug discovery objectives, and oncologists to ensure that appropriate clinical needs are addressed. Our research program is poised to deliver a new paradigm for the treatment of cancer and provide new therapeutic targets and compounds focused on targeting the process of protein synthesis.