Grant: Project Grant

Modern oncology treatments give patients a high chance of overcoming primary cancers, but few therapies can save patients with secondary metastatic cancers. Brain metastases are particularly deadly with ~90% mortality within one year. It is estimated that 26% of all cancer patients who die from cancer ultimately succumb to brain metastases, with this nuance rarely reported in obituaries. Primary lung, breast, and melanoma tumors account for 85% of eventual brain metastases. The Singh (neuro-oncology) and Magolan (medicinal chemistry) research programs at McMaster University have partnered to develop novel therapies that can block the ability of primary cancer cells to spread to the brain and establish new metastatic tumors. Our research has identified a unique biochemical weakness of pre-metastatic cancer cells that can be exploited with drugs to selectively inhibit their growth, thereby preventing brain metastases. We now propose to develop these novel medicines and bring them to patients.