Grant: Project Grant

The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) is an essential component of the cell that is required for cells to divide. Cancer cells particularly require activity of this complex since cells in tumours are in a constant state of cell division. Work from the lab of Dr. Teodoro has shown that some types of ovarian cancers are driven my mutations that inappropriately activate the APC. One of the goals of the proposed research is to understand how genetic mutations in the APC lead to cancers in humans. Since cancerous cells constantly require activity of the APC, targeting this complex using drugs may be an effective new manner of treating cancer. Inhibition of the APC has been shown by the Teodoro lab to selectively induce death in cancer cells while leaving normal cells unaffected. Another goal of this research project is to identify the pathways that maintain APC activity in cancer cells. It is hoped that inhibition of the APC will be an effective mechanism to arrest the growth of cancer cells that can be translated into novel chemotherapies.