Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects

The proposed work involves the development of a drug that will improve the effectiveness of*radiation therapy. Since radiation therapy is used to treat about 50% of all cancers this drug*could have very wide impact, improving cure rates as well as quality of life. The drug works by*preventing the repair of DNA damage induced by radiation. The main advantage of this drug*is that it is targeted to tumours due to its limited activity anywhere but in hypoxic cells.*Hypoxic cells are rare in the body but are common in cancers, and are responsible for*resistance to radiation.*We already have lead compounds that work in cells and early animal data, but new chemistry*and screening work need to be done to develop these compounds into drugs suitable for use*in humans. We will synthesize new compounds based on our understanding of how our lead*compound works, and will test them in cells and rodent models of human cancer. We have*invaluable guidance to the clinic and eventual commercial opportunities through our*partnership with the Clinical Oncology department at the BC Cancer Agency, and with DelMar*Pharmaceuticals, a Canadian biotechnology company. The final result of this program will be*the nomination of a clinical candidate that can be advanced to regulatory processing and*commercial partnership. This outcome will produce excellent academic science, an economic*benefit to the BC Cancer Agency, and could impact the approximately half of all Canadian*cancer patients who receive radiation therapy.