Grant: Project Grant

Cancer is the leading cause of death in the developed world; the Canadian Cancer Society estimates that there will be 233,900 new cases and 85,100 deaths from cancer in Canada in 2022. Frighteningly, 1 out of 4 Canadians will die of the disease. Most cancer patients do not die of primary tumours but from the effects of metastasis, the invasion of distant parts of the body by cancerous cells detached from the primary tumour. Developing drugs that can arrest metastases is an urgent clinical need for cancer patients. Our laboratory has developed novel monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), a molecule that is a key driver in cancer progression and metastasis. Using animal models bearing human tumours, we have discovered that our anti-PTHrP mAbs can counter the progression of some of the most difficult-to-treat cancers. Crucially, in animal models of pancreatic cancer, our mAbs were shown to reduce tumour growth, halt its progression, and significantly extend survival in mice: and, in some cases, cure the cancer. In animal models of triple-negative breast cancer, we also show our mAbs efficacy at preventing and even reversing the development of bone metastases, which, in human patients, are the cause of intractable pain and pathologic fractures. In this project, we will evaluate the best mAb ("lead candidate") and its safety, a critical step toward an Investigational New Drug (IND) application to the FDA and a Clinical Trial Application to Health Canada, and subsequent clinical trials for its investigation as a novel biologic in hard-to-treat cancers.