Grant: Collaborative Health Research Projects (NSERC partnered)

Cancer metastasis involves the spread of cancer cells from one organ to another and is the cause of 90% of cancer-related deaths. Current therapies fail to block metastasis effectively, and our invention of novel actin-targeted ADCs will address this unmet need. Dynamic modifications of the actin cytoskeleton are essential for cancer cells to breakthrough tissue and blood vessel barriers during metastasis. Targeting this "actin addiction" is the goal of this project, which is built on our detailed knowledge of potent natural inhibitors of actin. Our multidisciplinary team has designed, synthesized and tested novel actin toxin analogs that block growth, motility and invasion of metastatic cancer cells in vitro. Currently, we are linking these to antibodies used in oncology, and will test these novel ADCs in preclinical mouse models of metastatic cancers relevant to each clinically used antibody. These studies will measure effects of our ADCs on tumour progression and metastasis.