Grant: Project Grant

The number of new cancer cases in Canada continues to increase annually, (in part) due to our growing aging population. The Canadian Cancer Society estimated that between 2015 and 2030, new cases of cancer would increase by approximately 40%. There is an urgent need for the discovery of novel antitumor therapeutics that can block the proliferation and metastasis of various age-related cancers, including pancreatic cancer and colorectal cancer. Colorectal cancer is currently the 2nd and 3rd leading cause of deaths in men and women, respectively. Pancreatic cancer is the 4th leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Canada, and it is largely incurable. Our research objective is to investigate a novel biochemical mechanism for the treatment of cancer. We are investigating the zinc metalloprotease STE24 (ZPMSTE24) enzyme, which is responsible for the proper structure of the nucleus in all human cells and presumed to control cancer proliferation and metastasis. Recently, we demonstrated that blocking the function of this enzyme could lead to decreased proliferation of pancreatic and colorectal cancer cells. We also identified compound that inhibit the function ZMPSTE24 and block the migration of these cancer cells; cell migration is an essential biological process for cancer metastasis. Optimization of our current compounds and further biological evaluation in animal models could lead to the development of novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer.