CiQUS Scientific Director has obtained new funding from the European Research Council.
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The European Research Council (ERC) will fund with a new Proof of Concept Grant the project antiCSC, led by CiQUS Principal Investigator José Luis Mascareñas. The support of the highest European research institution has been awarded to explore the use of specific metal complexes to target the metabolism of cancer stem cells, and assess the viability of utilizing some of these compounds as new anticancer drugs. This research endeavor arose as a result of investigations from the ERC adv grant METBIOCAT, a project at the interphase between metals and cell biology.
Indeed, as part of this project, it has been discovered that some of the synthetic metal complexes are capable of modifying genomic DNA in a very specific manner. Later on, and thanks to a fundamental collaboration with cell biologists in Madrid (UAM), it was found that one of these chemical compounds can inhibit the ability of some cancer stem cells to drive cancer.
Given that cancer stem cells are known to be responsible for the initiation, expansion and relapse of many cancers, removing or cancelling their activity can be a very effective anticancer strategy.
The groups are currently exploring the anticancer activities of the hit compound, both in vitro and in vivo. Importantly, this research has revealed highly valuable information regarding the mechanism of action. Apparently, it is capable of promoting a selective alteration of the mitochondrial metabolism of cancer stem cells.
This discovery is the basis of this new ERC project, aimed at making new types of metal complexes that can better target the mitochondria of cancer stem cells and therefore lead to a new class of efficient anticancer tools/therapeutics. These could eventually complement the current arsenal of chemotherapy agents. In addition, in collaboration with the cell biologists, the group also seeks to learn more about CSCs and their metabolic Achilles heels, in order to design more effective anticancer strategies.