Targeting the cancer stem cell (CSC) metabolism with designed, reactive metal complexes (antiCSC)

Targeting the cancer stem cell (CSC) metabolism with designed, reactive metal complexes (antiCSC)

A G-quadruplex is a four-stranded nucleic acid secondary structure formed in G nucleotide-rich regions of the DNA or RNA. Emerging evidence implicates these structures in cancer growth and progression. With this in mind, the EU-funded antiCSC project proposes to develop metal-based compounds that have the capacity to interact with accessible guanines present in adjacent positions to these self-assembled structures, and thereby alter their conformation and function. Preliminary results indicate that these compounds suppress the stemness of cancer stem cells by interfering with mitochondrial respiration. The antiCSC proposal will determine the mechanism underlying the action of these metal compounds and exploit their potential as novel anti-cancer agents.