Targeting protein kinases to develop effective drugs for glioblastoma
Fast facts
- Title: Moving the needle in kinase-driven glioblastoma by achieving brain-specific pharmacology, improved residence time and resistance profiles with low molecular weight multi-topic compounds.
- Lead Researcher: Dr Pau Creixell
- Where: University of Cambridge, UK
- When: June 2024 – May 2029
- Cost: £1.5m over 5 years
- Research type: Adult, High grade, Glioblastoma, Academic
- Grant round: Quest for Cures
Glioblastomas (GBM) are the most common type of aggressive brain tumour found in adults.
They are classified as grade 4 in the tumour grading system used by the World Health Organization. The current standard treatments for GBM typically involve surgery to remove the tumour, followed by a combination of radiotherapy and chemotherapy. However, GBM tumours frequently recur, and the recurring tumours are more aggressive and resistant to available therapies.
There is currently no cure, and the standard of care hasn’t changed in more than 20 years, meaning that more effective, tailored treatments are desperately needed.
What is it?
Previous research by Dr Kevin Shokat and Dr Bill Weiss, who together with Dr Pau Creixell, co-lead this team – has shown that by stopping the action of three key proteins – that all belong to a family of proteins called protein kinases – leads to tumour regression. Protein kinases play a role in cell growth and multiplication, and by blocking their activity the rapid, uncontrolled growth of cancer cells can also be stopped. While current drugs that stop protein kinases have been effective at treating other cancers such as lung cancer and leukaemia, there have been significant challenges to get these drugs to reach the brain effectively.
The development of drugs that can reach the brain and be used to treat brain tumours is limited because of the blood-brain barrier; however, recent progress from this research team is making this possible. Dr Shokat and Dr Weiss combined elements from three different drugs, resulting in a new drug that is able to slow cell growth by inhibiting protein kinases.
In this project, the research team will be developing new technology to identify ways that this potential new drug can act against GBM cells in the brain, by targeting protein kinases.
These researchers have a long history in the study of protein kinases and are using their knowledge and expertise to find new drugs that can target them, thereby finding new ways of treating GBM.
Why it’s important
Treatments for GBM are desperately needed. Novel approaches using new technology and collaborating with other researchers gives the highest chance of success in bringing new cures into the clinic.
Research is just one other way your regular gift can make a difference
Research is the only way we will discover kinder, more effective treatments and, ultimately, stamp out brain tumours – for good! However, brain tumours are complex and research in to them takes a great deal of time and money.
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In this section
Dr Pau Creixell
Dr Pau Creixell is the leader of the Creixell Group under Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute. His research team is centred on studying the inhibition of tumour growth by preventing the activation of key protein kinases. Other studies of importance include cellular signalling specificity, molecular recognition and novel targeted therapies.