The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) has selected two new Late Accelerator projects to receive support through its Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline (CTIP) initiative. The projects, detailed below, will each receive up to $250,000 per year, for up to two years, to advance the development of drug candidate molecules. The projects were selected by an international expert review panel from 18 applications.
By joining the CTIP portfolio, these projects will receive more than just financial support – they will also benefit from the guidance of the Therapeutics Pipeline Advisory Committee, a group of industry and academic experts that provides advice on the scientific and strategic direction of CTIP projects.
“CTIP projects have great potential to improve treatment for patients, promote scientific collaboration and drive investment to Ontario’s biomedical research sector,” says Dr. Christine Williams, OICR’s Deputy Director and Head of Therapeutic Innovation. “These new projects are great examples of the innovative cancer therapeutics research happening in our province. We are excited to add them to CTIP’s portfolio of promising drug candidates and look forward to their progress.”
Funded projects
Identification of kinase inhibitors to block the tumour-promoting activity of YAP/TAZ for cancer therapeutics
Liliana Attisano, Principal Investigator, University of Toronto
Rima Al-awar, Principal Investigator, OICR
Frank Sicheri, Co-investigator, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
Jeff Wrana, Co-investigator, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute
David Uehling, Co-investigator, OICR
Richard Marcellus, Co-investigator, OICR
Methvin Isaac, Co-investigator, OICR
The highly conserved Hippo pathway is a key regulator of cell and tissue growth. Virtually all solid tumours display pathway disruptions, which drive cancer initiation and progression. Mutations in pathway components are rare, making it unclear how to target the pathway for cancer treatment. This research group has shown that certain kinases are key regulators of the pathway that promotes tumorigenicity and observed that diverse human cancers display elevated levels of these kinases. Kinases are highly amenable to the development of targeted inhibitors; therefore, this project will identify potent and specific inhibitors with the long-term goal of establishing novel cancer therapeutics.
Development of kinase inhibitors for ovarian cancer: A novel first in-class immune-oncology therapeutic agent targeting tumor intrinsic stress states
Rob Rottapel, Principal Investigator, Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre
Tracy McGaha, Principal Investigator, Princess Margaret Cancer
Centre
Rima Al-awar, Principal Investigator, OICR
Methvin Isaac, Co-investigator, OICR
David Uehling, Co-investigator, OICR
Richard Marcellus, Co-investigator, OICR
Ahmed Aman, Co-investigator, OICR
The development of new cancer immune therapeutics has triggered a revolution with the recent advent of diverse strategies that engage the patient’s immune system. This research group has identified a novel kinase target that has the unique property of being both an emergent essential gene in high-grade serous ovarian cancer and a repressor of the innate and adaptive immune system. Additionally, they have demonstrated that target inhibition sensitizes cancer cells to cisplatin – a standard of care chemotherapy drug. This project will work to develop a “first-in-class” dual-action, anti-tumour and immune-oncology kinase inhibitors for ovarian cancer and potentially other cancer types.