Better cancer treatments depend on better treatment options. That’s why the Ontario Cancer Research Institute (OICR) is supporting four Ontario-based research teams working to develop the next generation of cancer treatments designed to more effectively destroy tumors, reduce side effects, and lower the chance of cancer recurrence. These projects target “master regulator” proteins that play a role in breast and ovarian cancers, hard-to-treat leukemias, the most aggressive forms of the most common childhood brain tumors, and many different cancers.
OICR is backing these research teams by providing them with a total of $3.1 million over two years through the Cancer Treatment Innovation Pipeline (CTIP) program to help advance promising drug discovery research in Ontario.
Side effects and drug resistance are some of the most serious problems cancer patients can face during treatment. These CTIP grants are an important part of our commitment to bring tangible change to patients in these areas by investing in these projects and their huge potential. ”
Dr. Lincoln Stein, OICR Acting Scientific Director
“Patients need rapid access to new, cutting-edge treatments that offer better options and outcomes. Too many patients still face limited or ineffective treatments, or must endure serious side effects that severely impact their quality of life,” said Terry Holish, CTIP Patient Partner. “CTIP grants funded by OICR will play a valuable role in identifying solutions that can address these challenges through innovative discoveries and eventual clinical use, bringing much-needed hope to the cancer patient community.”
“Research conducted in Ontario is saving and changing lives,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “Our government is proud to support the Ontario Cancer Research Institute and applauds the cancer treatment innovation pipeline that ensures Ontario’s world-class researchers continue to develop lifesaving cancer treatments that protect loved ones.”
The new research announced today adds to the growing portfolio of initiatives supported through OICR’s Therapeutic Innovation Research Theme. In addition to supporting research into treatments through CTIP, OICR hosts one of Canada’s largest drug discovery programs and works with institutions across the province to help bring innovative cancer treatments to patients faster.
Applications to CTIP undergo a rigorous review by a panel of experts from academia and industry, who also provide scientific and strategic guidance to winning teams. Research groups funded through CTIP pursue innovative therapeutic approaches inspired by new insights into cancer biology. By doing so, they are providing new ways to prevent the spread of cancer, minimize side effects for patients, and overcome resistance to current treatments.
The projects awarded in this CTIP funding round are:
Inhibition of oncogenic transcription factor-cofactor interactions
Dr. David Andrews, Sunnybrook Institute
The project aims to drug powerful cancer-promoting “master regulator” proteins that are associated with poor patient prognosis and currently have no approved targeted therapies. The researchers showed that by breaking the interaction with stabilizing partner proteins – an approach inspired by recent successes targeting previously “untreatable” proteins – they can cause rapid destruction of cancer drivers and selectively kill cancer cells. The team plans to expand and optimize compound screening to develop first-in-class treatments for patients whose tumors depend on this protein, opening new treatment strategies for cancers for which no effective options currently exist.
Targeting breast and ovarian cancer: new ‘frankenprotein’ drugs against old diseases
AS Dr. Jumi Singh, University of Toronto (Mississauga)
The project is developing a new class of drugs that can enter cancer cells and disrupt key cancer networks that are active in more than 70% of tumors and have resisted traditional drug approaches. The research team calls these protein-based drugs “frankenproteins” because they are made by “stitching together” modules of different proteins. Early versions of these drugs slowed tumor growth in aggressive triple-negative breast cancer models, and improved versions appear to be more potent and better tolerated. If successful, these next-generation protein therapies could provide safer and more effective treatments for difficult-to-treat breast and ovarian cancers, particularly for patients with limited options and diseases prone to resistance.
From surface profiling to precision treatment of leukemia
Dr. Anastasia Tikhonova, University Medical Network
This study aims to develop the first targeted therapy for T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL), an aggressive blood cancer with poor outcomes if chemotherapy fails. By identifying surface markers found on leukemia cells but largely absent on healthy immune cells, the researchers hope to design antibody drugs or engineered immune cells that selectively attack cancer while sparing normal T cells. If successful, this precision approach could provide more effective and less toxic treatments for children and adults with relapsed or refractory T-ALL.
Therapeutic strategies targeting lipid metabolism: discovery of novel BBB permeability inhibitors for the treatment of medulloblastoma
Dr. Sheila Singh, McMaster University
The project targets the metabolic vulnerability of group 3 medulloblastoma, the most common and most aggressive form of childhood malignant brain tumor, by blocking an enzyme that is essential for tumor adipogenesis but not for normal neural stem cells. The research team plans to develop the first orally available inhibitor of this enzyme that can cross the blood-brain barrier, overcoming major challenges in treating brain tumors. This strategy has the potential to improve survival rates, reduce dependence on toxic radiation and chemotherapy, and offer new hope to children with diseases resistant to current treatments.
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Ontario Cancer Research Institute
