Drugs to treat a deadly liver cancer

Marcos Malumbres

Vall d’Hebron Institute of Oncology (VHIO), Barcelona, Spain

Cancer is a group of diseases characterised by the uncontrolled proliferation of cells. Cyclin-dependent protein kinases (CDKs) play a critical role in this process. They are a family of enzymes that regulate the cell cycle, making them potential targets for the development of anticancer drugs. CDK4/6 inhibitor molecules have already been approved as first-line treatment for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. However, patients eventually develop resistance to these molecules and, in addition, other tumours are not dependent on these kinases.

The researchers in this project have obtained both in vivo and in vitro data suggesting a crucial role for another, less studied subset of CDKs in hepatocellular carcinoma, a fatal disease. Therefore, the development of inhibitors targeting these kinases would open the door to a new family of CDK-targeted therapies for the treatment of liver cancer, which could possibly also be applicable to other types of cancer.

Thus, the new project aims to develop the first generation of drugs capable of specifically inhibiting CDKs for which no inhibitors currently exist, with the goal of treating liver cancer. Additionally, these new compounds will be patented, a business model will be implemented and the product will be licensed. The ultimate objective will be to create a spin-off company to transfer this new family of drugs to society.

Targeting CDK16-18 as a novel strategy against aggressive cancers

Stage 2