Bioengineering Graduate Program - Guest Seminar - Development of Metal-based Drugs for the Treatment of "Undruggable" Cancers
In the past decades, significant progress has been made in understanding cancer biology reflected by the development of novel highly effective anticancer treatments. The discovery of cisplatin, tyrosine kinase inhibitors, immunotherapy, etc. has completely changed cancer treatment strategies and gave hope to many patients that were considered untreatable. However, cancer treatment still faces serious challenges, such as tumor relapsing and development of metastases. Moreover, some cancer types are still considered “undruggable”, characterized by a very short life expectancy.[1]
Understanding of biological vulnerabilities of cancer cells open new avenues for anticancer treatment of those cancers that are “yet to be drugged”. In this seminar, we will talk about various strategies of targeting drug-resistant and metastatic cancer cells by different types of metallodrugs, including Ru, Pt, Au and Cu complexes with unconventional modes of action.[2,3] Novel complexes demonstrated significant in vitro activity in a nanomolar or low micromolar concentration range, as well as promising in vivo activity in various animal models. The discovery of their unconventional mechanism of action provides a promising route overcoming drug resistance and tumor relapse.
[1] M. V. Babak et al., Angew Chem Int. Ed., 2021, 60 (24), 13405-13413
[2] M.V. Babak et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2020, 132 (32), 19232-19240
[3] M.V. Babak et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 2019, 58 (24), 8109-8114
Dr Maria (Masha) Babak is an assistant professor at City University of Hong Kong and principal investigator at Drug Discovery Lab. She completed her Ph.D in bioinorganic chemistry at the University of Vienna (2014), mentored by Prof. Bernhard K. Keppler and Prof. Christian G. Hartinger . In 2015-2020 Dr Babak worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at National University of Singapore, mentored by Prof. Wee Han Ang, where she developed a true passion for drug discovery and drug target identification. Subsequently, Dr Babak completed the High Impact Cancer Research Program at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Dr Babak’s research interests lie at the interface of chemistry, biology and medicine and focus on the discovery and preclinical development of anticancer drugs for resistant and aggressive cancers with limited treatment options.