Thursday, 14th July, 2011, 11:00-12:00

NMR and metabolomic applications to the development of novel molecularly targeted antineoplastic agents

An increased understanding of the molecular etiology of cancer has enabled the development of novel therapies that are collectively referred to as molecularly targeted agents. Unlike the drugs used in conventional therapy, these agents are designed to specifically interfere with key molecular events that are responsible for the malignant phenotype. The challenges associated with the development of these novel targeted therapies are distinct from those faced in conventional chemotherapy. They include, among other factors, the need to obtain a detailed knowledge of the 3D architecture of the molecular targets, as very often these strategies rely on structure-based approaches. Furthermore, the successful application of these approaches requires the identification of biomarkers that enable a better understanding of the mechanism of action and the clinical effects of these agents, as well as facilitate the selection of patient populations that are most likely to benefit from the treatment.

This presentation will review our current strategy to identify novel inhibitors, based on fragment-based screening and 3D structure determination, against protein targets involved in cell invasion and metastasis. This approach relies on the combination of NMR with other biochemical, biophysical and computational approaches. Metabolomics by NMR, a relatively new strategy for measuring the metabolic profile of biological samples, will also be reviewed. This methodology is extremely useful to perform comparative analysis of healthy and diseased individuals, information that can be used to identify disease biomarkers and stratify patients based on molecular subgroups.

Speaker: Dr. Antonio Pineda-Lucena-Centro de Investigación Príncipe Felipe, Valencia (Spain)

Room Seminar Room “Xipre” 173.06 (PRBB – 1st Floor)