L2M – Approaches to Novel Anticancer Therapeutics via MRCK Inhibition

MRCK is an enzyme that has shown promise as a target for the development of new drugs to treat several aggressive cancers, including glioblastoma (GBM) and high grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). BDP9066 is a highly potent and selective inhibitor of MRCK reported first in 2018. Despite excellent activity profile, BDP9066 is not a realistic clinical candidate due to it’s rapid metabolism and complicated synthesis, which would limit scale-up capacity from a practical standpoint. In this project, we aim to discover molecules similar to BDP9066 that do not possess the aforementioned detrimental attributes; this will be done through knowledge-based designs of new small molecules, their synthesis, and biochemical/biological evaluation for MRCK inhibition.

Faculty Supervisor:

Marc Adler

Student:

Partner:

DMZ Ventures Inc

Discipline:

Physics

Sector:

Health and Related Sciences & Technology

University:

Toronto Metropolitan University

Program: