Dr. Andy Westwell, School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Cardiff University
Tuesday 2nd February, 1.00 p.m., Cornwallis Octagon Lecture Theatre 2 (COLT2)
The seminar will focus on cancer drug discovery work around the anti-metastatic drug target Bcl3. Metastasis, the establishment of secondary tumours distant from the initial tumour site, is an enormous clinical problem thought to be responsible for >90% of cancer deaths. Yet the complex process of tumour metastasis is poorly treated, with arguably no effective therapeutic agents directly targeting this process. Previous work in the Cardiff laboratories has established the role of Bcl3, a facilitatory protein of the NF-kB signalling pathway, in driving breast cancer metastasis within in vivo models [1]. Computational drug design/virtual screening around the Bcl3/p50 protein-protein interaction led to the discovery of the first small molecule Bcl3 inhibitor (JS6). Subsequent licensing of University IP to a commercial investor has led to the creation of the London AIM-listed Tiziana Life Sciences, as a vehicle for fundraising and further pre-clinical development of Bcl3 inhibitors. The seminar will describe the latest Bcl3 inhibitors and their profound in vivo effects in suppressing metastatic seeding and tumour development at secondary sites, along with mechanistic studies on the role of Bcl3 in tumour invasion and metastasis.