Promising drug discovery research gets funding boost from Ontario Institute for Cancer Research

(Press-News.org) April 3, 2025, ONTARIO – The Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) has announced its support for five Ontario research teams working to develop the next generation of medicines that kill tumours more effectively, cause fewer side effects and reduce the risk that cancer will come back.

The projects will be funded as part of OICR’s Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline (CTIP) awards, which provides research teams with up to $300,000 over two years to help advance promising drug discovery research so that new cancer drugs can more quickly and safely reach patients.

“Ontario has become a global leader in developing a new generation of cancer drugs, and OICR is proud to help made-in-Ontario innovations reach their full potential,” says Dr. Lincoln Stein, Acting Scientific Director of OICR. “These five projects are on the cutting edge of cancer drug discovery and are well-positioned to make a major difference in the lives of cancer patients.”

CTIP applications are reviewed by a committee of experts from academia and industry, who also provide scientific and strategic advice to the funded research teams.

The five new CTIP research teams span the province from Thunder Bay to Toronto. They are taking innovative approaches to treating cancer by harnessing new insights about cancer biology to help stop cancer from spreading, reduce unwanted side effects and overcome treatment resistance.

This year’s CTIP recipients include:

Dr. Jinqiang Hou (Lakehead University, Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI)) and Dr. Guillem Dayer (TBRHRI) who will explore a potential treatment for cervical cancer, the world’s third most common cancer among women aged 20-39. By targeting a protein found only in cervical cancer cells, they will develop a drug to find and kill cancer cells, with limited damage to surrounding healthy tissue.

“Our hybrid molecule, acting like a guided missile that targets only cancer cells, could provide a new tool to destroy cancer while minimizing side effects for the patient.” – Dr. Jinqiang Hou, Associate Professor (Chemistry), Lakehead University, Scientist, TBRHRI Dr. Iacovos Michael (Sunnybrook Research Institute) and Dr. Masoud Vedadi (OICR) who will investigate ways to overcome cancer metastasis and resistance to treatment, the two main reasons patients ultimately die of cancer. With CTIP funding, they will build on recent discoveries about a protein that plays a key role in metastasis and resistance for multiple types of cancer, further study its role in cancer development, and explore ways to impede its function.

“Understanding how this protein works will allow us to develop drugs that hinder its function, with the ultimate goal of improving the survival and quality of life of patients affected by cancer.” – Dr. Iacovos Michael, Scientist (Biological Sciences), Sunnybrook Research Institute
  Dr. Valentina Evdokimova (OICR) and Dr. Laszlo Radvanyi (University of Toronto) who will harness the “dark matter” of the human genome to identify endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) which could be targeted to prevent cancer progression and immunosuppression. Their team’s goal is to develop a validated drug screening platform that can help unlock the potential of ERV targeting in cancer drug discovery and to use that platform for testing potential therapeutic candidates.

“Though human endogenous retroelements were considered disabled and functionally inept for decades, we are now showing that they are highly expressed in cancerous cells and may hold exciting potential for therapeutics to stop the development of cancer or prevent it altogether.” – Dr. Valentina Evdokimova, Research Scientist, OICR Dr. Anthony Rullo (McMaster University), Dr. David Uehling (OICR) and Dr. Methvin Isaac (OICR) who will test a potential breast cancer therapy that activates the body’s immune system to kill a tumour. Researchers have developed a chemical synthetic “covalent” antibody mimic that binds to immune cells on one side and tumour cells on the other side, acting as a “bridge” that allows the immune system to attack cancer, while causing fewer side effects than chemotherapy.

“The results of our study will help advance a new class of synthetic immunotherapies with the potential to stop cancer, reduce relapse rates, and help Canadian breast cancer patients who lack other treatment options.” – Dr. Anthony Rullo, Associate Professor (Medicine), McMaster University. Dr. Rima Al-awar, Dr. Richard Marcellus and Dr. Masoud Vedadi (OICR) who will explore chemical compounds to slow down the uncontrollable growth of cancer cells by inhibiting the function of a protein called KRAS. While the body often develops resistance to other KRAS inhibitors, Al-awar and colleagues will test a different kind of compound less likely to cause resistance, aiming to find the basis for new cancer treatments.

“This approach could offer a new tool against multiple cancers to effectively overcome resistance and give patients a better chance of survival.” – Dr. Rima Al-awar, Senior Advisor (Drug Discovery), OICR. These exciting studies join the growing portfolio of projects enabled by OICR’s Therapeutic Innovation Research Theme. OICR hosts one of the largest drug discovery programs of its kind in Canada and supports drug discovery projects at other institutions across the province.

“Ontario is proud to be globally recognized as a leader in cancer treatment, a disease where early intervention is critical,” said Nolan Quinn, Minister of Colleges, Universities, Research Excellence and Security. “Our government’s support of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research and its Cancer Therapeutics Innovation Pipeline will ensure Ontario researchers continue to make ground-breaking discoveries so residents afflicted by cancer can receive the cutting-edge treatment they need to live longer, healthier lives."  

 

CTIP is currently inviting applications for Early Validation, Early Accelerator and Late Accelerator projects.

* * *

OICR is funded by the Government of Ontario. As the province’s cancer research institute, we take on the biggest challenges in cancer research and deliver real-world solutions to find cancer earlier and treat it more effectively. We are committed to helping people living with cancer, as well as future generations, live longer and healthier lives. For more information visit http://www.oicr.on.ca.

The views expressed are those of OICR and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Province of Ontario.

 

END