Objective
Gastrointestinal stromal tumour (GIST) is the most common subtype of sarcoma in humans and its initiation and progression is predominantly driven by constitutively activating mutations in the receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) KIT. This dependency on KIT led to the approval of kinase inhibitors for the treatment of GIST. Inhibition of KIT activity is effective at treating GIST in the short-term however, the majority of patients eventually develop resistance. This resistance is predominantly due to the emergence of additional KIT mutations. Therefore, the development of alternative KIT targeting therapies, beyond the current state-of-the-art, is paramount for the effective treatment of GIST in the long-term. One such strategy is targeted protein degradation (TPD). TPD is based on drugs called “degraders” which are compounds that induce the proximity between a protein of interest (POI) and components of the cellular proteolytic machinery resulting in the destruction of the former. Degradation of KIT offers several benefits over inhibition, that may combat resistance in GIST. Firstly, small molecule inhibitors rely on a strong affinity for the POI to be effective whereas degraders can maintain activity when the affinity for the target is compromised by mutations. Secondly, inhibition of protein function is not a requirement for degrader activity and therefore additional ligandable sites on the POI.
In this project, I will employ a multifaceted drug discovery approach with the overarching aim of designing, identifying, and optimising degraders of KIT and investigate their effectiveness in GIST models. In order to explore the full potential of TPD in the treatment of GIST, I will pursue two different modalities of degraders: (i) bivalent (Objective 1) and (ii) monovalent (Objective 2). With a clear clinical translational goal in mind, the optimised degraders will be evaluated in various preclinical models of GIST (cellular and organoid) (Objective 3).
Fields of science
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.2 - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Main Programme
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-PF-EF - HORIZON TMA MSCA Postdoctoral Fellowships - European FellowshipsCoordinator
08028 Barcelona
Spain