The European Cancer Proteases Consortium (EUCPC) proposes multidisciplinary research into innovative approaches for cancer therapy and diagnosis based on the DEGRADOME - the repertoire of extracellular proteases through which cells regulate their local environment. Extracellular proteases remain an attractive target for intervention against cancer, even if first generation anti-protease drugs were disappointing in clinical trials. We now appreciate that proteases have complex roles with distinct functions at different stages of tumour development and progression, and may have conflicting effects on malignancy. We now propose to put these recent insights into pre-clinical and clinical settings. Using four common human malignancies - breast, prostate, colorectal and skin cancer - the EUCPC will employ a combination of strategies involving cell and mouse models, patient tissues, molecular profiling and modelling techniques, as well as physical and molecular imaging of tumours using MRI and PET. The 28 academic and 5 SME Participants combine expertise in genomics, bioinformatics, protein-protein interactions, proteomics, gene expression, molecular diagnostics and pathology, knockout mice and mouse models of cancer, synthetic chemistry, protein structure, drug development and tumour imaging. The EUCPC will facilitate access to shared technologies, data analysis and knowledge dissemination. In this 4 year Integrated Project the EUCPC aims to: 1) Define new molecular targets for drug design. 2) Develop novel specific interventions that are based on thorough knowledge of the pathophysiological roles of target proteases and related molecules, and understand how and when to use them. 3) Identify new molecular diagnostic and prognostic indicators of patient risk that can improve health care delivery based on an individualized, patient-oriented approach to therapy. 4) Provide new ways to enhance visualization of tumours in the clinic.
Keywords:
Oncology, Anticancer therapy, Diagnostics
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