Potential Chemotherapeutic Agents: Synthetic Peptide Inhibitors of the Wnt Pathway

Available for licensing are peptide inhibitors of the Wnt signaling pathway, a pathway that is activated in many cancer types. To date, there are few small molecules that target canonical Wnt/beta-catenin signaling and those that have been discovered have low potency and do not directly target beta-catenin, the pathway’s key signal mediator. The investigators have developed peptide inhibitors that selectively target a conserved region in beta-catenin essential for promoting cell growth but not cell adhesion and differentiation. Furthermore, these peptides have been synthetically modified to enhance cell penetration and structure stability thereby increasing their potency and efficacy. Interestingly, these peptides inhibit the canonical Wnt signaling pathway but not non-canonical Wnt signaling. As a result, these inhibitors potentially provide effective chemotherapies for tumors, such as colon and cervical, which depend upon canonical Wnt signaling. Moreover, as these inhibitors do not disrupt non-canonical Wnt signaling, which plays a role in kidney, lung, and vascular development, and they are likely to have minimal negative side effects. Additionally, these peptides can serve as an effective tool for researches to elucidate the roles of Wnt canonical and non-canonical signaling in development and many pathological conditions.

CRADA Opportunity: The Center for Cancer Research, Cancer and Inflammation Program and Cancer and Developmental Biology Laboratory, are seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop and commercialize Wnt pathway inhibitors. Please contact John Hewes, Ph.D. at 301-435-3121 or hewesj@mail.nih.gov for more information. Click here to view the NCI collaborative opportunity announcement.

Source: http://www.ott.nih.gov/Technologies/abstractDetails.aspx?RefNo=2235

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