Developing inhibitors of mitotic kinesin KIF20A for brain tumor treatment

Malignant brain tumors such as medulloblastomas are among the most lethal cancers in children. Current therapeutic combinations of surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy are ineffective, and additional treatment options are urgently needed. A key discovery recently made by Dr. Qiang Lu at City of Hope has identified a network of proteins (including KIF20A and RGS3) that regulate normal cell division and drive uncontrolled growth of tumor cells. Dr. Lu’s proof-of-concept studies have shown that genetically disrupting this function suppresses the growth of medulloblastoma in mouse models. Building on that success and with funding from CURE Childhood Cancer, he now proposes to engineer RNA-based inhibitors of this protein network and examine their therapeutic potential against medulloblastomas in preclinical models. The results of these studies will hopefully reveal a significant new treatment opportunity for this deadly brain cancer.