Metastatic breast cancer treatment funded by the 'la Caixa' Foundation

A project led by Roni Wright, alumni of the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and currently at the International University of Catalonia (UIC Barcelona), is one of fifteen initiatives chosen in the 2022 CaixaResearch Validate call, which offers researchers economic support of up to 100 thousand euros and specialized training in key areas such as technology transfer and marketing.

The ”la Caixa” Foundation announced the 15 leading biomedical research projects in Spain and Portugal that it will promote within the framework of the CaixaResearch Validate 2022 call. A panel of European experts and professionals across life sciences and health selected the projects with the aim of accelerating their arrival on the market and bringing them closer to the patients who may need them.

Led by Roni Wright, the project “Towards a new treatment for metastatic breast cancer” was selected. According to Dr. Wright, “one in 12 women will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. Although diagnosis at an early stage is associated with a high survival rate, 35% of these cases will end up developing metastases. While there are promising treatments for these types of cancer in use, our research over the year shows that a high percentage of tumours generate resistance”.

Wright and the research team in Dr. Miguel Beato’s lab (founder of the CRG) showed in 2016, in a study published in the journal Science and carried out with the support of the European Research Council and the AGAUR, that the progression of certain types of cancer depends on the ability of tumour cells to produce energy (ATP) in their nucleus. Blocking the NUDIX5 enzyme could open the door to an effective treatment in aggressive breast cancer. “The CaixaResearch Validate grant will contribute to the development of a therapeutic compound, which we have called HitX, which targets a key protein in the PARP1 enzyme, NUDT5” explains Dr. Wright. “When this protein is found at very high levels in metastatic breast tumours, the risk of recurrence and metastasis is high. With this project we want to optimize HitX to confirm its therapeutic potential and advance towards the development of a new treatment for metastatic breast cancer”.

“This opportunity represents an incredible opportunity to immerse myself in the inspiring business ecosystem of Catalonia, as well as to be able to transfer the discoveries made in the laboratory to make a real difference in people's lives,” she concludes.