Cancer progression and novel treatments

What are the most promising molecular targets for new and repurposed chemoprevention and therapeutic drugs? Our Cancer progression and novel treatments theme identifies molecular mechanisms in cancer survival, conducts economic evaluation of cancer screening, investigates drug repurposing using Mendelian randomization (MR), synthesises evidence for treatments and evaluates physical activity interventions to enhance cancer survival.

Highlights include:

Failure to get drugs to market is high, and treatment effectiveness is often determined by waiting to observe effects on cancer progression and survival. In this theme, we aim to address this issue by identifying high-confidence drug targets, and opportunities for drug repurposing, using Mendelian randomization (MR).

MR is a method that uses genetic variation to evaluate causal relationships; it has shown promise for correctly predicting outcomes of clinical trials. We are extending this method, which has been used primarily to establish effects on cancer incidence, to evaluate therapeutic effects on progression and survival after diagnosis.

We are also improving treatment decision-making through systematic biomarker discovery of disease prognosis and response to therapy. This is achieved within relevant peripheral and biopsy tissues using state-of-the-art molecular profiling and machine learning techniques.

Watch an overview by Philip Haycock, who co-chairs the Cancer progression and novel treatments theme with James Yarmolinsky.
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