There is thus an urgent need to design and apply synthetic selective inhibitors of MMP to impair glioblastoma (GBM) cell invasion. With respect to GBM cells and GBM stem cells, our recent research showed that selected cathepsins along with other proteases are abundantly expressed in the GBM stem cell niche microenvironment, but there is no data yet on MMPs affecting GBM cell homeostasis in the niche environment. To our knowledge MMPs have not been yet studied in the GBM niches upon irradiation.

The aim of this project is to design and validate original MMP-2/9 inhibitors, able to covalently and permanently block the proteolytic activity of these two proteases. These inhibitors will be assessed within the GBM cell microenvironment, and their capacity to impair GMB invasion in combination with standard treatment radiation will be challenged.

To design and synthesize this innovative chemo-therapeutics would present an additional or adjuvant post treatment to irradiation treatment of GBM to be more efficient.

 

We are open for collaborations, if you’re interested please contact Barbara Breznik Vittori, PhD

 

.