The project, named Debio 0826, could lead to the development of potential therapeutic compounds and to the identification of new targets to fight cancer stem cells.
Following the signature of an Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL)-Debiopharm partnership in February 2008, this first joint research project will be performed under the supervision of Freddy Radtke, associate professor at the Swiss Institute for Experimental Cancer Research and Gerardo Turcatti, director of the biomolecular screening facility, two groups at the EPFL.
It is reported that Debio 0826 will benefit from the multiple molecular and genetic tools generated by Dr Radtke’s group over the past 10 years, as well as the expertise of Dr Turcatti in the molecular screening field.
Kamel Besseghir, CEO of Debiopharm, said: “Targeting pathways controlling cell fate specification could generate innovative anticancer drugs with antitumoral, antimetastatic and antiangiogenic properties to treat tumors that are currently resistant to standard therapies.”