A University of Houston scientist has joined a $3.2 million research collaboration to develop a new drug targeting one of the key drivers of triple-negative breast cancer.
Wei Wang, Research Associate Professor at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy, has joined a $3.2 million research effort to develop a promising new treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of the disease.
Wang is part of a team led by Wei Li, Director of the Drug Discovery Center at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Pharmacy. The collaboration brings together expertise in chemistry, pharmacology and cancer biology to target a protein closely linked to the progression of the disease – MDM2.
Targeting an aggressive cancer
Triple-negative breast cancer accounts for between 10 and 15 percent of all breast cancer cases and is notorious for its rapid growth, high likelihood of spreading before diagnosis and tendency to return after treatment.
In clinical terms, ‘triple-negative’ refers to tumours that test negative for oestrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and excess HER2 protein. Because these cancers lack the common molecular targets used in many breast cancer treatments, options are largely limited to general chemotherapy.
In clinical terms, ‘triple-negative’ refers to tumours that test negative for oestrogen receptors, progesterone receptors and excess HER2 protein.
“The existing chemotherapeutic drugs often have significant side effects and/or develop acquired drug resistance,” said Wang, who has received $1.7 million to support the team’s work in targeting MDM2.
The focus of the new research is MDM2, a cancer-driving protein frequently found at elevated levels in triple-negative breast cancer. High levels of MDM2 have been associated with faster tumour growth and poorer patient outcomes.
Researchers in Li’s laboratory have identified a compound capable of breaking down MDM2 directly, effectively stopping the protein at its source. In early laboratory models, the compound has already demonstrated the ability to shrink tumours, meaning it could help to inform more effective and targeted therapies.
“This work could lead to an entirely new class of therapies for triple-negative breast cancer,” Li said. “We’re hopeful that by directly removing the MDM2 protein from cancer cells, we can help more patients respond to treatment regardless of their tumour type.”
From laboratory to potential treatment
The chemistry and drug design elements of the project are being led by the team in Tennessee. At Houston, Wang is working alongside Ruiwen Zhang, Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology, to investigate how the experimental treatment works and to evaluate its performance in models that closely resemble human disease.
The team will also study how the drug behaves in the body, compare its performance with existing treatments and conduct early safety assessments.
“We will study how the drug targets MDM2 and evaluate the most promising drug candidates to determine effective dosing, understand how the drug behaves in the body, compare it with existing treatments and assess early safety,” said Wang. “Together, these studies are designed to help move this potential therapy closer to clinical development for patients who urgently need better options.”
If successful, the project could lead to new therapeutic approaches for patients facing one of the most challenging forms of breast cancer.
