chemotherapy

This work recently published in the “International Journal of Cancer"  demonstrated the possibility of repurposing pirfenidone (an antifibrotic drug) in combination with vinorelbine or with vinorelbine plus carboplatin for the perioperative treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), with the aim of improving therapeutic efficacy while reducing toxicity. This work resulted from a collaboration between the Cancer Drug Resistance group from i3S and the Experimental Pathology and Therapeutics Group, from IPO Porto.

Authors and Affiliations:

Este trabalho, recentemente publicado no “International Journal of Cancer”, demonstrou a possibilidade de reposicionar a pirfenidona (um fármaco antifibrótico) em combinação com vinorelbina ou com vinorelbina mais carboplatina para o tratamento perioperatório do cancro do pulmão de não pequenas células (CPNPC), com o objetivo de melhorar a eficácia terapêutica e reduzir a toxicidade. Este trabalho resultou de uma colaboração entre o grupo Cancer Drug Resistance do i3S e o Grupo de Patologia Experimental e Terapêutica do IPO Porto.

Researchers from the "Differentiation and Cancer" group at i3S, in collaboration with “Cancer Metastasis” and “Cell Division & Genomic Stability” groups and Carmen Jerónimo from IPO-Porto, elucidated the role of YTHDF3, a key m6A RNA “reader” protein, as a driver of gastric cancer (GC) progression and paclitaxel sensitivity. This new study, entitled "The RNA‑binding protein YTHDF3 affects gastric cancer cell migration and response to paclitaxel by regulating EZRIN," was recently published in the journal "Gastric Cancer”.

Autores e Afiliações:

Raquel V Mendes ¹, Joana M Ribeiro ^{# 2}, Helena Gouveia ^{# 3}, Cátia Rebelo de Almeida ¹, Mireia Castillo-Martin ^{1 4}, Maria José Brito ⁴, Rita Canas-Marques ⁴, Eva Batista ³, Celeste Alves ³, Berta Sousa ³, Pedro Gouveia ³, Miguel Godinho Ferreira ⁵, Maria João Cardoso ^{3 6}, Fatima Cardoso ³, Rita Fior ⁷

Authors and Affiliations:

Raquel V Mendes ¹, Joana M Ribeiro ^{# 2}, Helena Gouveia ^{# 3}, Cátia Rebelo de Almeida ¹, Mireia Castillo-Martin ^{1 4}, Maria José Brito ⁴, Rita Canas-Marques ⁴, Eva Batista ³, Celeste Alves ³, Berta Sousa ³, Pedro Gouveia ³, Miguel Godinho Ferreira ⁵, Maria João Cardoso ^{3 6}, Fatima Cardoso ³, Rita Fior ⁷

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the main causes of cancer death worldwide. Thus, the main objective of this work was to develop a new targeted lipid-polymer hybrid nanosystem that could allow the simultaneous transport of different therapeutic agents, namely antitumor drugs and nucleic acids, and their specific delivery in HCC cells. This formulation has the capability to mediate combined chemotherapy and gene therapy, as it efficiently loaded and delivered, in target cells, the drugs selumetinib and perifosine, and the PTEN transgene.

The reverse pH gradient is a common feature of cancer cells, in which the intracellular pH is more alkaline and the extracellular more acidic. This phenotype is supported by increased activity of pH regulators like ATPases, carbonic anhydrases (CAs), monocarboxylate transporters (MCTs) and sodium–proton exchangers (NHEs). In this work, we analyzed the expression of these pH regulators and explored their inhibition in breast cancer cells as a therapeutic strategy.

Ovarian carcinoma remains a major therapeutic challenge due to its tendency to develop resistance after initial response to chemotherapy. In this work, a collaboration between iBET, AbbVie and IPOLFG, we developed ovarian carcinoma patient-derived explant (OvC-PDE) cultures that retained architecture and cell type heterogeneity of the original tumour. This patient-derived model have potential applications in the study of drug response and resistance mechanisms and in the development of innovative precision medicine approaches.

Authors and Affiliations:

Cardoso AMS^1,2, Sousa M^1,3, Morais CM^1,3, Oancea-Castillo LR⁴, Régnier-Vigouroux A⁴, Rebelo O⁵, Tão H⁶, Barbosa M^6,7, Pedroso de Lima MC¹, Jurado AS^1,3.

¹ Center for Neuroscience and Cell Biology, University of Coimbra, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal.

² Institute for Interdisciplinary Research of the University of Coimbra, 3030-789 Coimbra, Portugal.