WWCR grant awarded for work on chemical probes for Rab27A

The WWCR has awarded a grant to fund research until 2025

Worldwide Cancer Research (WWCR) has granted funding to pursue the development of chemical probes for Rab27A, which will foster our understanding of this protein and its role in breast cancer metastasis. The grant was awarded based on the ongoing work conducted within the group which shows great promise at tackling this challenging target. The award was granted in collaboration with the group of Prof. Jim Norman at CRUK Beatson (in vivo work) and Dr Ernesto Cota at Imperial College London (Structural Biology). The Rab team, led by current Marie Curie fellow Dr Elena De Vita, accounts for two postdoctoral researchers, two PhD students and one/two MRes students per year. The team is developing cutting-edge platforms and chemical probes for the study of this protein in vitro and in vivo. By achieving therapeutic targeting of Rab27A, we also hope to be able to reduce the incidence of metastatic breast cancer, and potentially other cancers where this protein’s function is similarly exploited for tumour invasiveness.

The support of WWCR is fundamental to enable smooth progression of these studies and will also help disseminate important project findings to the charity supporters. WWCR is a UK-based charity funded in 1979 investing in basic cancer research all over the world, with over 2000 projects funded in >30 countries, leveraging an overall £200m budget.

The funding will be used to support the research conducted by Marie Curie fellow Dr Rita Petracca and Dr Elena De Vita, a co-investigator on the award, and to enable collaborative exchange with the laboratory of Prof. Jim Norman.

Congratulations to the Rab Team!