Oncogenic signaling pathways: cancer mechanisms and drug discovery

Dr. Vladimir Katanaev’s research team investigates how cancer hijacks developmental signaling pathways and aberrantly activates them, turning these pathways into tools that stimulate oncogenic transformation, excessive proliferation, metastasis, immune evasion, and therapy resistance. In breast cancer, oncogenic Wnt, Notch, receptor tyrosine kinase, and other signaling pathways can be overactivated, providing pathogenic advantages to tumors. Omics-level analysis of the compendium of signaling pathways activated in a given tumor sample represents Signalomics, a novel conceptual and methodological approach developed as part of translational research efforts. The integration of signalomics into the molecular tumor board toolset is pursued to foster precision oncology in Qatar and beyond.

In addition, the research team places a strong focus on oncogenic Wnt signaling, which is critically important in breast cancer as well as many other cancer types. Despite decades of research and development, no drugs targeting Wnt signaling have yet been approved, highlighting the need for novel approaches to identify druggable components of this pathway. Through the integration of fundamental and translational research, novel players in cancer-specific Wnt signaling have been identified, alongside the development of a robust drug discovery and development pipeline. This pipeline has generated multiple series of anti-Wnt drug candidates at various stages, including hits, advanced leads, and clinical candidates.

These activities reflect the unifying theme of the research team and the Translational Oncology Research Center as a whole, which is structured around three main pillars, which are: mechanistic oncology research, translational studies through bilateral collaborations with local and international hospitals, and industry-oriented translational value creation.