CD44 is a protein that is found on the surface of human cells. It interacts with another protein, hyaluronic acid (HA), causing normal cells to become tumour cells, so enabling tumour development, metastasis and resistance to drug treatment. HA-CD44 interaction is therefore an interesting pharmacological target in cancer therapy.
The main objective of this project is the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of inhibitors of HA-CD44 interaction, known as derivatives of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (THIQ). These molecules act as antitumor agents because they bind to CD44 in a place close to where HA binds, thus inhibiting HA-CD44 interaction. To this end, in this project we study the influence of small variations in the structure of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline on the inhibition of the HA-CD44 interaction.
Keywords: cancer; inhibitors; hyaluronic acid; CD44, isoquinoline.
Directed by: Ana Conejo García
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