Harnessing Breast Cancer Therapy: Innovative Formulation Strategies for Repurposing Medicines to Overcome Resistance

Background: Research in the Kadri group focuses on developing innovative chemical approaches for the discovery of novel therapeutics to address unmet global health needs. Our research is multidisciplinary, spanning the fields of chemical biology, medicinal chemistry, biopharmaceutics, and biochemistry.    

Aims and Objectives: Cancer continues to be a leading cause of death worldwide, necessitating the urgent need for improved anti-cancer therapies. Drug repurposing is an innovative strategy that maximizes the potential of existing drugs and accelerates the discovery of new therapeutic options for various diseases. This research project aims to develop innovative formulation strategies to enable the repurposing of existing medicines for use as anti-cancer therapeutics. The project will involve formulation studies, stability assessments, cellular uptake and toxicity studies, and evaluations of the anti-cancer properties of the developed formulations. The outcomes of this multidisciplinary project will significantly contribute to advancing the development of more efficient and targeted interventions in the field of chemotherapeutics and open doors to repurpose various other drugs for different therapeutic applications.    

Training Provided: The prospective student will have access to state-of-the-art laboratories, facilities, and equipment available in the Pharmacy and Life Sciences departments. This multidisciplinary drug discovery project will provide a unique opportunity to receive high-quality training in a range of techniques at the interface of pharmaceutical chemistry, biopharmaceutics, and biology, including chemical synthesis and analysis (NMR, mass spectrometry, IR, and HPLC, etc.), the development of nanoparticle-based drug delivery formulations, cell culture, and biochemical-based techniques (western blotting, toxicity and biochemical binding assays, etc.) for the biological evaluation of synthesized compounds. The student will have the opportunity to present their research in our weekly lab meetings and will be encouraged to attend and present their research findings in national and international meetings.     

Collectively, the skills acquired from working on this project will be extremely valuable for those wishing to pursue a career in academia or with pharmaceutical/biotechnology companies.