INSERM PCSI TAPAS : Therapeutic TArgeting of protein kinase in PAncreatic cancerS

_{INSERM PCSI TAPAS (2024–2027)}

Pancreatic cancer (PC) constitutes one of the most devasting forms of cancer and there are no effective targeted treatments available.

Several cyclin-dependent kinases constitute relevant biomarkers in PC. Although several small molecule kinase inhibitors (SMKIs) target the ATP pocket of these kinases, they remain poorly selective and prompt emergence of resistance, thereby calling for new generations of compounds with different mechanisms of action that promise to overcome these limitations, such as allosteric protein kinase inhibitors.

In order to improve therapeutic targeting of PC we propose to deliver combinations of SMKIs adsorbed onto single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) and promote their intracellular release through resonant photo-thermal heating under near infrared (NIR) laser irradiation.