We are interested in identifying new targets for hard-to-treat solid tumors with dismal prognosis. We recently reported a new target in glioblastoma, the protein SNAP25. SNAP25 is part of the SNARE complex and is responsible for the fusion of vesicles (synaptic or hormone-containing) with the cell membrane, needed for exocytosis.

 

SNAP25 is an intracellular protein in normal conditions, but in glioblastoma and neuroendocrine cancer we found that it becomes present on the cell surface and the vasculature. The accessibility of SNAP25 was restricted to the tumor and absent in healthy organs, rendering it an excellent target. We are studying the pro-tumoral role of this protein in brain and neuroendocrine tumors, the underlying molecular mechanisms and working on technologies to pharmacologically act on these tumors, using a high affinity SNAP25-binding peptide we developed, to deliver drugs like photosensitizers and radioisotopes selectively to the tumor.