The Division of Therapeutic Development employs its research capabilities toward the discovery, preclinical development and pharmaceutical assessment of molecules that can block cancer progression and metastasis. The success of drug discovery efforts derives from personnel’s expertise in organ-specific models of cancer metastasis and angiogenesis, and from their focus on the effects of hypoxia, inflammation and oxidative stress in the regulation of cancer cell behavior.

Potential therapeutical targets are identified and purified based on functional genomics and proteomics of cancer cell regulation by microenvironment. In addition, new drugs, natural products and biologics are preclinically tested through in vivo metastasis models and in vitro bioassays on host cell responses (inflammatory, angiogenic, osteolytic, etc) to tumor-derived factors, and on tumor cell modulation (proliferation, migration, adhesion, apoptosis tolerance, secretion, cell surface expression, etc) by host cell-derived factors.

We provide assistance and offer our intellectual propriety through licensing and collaborative research agreements. We also act as a contract research organization offering our extensive customized capabilities and resources for bridging the gap from drug discovery and development, and we have the expertise to perform the services needed to get a lead candidate into clinical trials.

Our interdisciplinary technological platform combines expertise in cell and molecular pharmacology and toxicology, genomics and molecular cytogenetics, molecular pathology and laser microdissection, functional proteomics and analytical biochemistry, immunocytometry and cell sorting, in vivo preclinical models for pharmaceutical testing. Our animal facility includes Class 100 clean rooms for strict environmental control, specialized surgical suites, and a complete pathology & microbiology laboratory for animal health quality monitoring. In addition all in vivo and in vitro bioassays are conducted in accordance with worldwide regulatory requirements and in compliance with good laboratory practice (GLP) regulations audited by an external Quality Assurance Unit.