Small molecules and peptides or screening system for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma PDAC cells

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) shows the lowest 5-year survival rate among all cancerous tumors. 

For this reason, there is an urgent need to improve the overall survival with new chemical modalities as an alternative to antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) technology.  

Antibody drug conjugates (ADCs) technology is not ideal for PDAC. ADCs technology enables us to deliver cytotoxic agents selectively to the tumors. However, in PDAC, the extracellular matrix becomes dense and abnormal, creating a physical barrier to the delivery of therapeutic agents, including large molecules like antibodies, to tumor cells. 

Thus, Daiichi-Sankyo aims to develop novel chemical derivatives designed to exhibit high levels of TME penetration and selective internalization into pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma cells.

We are seeking novel chemical derivatives (small molecules or peptides) that can be internalized into a wide range of PDAC cells selectively via unique mechanism of action. We are also interested in screening systems to identify our desired chemical products.

Deadline: March 31, 2024