A Novel Retinoid Pathway

The retinoid system plays a major role in cell differentiation and proliferation, and thus is an important target for the treatment of cancer. However, therapeutic use has thus far been limited by toxicity. In recent years it has become apparent that a number of the retinoid-induced effects are in fact mediated by a pathway not related to the classical nuclear receptor. We have set up a high-throughput screen which will allow us to contrast the structural characteristics of retinoids which act only via the classical pathway, and those which also act upon this novel pathway. Study of the pharmacology of these two broad classes of compounds will allow us to define the activity and therapeutic potential of each pathway. This will facilitate the design of selective ligands as novel drugs, with potential in the treatment of cancer, skin disorders and metabolic syndrome.

Project Team: Professor Peter McCaffery, Professor Ruth Ross, Dr Iain Greig