Technologies

Unmet Need:
Wnt and Hedgehog are important signaling pathways involved in cellular proliferation and differentiation. Both pathways have been shown to play roles in the development, growth and migration of different types of cancer, including colorectal, prostate, lung, breast, and brain cancer. Therefore, cancer researchers hope that modulators /inhibitors of these pathways could be used to treat a wide range of malignancies. Drugs targeting the hedgehog pathway, such as Vismodegib, have been approved by the FDA to treat basal cell carcinoma. A variety of Wnt modulators are being clinical tested as cancer treatment drugs.
Technical Overview:
The JHU inventors have found small molecule modulators/inhibitors of the Wnt and Hedgehog pathway. Small molecules that inhibit the Wnt pathway could be used to reverse or control aberrant cell growth, such as found in cancer and malignancies. Small molecules modulating the hedgehog pathway could be used to control regulation of repair and/or functional performance of cells and tissues, including normal and abnormal. Hedgehog modulators could be used to treat various cancers as well as be used for repair and healing for therapeutic or cosmetic treatments. All small molecules could be applied to humans and animals.