NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – Institut Curie and drug discovery firm Inventiva today launched the Epicure project to confirm the therapeutic potential of two epigenetic targets for treating cancers.
The French national research agency, Agence National pour la Recherche, has also provided an undisclosed amount in funding to the project. The funding covers a four-year period.
The Epicure project is directed at confirming the therapeutic potential of two targets that have been associated with immunomodulation and potentially developing them for treating cancers, such as breast and ovarian cancer and melanoma. Molecules that are found to modulate the targets would go into clinical development upon the completion of the project.
Epicure also will seek to identify additional molecules that may be able to regulate the activity of the targets and potentially be used for treating cancer.
Three teams of researchers from Institut Curie focused on epigenetics, immunology, and translational research will be involved in Epicure in partnership with the epigenetics drug discovery team at Inventiva.
"By combining our expertise in target validation and drug discovery with Institut Curie's skills in basic and translational oncology research, we can achieve rapid and significant outcomes for patients," Inventiva Co-founder and Scientific Director Pierre Broqua said in a statement.