The Laboratory of Cancer Biology develops smart cancer therapeutics with increased potency and decreased side effects.
Our mission is to change the perception of cancer as being a largely incurable disease. We use in vivo peptide phage display screens to identify homing peptides that bind to specific targets in the vasculature. Corresponding synthetic peptides are explored for targeting drugs, biologicals, and nanoparticles into tumors to increase their therapeutic index. We focus on development of novel diagnostic tests and therapeutics for the early detection and precision treatment of solid tumors (glioblastoma, and breast, prostate ovarian, prostate, and colorectal carcinoma). Our lab is also at the forefront of development of next generation peptidic shuttles capable of efficient and high capacity payload delivery across the blood brain barrier.
News
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Two back-to-back collaborative studies published in Science on Neuropilin as a novel coronavirus receptor
Written on Thursday, 29 October 2020 13:03
Our lab was involved in two studies by international research teams that show that new coronavirus uses NRP-1 as a cellular internalization receptor. The research… -
Collaborative study shows that reprogramming tumor macrophages increases the efficacy of chemotherapy in breast cancer mice
Written on Thursday, 15 October 2020 12:11
Macrophages are immune system cells with a highly plastic phenotype. In established tumors, macrophages are skewed towards a pro-tumoral, anti-inflammatory, phenotype (M2 tumor associated macrophages,… -
Special issue of Pharmaceutics: “Precision Delivery of Drugs and Imaging Agents with Peptides”
Written on Wednesday, 09 September 2020 10:29
Prof. T. Teesalu and Dr. K. Kurrikoff (Institute of Technology, University of Tartu) act as guest editors of the special issue of Pharmaceutics (IF: 4.4)…
Recent publications
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Neuropilin-1 facilitates SARS-CoV-2 cell entry and infectivity
Written on Wednesday, 16 December 2020 11:38
Ludovico Cantuti-Castelvetri, Ravi Ojha, Liliana D Pedro, Minou Djannatian, Jonas Franz, Suvi Kuivanen, Franziska van der Meer, Katri Kallio, Tuğberk Kaya, Maria Anastasina, Teemu Smura,…Read more... -
Neuropilin-1 is a host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection
Written on Wednesday, 16 December 2020 11:36
James L Daly, Boris Simonetti, Katja Klein, Kai-En Chen, Maia Kavanagh Williamson, Carlos Antón-Plágaro, Deborah K Shoemark, Lorena Simón-Gracia, Michael Bauer, Reka Hollandi, Urs F…Read more...
Images
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October
Peptide targeted polymersomes bind to M2 human macrophages
Polymersomes targeted with an M2 macrophage binding peptide (green) identified in our lab using phage display bind to and are taken up by M2s (red) originated from human primary monocytes.… -
September
Polymersomes targeted with an M2 macrophage binding peptide in a mouse model of triple negative breast cancer
Polymersomes targeted with an M2 macrophage binding peptide (green) identified in our lab using phage display home to M2 TAMs (red) after intravenous administration in a mouse model of triple… -
January
High infiltration of CD206+ cells in human breast tumors
Immunohistochemical staining of human CD206 (brown) with nuclear counterstain (Hematoxilin, in dark blue). Authors: Anni Lepland and Pablo Scodeller.