Novel peptides targeting the hepatocyte growth factor receptor c-Met for the treatment of cancer

Abstract

Dysregulated growth factor signalling is an important hallmark of cancer. The receptor tyrosine kinase c-Met has been implicated in the development of many carcinomas and sarcomas, and multiple therapeutic approaches to target the hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)/c-Met signalling axis are being pursued by several companies. Here, monomeric peptides or chemically-conjugated multimeric polypeptides that antagonise binding of HGF to c-Met and abrogate c-Met function are claimed as a treatment for cancer.

Keywords::

• cancer
• c-Met
• hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)
• kinase inhibitor
• peptide antagonist
• therapeutic monoclonal antibody
• tumour