There is increasing evidence that dysregulation of the way mRNA is exported from the cell nucleus contributes to cancer development. Development of chemical compounds that impact this process, RNA export inhibitors, offer a unique opportunity to develop innovative, targeted cancer therapeutics. In this Monday Lunch Live, Dr Kirstyn Carey and Ms Yu Qing Yap explain normal mRNA export processes compared to dysregulation in cancer, and provide an overview of the drug discovery pipeline and how small molecules can potentially be used in the development of targeted cancer therapies.

Presenters

Dr Kirstyn Carey
Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre

Dr Kirstyn Carey is a post-doctoral researcher in the RNA Biology and Cancer Laboratory headed by Dr Vi Wickramasinghe at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Kirstyn’s current research focuses on understanding the molecular basis of selective mRNA processing and export from the nucleus, how deregulation of these processes contributes to human cancer and the potential for identifying opportunities for therapeutic intervention. She is currently working on a number of projects to develop small molecule inhibitors targeting mRNA export, including in collaboration with industry partners Canthera Discovery.

Ms Yu Qing Yap
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute

Ms Yu Qing Yap is a medicinal chemist working in the laboratory of Prof Guillaume Lessene, within the ACRF Chemical Biology Division at WEHI. Her expertise is in developing small molecules as chemical probes to interrogate biological pathways, and as therapeutics for diseases including cancer, autoimmune diseases and Covid-19. As part of a collaboration between WEHI and Peter Mac, she is currently leading the medicinal chemistry and chemical biology efforts to develop small molecules targeting mRNA export