Mohamed Abdelsalam
M.Sc. Mohamed Abdelsalam
Dr. Mohamed Abdelsalam, PhD
Tel ++49 345 55 25188
e-mail: mohamed.abdelsalam(at)pharmazie.uni-halle.de
Development of chemical probes to dissect the functions of class I and IIb HDACs in FLT3-ITD-positive leukemic cells
Mutations in the FMS-related tyrosine kinase (FLT3) cause AML with poor patient prognosis. Epigenetic modifiers of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) family control the development and survival of normal and transformed blood cells. Inhibitors of zinc-dependent HDACs (HDACi) are approved drugs against subtypes of leukemia and lymphoma. There are 11 zinc-dependent HDACs in mammalian cells and ongoing intense research is done to dissect their precise functions. In the present project we will develop novel, highly specific inhibitors of HDACs and FLT3 to analyze their role in cancer cells.
Another starting point is the development of protein-degrading agents, the so-called PROTACs, for the HDACs and FLT3-ITD under investigation. PROTACs are designed to specifically degrade the target proteins in the cancer cells under investigation in order to better understand their biological role.
Kooperation: Prof. Dr. Oliver Krämer, Institute of Toxikologie, Universität Mainz