Developing potent and specific inhibitors of the Grb7 breast cancer target

Breast cancer occurs when signals inside breast cells are no longer regulated properly. This can occur when proteins that are part of the signalling pathways are produced in abnormally high abundance. This thesis focuses on one such protein –growth factor receptor bound protein 7 (Grb7). The project involved designing and testing inhibitor molecules of the Grb7 protein, to halt the progression of breast cancer. These inhibitors were also designed to be specific for Grb7, to avoid off-target toxicity effects. Overall we provided proof-of-concept evidence that Grb7 can be targeted for the development of anti-cancer therapeutics.