The VADA project targets the protein vaccinia-related kinase 1 (VRK1). The project aims to develop pharmaceuticals directed against a family of proteins involved in the cell’s response to DNA damage (DNA damage response, DDR), cell cycle control, lysosome metabolism, and inflammatory signaling. Elevated levels of this protein family exist in a variety of cancers and correlate to poor survival in patients with cancer in, for example, liver, kidney, and pancreas. VRK1 inhibitors have the capacity to enhance the body’s immunological defense against cancer cells and therefore have the potential to function in combination with other therapies such as immuno-oncology therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy.
