Prof. Miguel Vázquez López | AECC
Acto de entrega de las ayudas a la investigación de la Asociación Española contra el Cáncer | AECC
This Monday, the Asociación Española contra el Cáncer (AECC) presented its grants for cancer research. The awards granted by the Galician division of the AECC recognize, among others, the work developed at USC by Miguel Vázquez, Valentina González, Elena Moya and Pablo Balado. In total, almost one million euros that also honors the groups led by María de la Fuente and Clotilde Costa at Instituto de Investigación Sanitaria de Santiago de Compostela (IDIS). Estíbaliz Díaz from IDIS has also received a predoctoral grant.
Under the “Ayuda Idea Semilla” programme, Centro Singular de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares (CIQUS) Principal Investigator Miguel Vázquez obtained AECC support to study new antitumor drugs targeting non-canonical DNA structures. Vázquez´s research project aims to embed copper helicates into the gaps formed by three-way DNA to break it so that the rupture is lethal to tumor cells. Since the DNA replication process is amplified in cancer cells, these new helicates could be more effective in this type of cells, thus developing a new type of antitumor drug. During the ceremony, Chancellor Antonio López highlighted the research talent of the USC.