Newcastle University

Background

I studied Organic Chemistry at the University of Poitiers (France) and in 1999, went to Paris as a predoctoral fellow to work on asymmetric synthesis of substituted piperazines from phenylglycinol derivatives, under the supervision of Prof. H.-P. Husson. In 2000, I moved back to Poitiers, where I worked on the synthesis of biomolecules by 1,3-dipolar cycloadditions with carbohydrates and received my Ph.D. degree in 2004. I then joined the group of Prof. John A. Joule at the University of Manchester, U.K. as a postdoctoral fellow and worked on the synthesis of analogues of cofactors of oxomolybdoenzymes. In 2005, I joined the Northern Institute for Cancer Research at Newcastle University, as a research associate and worked on the synthesis of inhibitors of the DNA-dependent protein kinase. Since my appointement as a lecturer in Medicinal Chemistry in 2008, I have been working on the development of small molecule kinase inhibitors within the Drug Discovery and Imaging group.

Qualifications

MSc Organic Chemistry - Poitiers, France
PhD Organic Chemistry - Poitiers, France

Previous Positions

2005 - Research associate in the group of Professor John A. Joule - The University of Manchester, UK - "Synthesis of Analogues of Cofactors of Oxomolybdoenzymes".

2005-2007 - Research Associate - Northern Institute for Cancer Research, Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK - "Synthesis of Inhibitors of DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase".

Memberships

Member of the British Association for Cancer Research; Member of the European Association for Cancer Research

Funding

Source - Cancer Research UK, CR UK Centre Award (July 2009 – June 2012), Annual direct costs - £2M – Co-applicant

Source - Cancer Research, CR UK Drug Discovery programme (October 2007 – September 2012), Annual direct costs - £1M – Co-Applicant

Source - Cancer Research UK, Medicinal Chemistry Training Programme (October 2006-September 2014), Annual direct costs - £1.4M – Co-Applicant

Source - KuDOS/AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals, Development of DNA PK inhibitors (January 2008 – December 2012), Annual direct costs - £160,000 – Co-applicant

Source - EPSRC, PhD Studentship, Medicinal Chemistry (October 2009-September 2012), Annual direct costs - £13,290 maintenance grant (2009-2010); £13,590 (2010-2011) – PI

Source – MRC Doctoral Training Account, PhD Studentship (October 2011-September 2014), Annual direct costs - £13,290 maintenance grant (2009-2010); £13,590 (2010-2011) – Co-applicant

Research Interests

My research interest is in the development of small molecule kinase inhibitors. 

Within our Drug Discovery and Imaging Research Group, five targets are currently being exploited:

• ERK5 kinase – in collaboration with Professor Hing Leung, Beatson Institute Glasgow, Dr Simon Cook (Babraham Institute, Cambridge) and Cancer Research Technology
• DNA dependent protein kinase – in collaboration with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
• MDM2/p53and  MDMX/p53 
• NEK2 kinase – in collaboration with Dr Andrew Fry, Leicester University, and the Institute of Cancer Research, London

Undergraduate Teaching

Member of the Teaching and Training Committee within the Northern Institute for Cancer Research.

Teaching conducted within the School of Chemistry (Undergraduate Programmes in Chemistry and Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry):

Stage 2: 

- Module leader of CHY2103 Medicinal Chemistry and Drug Design  

Stage 3:

- CHY3103 Chemotherapy

- CHY3109 Advanced Medicinal Chemistry

- CHY3001 Advanced Practical Course in Medicinal Chemistry  

Stage 4:

- CHY8421 Methods in Drug Discovery

- CHY8821 Methods in Drug Discovery

- CHY8823 Theory and Practice of Chemotherapy    

Participated in the PARTNERS Scheme each summer over the last 4 years.

• Lebraud H, Cano C, Carbain B, Hardcastle IR, Harrington RW, Griffin RJ, Golding BT. Trifluoroethanol solvent facilitates selective N-7 methylation of purines. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2013, 11(11), 1874-1878.
• Munck JM, Batey MA, Zhao Y, Jenkins H, Richardson C, Cano C, Tavecchio M, Barbeau J, Bardos J, Cornell L, Griffin RJ, Menear KA, Slade A, Thommes P, Martin NMB, Newell DR, Smith GCM, Curtin NJ. Chemosensitization of cancer cells by KU-0060648, a dual inhibitor of DNA-PK and PI-3K. Molecular Cancer Therapeutics 2012, 11(8), 1789-1798.
• Tavecchio M, Munck JM, Cano C, Newell DR, Curtin NJ. Further characterisation of the cellular activity of the DNA-PK inhibitor, NU7441, reveals potential cross-talk with homologous recombination. Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology 2012, 69(1), 155-164.
• Clapham KM, Rennison T, Jones G, Craven F, Bardos J, Golding BT, Griffin RJ, Haggerty K, Hardcastle IR, Thommes P, Ting A, Cano C. Potent enantioselective inhibition of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) by atropisomeric chromenone derivatives. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2012, 10(33), 6747-6757.
• Clapham KM, Bardos J, Finlay R, Golding BT, Griffen EJ, Griffin RJ, Hardcastle IR, Menear KA, Ting A, Turner P, Young GL, Cano C. DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) inhibitors: Structure–activity relationships for O-alkoxyphenylchromen-4-one probes of the ATP-binding domain. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2011, 21(3), 966-970.
• Rodriguez SA, Clapham KM, Barrett L, Cano C, Desage ME, Griffin RJ, Hardcastle IR, Payne SL, Rennison T, Richardson C, Golding BT. Versatile Synthesis of Functionalised Dibenzothiophenes via Suzuki Coupling and Microwave-assisted Ring Closure. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2011, 9(17), 6066-6074.
• Cano C, Golding BT, Haggerty K, Hardcastle IR, Peacock M, Griffin RJ. Atropisomeric 8-arylchromen-4-ones exhibit enantioselective inhibition of the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2010, 8(8), 1922-1928.
• Clapham KM, Rennison T, Rodriguez-Aristegui S, Bardos J, Curtin NJ, Golding BT, Hardcastle IR, Newell DR, Cano C, Griffin RJ. Development of potent inhibitors of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). In: EJC Supplements: 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. 2010, Berlin, Germany: Pergamon.
• Cano C, Barbeau OR, Bailey C, Cockcroft XL, Curtin NJ, Duggan H, Frigerio M, Golding BT, Hardcastle IR, Hummersone MG, Knights C, Menear KA, Newell DR, Richardson CJ, Smith GC, Spittle B, Griffin RJ. DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase (DNA-PK) Inhibitors. Synthesis and Biological Activity of Quinolin-4-one and Pyridopyrimidin-4-one Surrogates for the Chromen-4-one Chemotype. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2010, 53(24), 8498-8507.
• Payne SL, Rodriguez-Aristegui S, Bardos J, Cano C, Golding BT, Hardcastle IR, Peacock M, Parveen N, Griffin RJ. Mapping the ATP-binding domain of DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) with coumarin- and isocoumarin-derived inhibitors. Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2010, 20(12), 3649-3653.
• Carbain B, Roche C, Endicott JA, Golding BT, Hardcastle IR, Cano C, Zhen-Wang L, Newell DR, Noble MEM, Griffin RJ. Structure-based design of C8-substituted O6-alkylguanine CDK1 and 2 inhibitors. In: European Journal of Cancer Supplements: 22nd EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. 2010, Berlin: Elsevier.
• Marchetti F, Cano C, Curtin NJ, Golding BT, Griffin RJ, Haggerty K, Newell DR, Parsons RJ, Payne SL, Wang LZ, Hardcastle IR. Synthesis and biological evaluation of 5-substituted O-4-alkylpyrimidines as CDK2 inhibitors. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2010, 8(10), 2397-2407.
• Murr M, Cano C, Golding BT, Hardcastle IR, Hummersome M, Frigerio M, Curtin NJ, Menear K, Richardson C, Smith G, Griffin R. 8-Biarylchromen-4-one inhibitors of the DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK). Bioorganic and Medicinal Chemistry Letters 2008, 18(17), 4885-4890.
• Cano C, Curtin NJ, Golding BT, Haggerty K, Hardcastle IR, Hummersone M, Menear K, Richardson C, Smith GCM, Griffin RJ. Development of Potent Water-soluble Inhibitors of DNA-Dependent Protein Kinase (DNA-PK). In: 20th EORTC-NCI-AACR Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. 2008, Geneva, Switzerland: European Journal of Cancer Supplements: Pergamon.
• Willmore E, Elliott SL, Mainou-Fowler T, Summerfield GP, Jackson GH, O'Neill F, Lowe C, Carter A, Harris R, Pettitt AR, Cano-Soumillac C, Griffin RJ, Cowell IG, Austin CA, Durkacz BW. DNA-dependent protein kinase is a therapeutic target and an indicator of poor prognosis in B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Clinical Cancer Research 2008, 14(12), 3984-3992.
• Cano-Soumillac C. Five-membered rings with two adjacent heteroatoms with at least one other element. Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III, A review of the literature 1995-2007 2008, 4/15, 1243-1270.
• Cano C. Five-membered rings with two non-adjacent heteroatoms with at least one other element. Comprehensive Heterocyclic Chemistry III: A Review of the Literature 1995-2007 2008, 4/15, 1271-1304.
• Saravanan K, Albertella M, Cano C, Curtin NJ, Frigerio M, Golding BT, Haggerty K, Hardcastle IR, Hummersone M, Menear K, Newell DR, Rennison T, Richardson C, Rigoreau L, Rodriguez-Aristegui S, Smith GCM, Griffin RJ. Identification of potent water-soluble DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) inhibitors using a small-molecule library approach [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 99th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research. 2008, San Diego, CA: AACR.
• Hollick J, Rigoreau L, Cano-Soumillac C, Cockcroft X, Curtin NJ, Frigerio M, Golding BT, Guiard S, Hardcastle IR, Hickson I, Hummersone M, Menear K, Martin N, Matthews I, Newell DR, Ord R, Richardson C, Smith G, Griffin RJ. Pyranone, thiopyranone, and pyridone inhibitors of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase related kinases. Structure-activity relationships for DNA-dependent protein kinase inhibition, and identification of the first potent and selective inhibitor of the ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry 2007, 50(8), 1958-1972.
• Barbeau OR, Cano-Soumillac C, Griffin RJ, Hardcastle IR, Smith GCM, Richardson C, Clegg W, Harrington RW, Golding BT. Quinolinone and pyridopyrimidinone inhibitors of DNA-dependent protein kinase. Organic & Biomolecular Chemistry 2007, 5(16), 2670-2677.
• Alphonse F-A, Karim R, Cano-Soumillac C, Hebray M, Collison D, Garner CD, Joule JA. A bis(η5-cyclopentadienyl)cobalt complex of a bis-dithiolene: a chemical analogue of the metal centres of the DMSO reductase family of molybdenum and tungsten enzymes, in particular ferredoxin aldehyde oxidoreductase. Tetrahedron 2005, 61(46), 11010-11019.
• Bashiardes G, Cano C, Mauzé B. Regio- and Enantioselective Synthesis of Novel Functionalized Pyranopyrrolidines by 1,3-Dipolar Cycloaddition of Carbohydrates. Synlett 2005, (4), 587-590.
• Bashiardes G, Cano C, Mauzé B. Stereoselective Cycloaddition on Carbohydrates for the Synthesis of New Bicyclic Oxazolidines Bearing a Quaternary Bridgehead. Synlett 2005, (9), 1425-1428.