Preventing breast cancer recurrence and metastasis

On the evening of 19 May 2022 RSC Belgium members and friends tuning in for a webinar event describing a major breakthrough for the prevention of breast cancer recurrences and metastases with Professor Pierre Sonveaux of the Universite catholique de Louvain. The webinar presented the current state of knowledge in cancer research and in particular the recent discovery of a very promising treatment using the drug MitoQ to prevent metastasis: the mechanism(s) by which cancer spreads from an initial or primary site to a different or secondary site within the host's body.

In many ways, cancer can be thought of as a metabolic disease, said Professor Sonveaux, where cancer cells attempt to grow and multiply by gradually depleting locally available food resources. When these resources dwindle to the point of creating cellular starvation and waste accumulates, some cancer cells activate a metastatic programme which, when fully operational, allows them to leave hostile areas to colonise areas that are more welcoming, often in distant organs.

In clinical practice, this process often marks the transition from curative medical interventions to palliative medical interventions. In breast cancer, Professor Pierre Sonveaux ‘s team has demonstrated that it is possible to halt the metastatic process by blocking the activity of metabolic sensors inside cancer cells. One of the most promising molecules, as it can be administered to humans without major side effects at the doses required to have an effect, is MitoQ. 

This drug holds great promise in preventing cancer from spreading and, therefore, increasing recovery rates for patients. Future research will work to convert this hope into a clinical reality. Prof Sonveaux’s work has focused on the use of MitoQ in breast cancer, but he indicated that studies are showing good results for other cancers, including prostate cancer. This very informative presentation was followed by a lively question and answer session. 

The webinar was recorded and can be viewed below or via the RSC Belgium YouTube channel. Apologies for some issues with the sound quality in parts of this video.

About Prof. Pierre Sonveaux

Pierre Sonveaux is Pharmacist by training. After a Diplôme d’Etudes Approfondies in the team of Prof. Benoît Van den Eynde at the Brussels branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, he obtained his PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences (vascular oncology) under the supervision of Prof. Olivier Feron at the Université catholique de Louvain in 2004. As a postdoc, he joined the lab of Prof. Mark W. Dewhirst at Duke University. Back at UCLouvain in 2008, Pierre won an ERC starting grant, was promoted to Assistant Professor, and created his own team of translational research. He is now Research Director of the F.R.S.-FNRS and extra-ordinary Professor at UCLouvain. His team is currently active in three main areas: understanding the oxidative pathway of lactate in cancer; characterising and harnessing the metabolic control of (tissue-specific) cancer metastasis; and unravelling the contribution of cancer and host cell metabolism to chemo- and radio resistance for cancer re-sensitisation. He has authored more than 125 peer-reviewed papers and has nine patent applications.