Petra Heffeter, Group Leader
E-Mail: Petra.Heffeter [at] meduniwien [dot] ac [dot] at
Phone: +43 (0)1 40160 - 40160 - 57594
Fax: +43 (0)1 40160 - 957555
Research Focus:
Chemotherapy and therapy with small targeted molecules are two major strategies for therapy of human cancer at the disseminated stage. During the last decades, thousands of compounds have been developed and consequently have improved therapy effectiveness. However, even when using new targeted therapeutics, such therapy is often limited by strong side effects, resistance development and insufficient tumor accumulation.
The research of this group is focused on the development of several new strategies to overcome these limitations:
1. Improvement of anticancer activity by smart drug combinations;
2. Development of new targeting strategies to increase drug delivery to the tumor tissue (in cooperation with the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry, Vienna within “Forschungsplattform Translational Cancer Therapy Research“;
3. Investigation on the mechanisms underlying the sensitivity/resistance of cancer cells against new anticancer drugs to define the patient collective which will profit most from chemotherapy.
Financial support: Austrian Science Fund (FWF), AWS Prize 2015, Initiative Krebsforschung, Herzfelder'sche Familienstiftung, Fellinger Krebsforschung, Fonds der Stadt Wien für innovative interdisziplinäre Krebsforschung
Group Members
Selected Publications:
An albumin-based tumor-targeted oxaliplatin prodrug with distinctly improved anticancer activity in vivo.
Mayr J, Heffeter P (corresponding author), Groza D, Galvez L, Koellensperger G, Roller A, Alte B, Haider M, Berger W, Kowol CR*, Keppler BK.; Chem Sci 2017 in press (IF 9.1)
Impact of Stepwise NH2-Methylation of Triapine on the Physicochemical Properties, Anticancer Activity, and Resistance Circumvention.
Kowol CR, Miklos W, Pfaff S, Hager S, Kallus S, Pelivan K, Kubanik M, Enyedy ÉA, Berger W, Heffeter P (correspondig author), Keppler BK.; J Med Chem. 2016 Jul 28;59(14):6739-52 (IF5.6)
Chronic arsenic trioxide exposure leads to enhanced aggressiveness via Met oncogene addiction in cancer cells.
Kryeziu K, Pirker C, Englinger B, van Schoonhoven S, Spitzwieser M, Mohr T, Körner W, Weinmüllner R, Tav K, Grillari J, Cichna-Markl M, Berger W, Heffeter P.; Oncotarget 2016 May 10;7(19):27379-93. (IF 5.0)
Triapine-mediated ABCB1 induction via PKC induces widespread therapy unresponsiveness but is not underlying acquired triapine resistance.
Miklos W, Pelivan K, Kowol CR, Pirker C, Dornetshuber-Fleiss R, Spitzwieser M, Englinger B, van Schoonhoven S, Cichna-Markl M, Koellensperger G, Keppler BK, Berger W, Heffeter P.; Cancer Lett. 2015 May 28; 361(1):112-20
Tumor-Targeting of EGFR Inhibitors by Hypoxia-Mediated Activation.
Karnthaler-Benbakka C, Groza D, Kryeziu K, Pichler V, Roller A, Berger W, Heffeter P, Kowol CR.; Angew Chem Int Ed Engl. 2014 Jul 30. in press