PhD Conferral Mr. Raymon S.T. Niemans, MSc

Keywords: cancer, tumour, hypoxia, CA-IX, CP-506, hypoxia-activated prodrug

"Exploiting tumor hypoxia for cancer treatment"

Hypoxia, i.e. low blood oxygen levels, is a common feature of solid tumours. Hypoxia causes tumour cells to become even more malignant. It is also associated with a poor prognosis and problems occurring during cancer treatment. This dissertation evaluates two potential cancer treatments targeting tumour hypoxia in a preclinical setting. We show that new substances targeting CA-IX, a protein occurring in hypoxic tumour regions, have promising anti-cancer effects. We also studied a new potential drug called CP-506. This substance is activated specifically in hypoxic regions. We demonstrate that CP-506 is a promising new substance with characteristics favourable for future clinical use. Our results confirm that treatment targeting tumour hypoxia is an interesting and promising approach to cancer.