Given that tumor growth and metastasis involve distinct biological processes, cancer drug discovery must adopt two complementary strategies: antiproliferative and an-ti-metastatic. Metastasis is responsible for approximately 90% of cancer-related deaths. Anti-metastatic agents, also known as Migrastatics, represent a novel thera-peutic approach that targets cancer cell migration and invasion rather than cell pro-liferation. Unlike traditional cytotoxic drugs that directly kill cancer cells—often leading to drug resistance and the selection of more aggressive clones—Migrastatics inhibit cellular movement without exerting strong selective pressure. As a result, they are less likely to induce resistance. One promising target in this context is Lysophos-phatidic Acid Receptor 1 (LPA1), which plays a key role in promoting metastasis across various cancer types. We present our ongoing efforts to develop novel LPA1 antagonists as Migrastatic agents and share preliminary data demonstrating that these compounds effectively suppress migration and invasion of triple-negative breast cancer cells without in-ducing apoptosis.

Dr. Jinqiang Hou is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemistry at Lakehead University and a Research Chair at the Thunder Bay Regional Health Research Institute (TBRHRI). He is also the Director of the Cancer Imaging and Therapeutics Laboratory at Lakehead University.  Dr. Hou earned his Ph.D. in Medicinal Chemistry from Sun Yat-sen University in 2012, followed by postdoctoral training at the University of South Australia, London Health Sciences Centre, and Western University. Before joining Lakehead, he worked as a Research Scientist at Toronto Research Chemicals.  He leads a multidisciplinary research group that includes medical oncologists, chemists, molecular biologists, and radiochemists. With 17 years of drug discovery experience across both academia and industry, Dr. Hou focuses on developing novel molecules for cancer imaging and targeted therapy.  His research has been supported by funding from NSERC, CIHR, OICR, Prostate Cancer Canada, and Innovation Canada. Dr. Hou is also the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the American Chemical Society P2F Award and the Canadian Vanguard Award (2016).