Initially described as a key regulator of cell growth and development in a wide variety of embryonic tissues, the Hedgehog signaling pathway is also involved in the formation and progression of various types of cancer, notably basal cell carcinomas and medullloblastomas.

This invention describes the identification of a compound and its derivatives as new modulators of Hedgehog signaling.

The inventors demonstrated that these small synthetic molecules have the ability to

block the Hedgehog signaling pathway with the same efficiency as cyclopamine (in vitro experiments on mesenchymal cells).