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 How Stem Cell Fate Is Decided
Camilla Forsberg, Dept. of Biomolecular Engineering
Camila Forsberg's research group focuses on stem cell fate decisions that give rise to variant blood cell types. Are such decisions made by the stem cell itself, by its descendant multipotent progenitors, or both? To answer such questions, Forsberg's group conducts molecular lineage tracing of HSC differentiation in vivo. In order to elucidate the mechanisms of fate decisions, they employ global analyses, such as genome-wide gene expression analysis and chromatin remodeling assays. The ultimate goal of this research is to facilitate our ability to direct specific fates and improve clinical applications of hematopoietic and non-hematopoietic stem cell therapy. [More]
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 Marine Natural Products as Anti-Cancer Compounds
Phil Crews, Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Crews laboratory investigates the chemical structure and biological activity of chemical compounds that are derived from marine organisms. Among its many research projects, the laboratory collaborates with scientists at other research institutions and pharmaceutical industries to explore the identification and development of naturally occuring compunds in the fight against cancer. [More]
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 Lipooxygenase Inhibitors as Potential Anti-Cancer Drugs
Ted Holman, Dept. of Chemistry & Biochemistry
Lipoxygenases are enzymes implicated in a broad range of human cancers, as well as cardiac and inflammatory diseases. Ted Holman's laboratory examines the enzymatic mechanism and biological function of lipoxygenase in the hopes of developing novel inhibitors. In collaboration with UCSC Professor Phil Crews, his laboratory has identified potent lipoxygenase inhibitors and are currently characterizing their structure/function reactivity. The results of this work will shed light on their potential as anti-cancer agents. [More]
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 A Small Molecule Approach for Studying Signaling Pathways Related to Cell Motility and Cancer
Scott Lokey, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The laboratory of Scott Lokey uses a small molecule approach, called chemical genetics, to study signaling pathways related to cell cycle checkpoints and the actin cytoskeleton. In one study, Lokey and his co-workers are developing screens of natural compounds that can be used to examine how cells detect their own DNA damage. Studies such as these might lead to development of a new class of chemotherapeutic agents. [More]
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 Light-Activated Nitric Oxide Carriers: A New Path in Cancer Treatment
Pradip Mascharak, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Dr. Pradip Mascharak’s bioinorganic chemistry laboratory conducts basic and applied research regarding metal-based, nitric oxide (NO) carriers that release NO when activated by light. In cancer cells, NO induces apoptosis (programmed cell death), which is the primary cellular mechanism of tumor clearing in chemotherapeutic treatments. Unlike conventional chemotherapy where the drug is distributed systemically, Mascharak’s synthetic “NO donors” allow unique control over where, when, and how much NO is released. This “photodynamic” approach has intriguing implications for the development of drugs in treating skin and other cancers. [More]
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 Molecular Mechanisms of Cell Cycle Regulation and Cancer
Seth Rubin, Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Rubin laboratory uses a variety of structural and biochemical techniques to investigate the molecular mechanisms that control the eukaryotic cell cycle. The aim is to elucidate detailed molecular pictures of protein-protein interactions and how these interactions are regulated by structural and chemical modifications. Improper regulation of these protein interaction networks is commonly associated with aberrant cell proliferation and cancer. [More]
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 The Application of Molecular and Nanomaterial Systems to the Detection and Treatment of Cancer
Jin Zhang , Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry
The Zhang research group is interested in the application of molecular and nanomaterial systems in conjunction with optical spectroscopy and related techniques for biomedical detection and treatment, with emphasis on cancer therapies and cancer biomarker detection. Specific projects include: 1) investigation of mechanisms of photodynamic therapy and catalytic therapy based on porphyrins, phthalocyanines, and related compounds; 2) detection of small molecule, protein, and DNA cancer biomarkers using fluorescence based on quantum dots (QDs) and surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) based on metal nanostrutcures; and 3) photothermal imaging and therapy of cancer using unique metal nanostructures. This research involves systematic study of the structural, optical, and photophysical as well as photochemical properties of the materials using a combination of microscopy, x-ray, spectroscopy, and electrochemistry techniques. . [More] |
 Methylating Agents and the Treatment of Cancer
Manel Camps, Department of Microbiology and Environmental Toxicology
Spontaneous DNA Methylation results from methyl donors reacting with DNA. DNA methylation is a potent carcinogen. Paradoxically, in addition to being carcinogenic, methylating agents are also mainstays for cancer treatment. Among his research interests, Dr. Camps examines the molecular mechanisms of methylating agent toxicity to design safer and more effective strategies for cancer chemotherapy. [More]
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Netrin-1 in Mammary Gland Development & Cancer
Lindsay Hinck, MCD Biology
Lindsay Hinck's laboratory studies the regulatory role of the protein Netrin-1 in mammary gland development. Loss or misexpression of Netrin-1 has been implicated in tumor progression in the nervous system and the human netrin-1 gene maps to chromosomal region 17p12, a frequent site of loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in breast tumors. Hinck's data indicates that Netrin-1 regulates cell-cell interactions in the murine mammary gland and preliminary results suggest that loss of its function leads to an increased incidence of hyperplasias and tumors in mice. [More]
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 Structure and Functional Analysis of the Spliceosome
Melissa Jurica, MCD Biology
The spliceosome is a large cellular machine that is critical to the process of gene expression. Professor Jurica examines how the spliceosome is assembled and how its catalytic mechanism is involved in gene splicing. Because mutations that affect basic and alternative gene splicing have been associated with a number of human diseases, including cancers, understanding how this large cellular machine functions promises to provide important insights into prevention and treatment of such diseases. [More]
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 Control of Cell Growth and Proliferation
Doug Kellogg, Dept. of MCD Biology
The Kellogg laboratory investigates fundamental molecular mechanisms that coordinate cell growth and cell division. Analysis of such mechanisms can lead to the identification of new targets for anti-cancer drugs. [More] |
 Chemical Genetic-based Cancer Therapies
Bill Sullivan, Dept. of MCD Biology
In order to understand the molecular and cellular events guiding the initial nuclear divisions of the Drosophila embryo, the Sullivan laboratory carries out screens for mutations that specifically disrupt syncytial divisions. These screens have yielded mutations in conserved cell cycle checkpoint genes. Their findings suggest new strategies for destroying checkpoint-compromised cancer cells and have enabled them to develop in vivo screens for anti-cancer reagents. [More]
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 Regulation of Chromatin Structure and Gene Expression
John Tamkun, Dept. of MCD Biology
The Tamkun lab investigates regulation of chromatin's high order structure and its role in gene expression. Composed of DNA and proteins, chromatin's ability to fold enables the eukaryotic genome to be packaged into an extremely small space inside the nucleus of the cell. Proper transcription and replication of the genome also depend upon precise regulation of these dynamic structures, with defects in these processes believed to underly many human diseases. [More]
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 Mechanisms of Self Recognition Impact Organ Transplant and Cancer Therapies
Martha Zúñiga, Dept. of MCD Biology
Understanding the molecular mechanisms of self-tolerance is key to development of strategies for treatment both of autoimmune disease and cancer and for prevention of organ transplant rejection. Martha Zúñiga's laboratory examines interactions between T lymphocytes and major histocompatibility complex antigens in immune responses. They also investigate how viral proteins might be used to enhance the immune system to protect the body from lethal cancer cells. [More] |
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