Cancer Researchers on the Cusp of Translating Discoveries into the Clinic

Key findings that help explain some of the deepest molecular mysteries around cancer have recently been published by researchers at the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center and the Department of Biomedical Genetics. The goal is to exploit laboratory discoveries about how cancer arises and how cancer genes cooperate, to ultimately create useful, targeted therapeutic breakthroughs, helping cancer patients across the globe. Here is a summary of recent work by several Medical Center cancer researchers:

Hartmut “Hucky” Land, Ph.D., discovered a new class of 100 genes that could give scientists a map that leads to the next generation of cancer drugs. Land’s study, published in the journal Nature, goes a step beyond what scientists already know about cancer genes, and provides a new set of rules to interfere with the intricate activity patterns of these genes that cause the disease.

Willis Li, Ph.D., discovered that a pair of known cancer-causing genes (JAK and STAT) work in powerful and more surprising ways than previously thought. Li’s publication in the journal Nature Cell Biology outlined how such oncogenes control gene expression through regulating chromosome structure. The finding has broad implications for cancer biology and at the same time opens up a whole new arena for future cancer drug development.

Dirk Bohmann, Ph.D., developed genetic tools for the discovery of drugs that can protect against cancer by stimulating the body’s own antioxidants. The hope is that this will pave the way for new strategies for cancer prevention. He recently published a study in the journal Developmental Cell.

Mark Noble, Ph.D., is investigating how the brain reacts to chemotherapy. Recently he demonstrated a clear scientific basis for chemo-brain, and reported in the Journal of Biology that the widely used drug 5-FU can collapse stem cells in the central nervous system. He hopes to be able to prevent or repair chemotherapy-induced damage to brain cells.

Craig Jordan, Ph.D., is developing an experimental therapy for leukemia. He investigates cancer stem cells, the cells that undergo mutations leading to cancer. Jordan’s team is using unique computer methods to speed up drug identification and translate findings into meaningful clinical breakthroughs.