Understanding the shared and distinct features of normal and malignant stem cells is critical to develop novel therapies that selectively target tumor stem cells but spare their normal counterparts.
Nikhil S. Joshi, PhD, with his sponsor Tyler Jacks, PhD, at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts, is studying the response of the body's immune system to tumors. The goal of his research is to understand how cells of the immune system interact with growing tumors and why these cells are not able to effectively kill tumors. One particular type of immune cell, the regulatory T cell, blocks anti-tumor immune cells from killing tumor cells. Understanding how regulatory T cells function and how they promote tumor growth may be critical to developing future immune-based treatments and therapies for cancer patients.
Kristin A. Krukenberg, PhD, with her sponsor Timothy J. Mitchison, PhD, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, is studying the role of a molecule called poly(ADP-ribose) in cell division and mitotic spindle formation. By understanding poly(ADP-ribose) function and regulation in both cancer and non-cancer cells, she will investigate new avenues for the design of more effective and selective cancer therapeutics.
Gabriel C. Lander, PhD, with his sponsor Eva Nogales, PhD, at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California, is using electron microscopy to examine the mechanism by which cells initiate division. His research will help explain why cancer cells form and will potentially lead to new molecular targets for cancer treatment.
John R. Lydeard, PhD, with his sponsor Jeffrey W. Harper, PhD, at Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, is interested in studying how proteins are targeted for destruction. Defects in maintaining the balance between newly made proteins and those to be destroyed are often linked with cancer progression. Better understanding of how these pro
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| Contact: Yung S. Lie, PhD yung.lie@damonrunyon.org 212-455-0521 Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation Source:Eurekalert |
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