Research Programs: Molecular Targets

Research Projects

JGBCC Researcher Sham S. Kakar, Ph.D. is conducting an investigation of the gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) which shows promising evidence of improving treatments for the hormone related cancers. more

Researcher Sham S. Kakar, Ph.D. is conducting a study of the molecular mechanisms of the human pituitary tumor transforming gene; (PTTG) which is expressed at high levels in tumors and is known to play a pivotal role in the origin of tumors. more

Researcher, Robert A. Mitchell Ph.D. is conducting three interrelated research projects to discover the role of pro-inflammitory cytokine, migration inhibitory factor (MIF), in limiting the growth of tumors. This discovery will potentially lead to the development of new cancer treatments. more

Researcher Binks Wattenberg, Ph.D.’s is conducting an investigation to determine how sphingosine-kinase, a signaling enzyme, affects changes in cells which lead to their transformation into tumors. more

Researcher Binks Wattenberg, Ph.D.’s is conducting an investigation into the targeting of membrane proteins to the surface of mitochondria; particularly the Bcl-2 family of proteins, which mediate survival and death of cells. more

Researcher Wolfgang Zacharias Ph.D. is investigating Lysozomal Cathepsins, a type of enzyme in cells, to discover their role in the pathology of oral cancer. more

Researcher Wolfgang Zacharias Ph.D. is investigating the molecular transition from pre-malignant to malignant cells in oral cancer. more

Researcher Wolfgang Zacharias Ph.D. is investigating the use of ribozymes in a gene-inhibitive therapy for rheumatoid arthritis which may also lead to similar therapies for cancer. more

Researcher Wolfgang Zacharias Ph.D. is using a novel method to determine gene expression differences between primary and metastatic human oral cancer cell lines and tumor specimens in order to identify novel genetic factors which may contribute to tumor progression and metastasis formation in oral cancer. more

Researcher Wayne Zundel, Ph.D. is investigating the mapping of oxygen-sensing and response mechanisms and the role of these checkpoints in tumor progression & therapeutic outcome. more

Researcher H. Sam Zhou, Ph.D. is investigating the mechanisms of the interaction of cancer cells and E1-mutated adenoviruses which can selectively replicate in and kill cancer cells. Efforts are ongoing to study virus-mediated apoptosis and cell cycle dysregulation with the hope to create more specific and efficient oncolytic vectors for cancer gene therapy. more

The function of the Molecular Targets program is to identify novel targets for chemotherapy based on current knowledge of the biology of neoplastic cells and tumors. All 32 members are active investigators and have expertise in diverse areas including neurobiology, biochemistry, oncology, nanotechnology, physics, DNA repair and general molecular biology. This diversity provides a unique platform for the development of novel therapeutic strategies. Members of the Molecular Targets Program are engaged in multiple and diverse ongoing research activities which include:

Investigations of the antineoplastic activity of G-rich oligonucleotides.
Chemokines as determinants of the sites of metastatic tumor spread.
Importance of lysosomal cysteine proteases in tumor cell growth and metastasis.
DNA repair as a mutagenic mechanism.
Mechanistic studies of active proton transport.
Effects of steroids on drug/carcinogen metabolism.
Tumor cell metabolism and c-myc expression.
Mechanisms of cell damage by reactive oxygen and modes of cell death.
Modulation of tumor growth by inflammation and immune recognition.
Importance of transforming genes in tumor growth and progression.
Modulation of gene expression by site-specific triplex forming oligonucleotides.

Despite the evident diversity of these activities, there is strong common interest in mechanisms involved in the control of neoplastic cell growth, death and spread, and–based on knowledge of these mechanisms–in the development of novel antineoplastic agents.

At right you will find links to information about Molectular Targets research projects which are currently in progress. Selecting one of these project titles will lead to a general abstract of the project. >From there, you can follow the "Technical Notes" links to more specific and detailed information.

Program Head

John W. Eaton, PhD

Researcher(s)

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