Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have developed a combination of therapies to reduce the growth rate of human cancer.
UT Austin researchers used the combined therapy in mice that had been implanted with human colon cancer. The combination therapy targeted c-MYC, which is a cancer-causing gene that presents in much higher numbers in cancer cells compared to normal cells. While the excess number of the these genes drives the formation of the cancer, it also presents more targets for this novel therapeutic strategy in the cancer cells.
The research at the University of Texas at Austin takes advantage of a cell’s attempts to correct its DNA if something goes wrong. Researchers added a third strand to the double-stranded DNA of the c-MYC genes to form a three-stranded DNA structure. The cell senses this unusual triplex structure as DNA damage, then switches into repair mode and tries to rid itself of the perceived damage.
When a cell is in repair mode, it opens the door for the chemotherapy drug in the combination therapy to come in, which allows the cell to incorporate the chemo drug into c-MYC genes, making cancer cells that have more cancer-causing genes more susceptible to the effects of the drug.
The investigation found that tumors did not grow as fast or grow as large in mice that were treated with the combination therapy compared to the traditional therapy. With the therapy, it took more than 70 days for tumors in mice to reach a volume of 0.85 cubic centimeters, which was a reduced growth rate to 40%. In addition, the combination therapy also holds the promise that it has fewer and less severe side effects than traditional chemotherapy.
UT Austin: an attractive life science research marketplace
The novel research on the cancer combination therapy is one of many cancer studies at the University of Texas College of Pharmacy that focuses on studying causes and treatments of cancers. It was funded by the MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Goodwin family of Houston.
The University of Texas at Austin is home to a significant number of groundbreaking life science research programs and is an attractive research marketplace.
Each year the University of Texas at Austin exceeds $640 million in research funding, and attracts more federal research grants than any other American universities without a medical school.
While the university does not have a medical school, it houses medical programs associated with other campuses and allied health professional programs, as well as major research programs in pharmacy, biomedical engineering, neuroscience and others. In 2013 the University of Texas at Austin attracted more than $51 million from the National Institutes of Health and more than $31 million as of June 2014.
Create a connection with such a rich research institution
If you are a laboratory supply company interested in presenting your products and solutions to the Austin life science research community, you are invited by Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. to the 4th Annual BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at the University of Texas at Austin on September 17th 2014.
Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. has been producing on-campus vendor tradeshows for more than 20 years and has established a well-known brand and strategic connection at top research universities. Our academic research audiences are open to those tools and solutions that are demonstrated at our high quality events and trust the vendors that we present.
Last year, the BioResearch Product Faire™ event at the University of Texas at Austin attracted 187 attendees. Of these attendees, 27% were purchasing agents, professors and post docs. All were active research hands.
If you are a laboratory supply company interested in exhibition at the BioResearch Product Faire™ Event at the University of Texas at Austin on September 17th 2014, please click the button below for more information.
There are more events available at different institutions across the nation. Please read the National Show Schedule for 2014.