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Oncologic

Latest Innovations
Imaging Agents for Hypoxia Detection Dr. Chan from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a new molecular probe for detection and photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging of hypoxia. This... Read More Dr. Chan from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a new molecular probe for detection and photoacoustic and fluorescence imaging of hypoxia. This probe is useful for in vivo and in vitro imaging. Using photoacoustic imaging, this probe can be used to detect hypoxia at depths up to 7 cm. Dr. Chan’s molecular probe allows for rapid detection and imaging of hypoxia. This detection and imaging is not invasive like an oxygen-sensitive electrode, does not rely on DNA or gene expression like other hypoxia probes, and does not involve ionizing radiation like PET. The development of handheld photoacoustic imaging instruments will allow for hypoxia imaging to occur in the doctor’s office.
Small Molecules With Antibacterial and Anticancer Activity Dr. Hergenrother from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a series of topoisomerase inhibiting small molecules... Read More Dr. Hergenrother from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has developed a series of topoisomerase inhibiting small molecules with anticancer activity. These molecules possess comparable activity and selectivity to doxorubicin, a common cancer chemotherapy drug, across a range of cancer cell lines. These small molecules are a promising alternative to cardiotoxicity producing doxorubicin as a cancer chemotherapy drug. These molecules are also useful as broad-spectrum antibiotics capable of treating resistant bacteria strains (minimum inhibitory concentrations as low as 0.5 micrograms/mL for S. aureus and E. coli).
Identification of Methylated Proteins by use of Nanopores for Early Disease Detection While nanopore sequencers available in the DNA sequencing industry are capable of detecting the presence of proteins in DNA strands, they are currently unable to identify... Read More While nanopore sequencers available in the DNA sequencing industry are capable of detecting the presence of proteins in DNA strands, they are currently unable to identify specific proteins that are present. To solve this, Professor Leburton has developed a matched filter algorithm to classify particular epigenetic markers. The algorithm’s novel sensor technology detects and maps regions of hyper- and hypo-methylations across the genome using genetic markers. By calculating electrical current signatures of proteins and comparing them to other current signatures, it identifies the type of protein that exists on the DNA strand. The technology, which can be implemented onto existing hardware, is programmable to identify any protein. Integrating a sensor with signal processing architectures could pave the way to developing a multipurpose technology for early disease detection.
In Vivo Active Inhibitors of FOXM1 for Suppression of Cancer Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women all over the world. Hormonal therapy, sometimes also called anti-estrogen therapy, works by lowering the amount of... Read More Breast cancer is the leading cause of death among women all over the world. Hormonal therapy, sometimes also called anti-estrogen therapy, works by lowering the amount of estrogen in the body or blocking estrogen from attaching to the breast cancer cells. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) lacks the three most common types of receptors to fuel most breast cancer growth: ER, PR and HER-2. It constitutes about 10-20% of diagnosed breast cancers, can be more aggressive and difficult to treat and is more likely to spread and recur. There is great interest in finding targeted therapies against TNBC. The transcription factor FOXM1 has been pointed out as a potential target for several types of cancer (breast, prostate, ovary, lung ad GU tract); however, no effective therapies targeting FOXM1 have been developed so far. Inventors at the University have developed small molecule anticancer compounds that can inhibit the FOXM1 transcription factors, a known anticancer target, and are effective against breast cancer including a triple negative variant. These compounds have been tested in mouse models showing good bioavailability after oral or subcutaneous administration. The compound NB-72 labeled with a fluorescent probe was additionally used to developed an in vitro assay for screening of inhibitors against FOXM1. Publications Ziegler, Y., Laws, M.J., Sanabria Guillen, V. et al. Suppression of FOXM1 activities and breast cancer growth in vitro and in vivo by a new class of compounds. npj Breast Cancer5, 45 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41523-019-0141-7 https://patents.google.com/patent/US20210032193A1/
Dearomative carboamination and its application in synthesis of anticancer agents New synthesis method for isocarbostyril alkaloids based on dearomative carboamination of the benzene ring. This is the shortest and most efficient method known to date,... Read More New synthesis method for isocarbostyril alkaloids based on dearomative carboamination of the benzene ring. This is the shortest and most efficient method known to date, enabling further synthesis of novel derivatives with improved metabolic activity, stability, and aqueous solubility.
Characterizing Glioblastoma Heterogeneity via Single-cell Receptor Quantification Dr. Princess Imoukhuede from University of Illinois has developed a new quantitative receptor measurement approach for examining glioblastomas (GBM) heterogeneity. This... Read More Dr. Princess Imoukhuede from University of Illinois has developed a new quantitative receptor measurement approach for examining glioblastomas (GBM) heterogeneity. This approach is a paradigm shift in single-cell technologies: from gene-centric to proteomics. It provides never-before-seen insight into GBM heterogeneity that will ultimately enable more effective cancer treatment. It is a sensitive, quantitative approach that enables high-throughput measurements.
Isocarbostyril Alkaloids and Functionalization Thereof Dr. Sarlah from the University of Illinois has synthesized novel analogs and isotopologs of the anticancer isocarbostyril alkaloids... Read More Dr. Sarlah from the University of Illinois has synthesized novel analogs and isotopologs of the anticancer isocarbostyril alkaloids lycoricidine and narciclasine. Currently, isocarbostyril alkaloids are low in natural abundance and have poor aqueous solubility. These new synthetic compounds exhibit improved metabolic activity, stability, and/or aqueous solubility. Enantioselective Synthesis of Isocarbostyril Alkaloids and Analogs Using Catalytic Dearomative Functionalization of Benzene. Bingham, et al. Dec 6, 2018.
Digital Methods for Breast Cancer Detection and Distinguishing Different Lesions Prof. Bhargava has developed a digital method for identifying areas of early stage tumor and distinguishing them from benign population in breast cancer lesions. This... Read More Prof. Bhargava has developed a digital method for identifying areas of early stage tumor and distinguishing them from benign population in breast cancer lesions. This highly accurate artificial intelligence method can assist pathologists to interpret biopsies in breast cancer screening, increasing their efficiency and accuracy. About a million breast biopsies are performed in the US, out of which quarter receive a cancer diagnosis. The remaining patient cases are categorized by pathologists according to a diagnostic spectrum ranging from benign to preinvasive diseases which are difficult to classify. Misclassification can contribute to over treatment or undertreatment of lesions causing serious health and financial repercussions. Precise stratification of the lesions will reduce under or over diagnosis and time in breast cancer diagnosis. This digital toolbox will be of interest to both health care clinics for risk stratification and early detection and digital pathology companies as a translatable diagnostic suite.
Early Detection of HPV-Positive and -Negative Head-and-Neck Cancer through Saliva Based Screening Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a non-invasive method for the early detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and -... Read More Researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed a non-invasive method for the early detection of human papillomavirus (HPV)-positive and -negative head and neck cancer using saliva samples. This method has potential research and clinical applications including diagnosis of HPV-positive and -negative head-and-neck cancer. The approach detects several genes characteristic of each type of cancer HNSCC that are commonly detected in head-and-neck cancer. Applications: Diagnosis of HPV-positive and -negative head-and-neck cancer; research applications Benefits: Non-invasive as it only requires saliva from patient Saliva-based screening is quick (i.e., hours) and easy as it uses common laboratory equipment Head-and-neck screening can be completed more than the recommendation of once a year because it is low in cost, fast, and non-invasive. Early detection of HNSCC
Generation of Chemically Tagged Tumor-derived Exosomes for the Development of Cancer Exosome Vaccine Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles secreted by cells that contain proteins, RNAs, polysaccharides, and lipids, playing a key role in cellular communication and holding... Read More Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles secreted by cells that contain proteins, RNAs, polysaccharides, and lipids, playing a key role in cellular communication and holding promise for diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Tumor-derived exosomes facilitate tumor progression and metastasis by transporting molecular messages and contribute to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. They can penetrate blood vessels and circulate in the bloodstream, making them potential markers for cancer diagnosis. Exosomes also serve as a source of tumor antigens for cancer vaccines, which aim to generate antigen-specific immune responses. However, identifying tumor-specific antigens is complex and costly. Tumor exosome-based vaccines have shown promise in clinical trials but face challenges in effectively activating dendritic cells (DCs) and generating strong cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) responses. The integration of adjuvants with tumor exosomes has not significantly improved vaccine potency due to differing trafficking and uptake profiles. There is a need for effective methods to conjugate adjuvants to exosomes to enhance their synergistic effects. This technology is a method for development of personalized cancer vaccines using cancer cell-derived exosomes. Cancer cells collected from a patient can be labeled with unnatural sugars displaying the azide functional group. Exosomes generated from these cancer cells can be conjugated to adjuvants (or other tags or fluorescent dyes for diagnostic or research purposes) via click chemistry and reintroduced into the patient. Components of the exosome can be recognized as antigens and help the immune system in producing antigen-specific T cells and antibodies, showing a lower concentration of adjuvant is required to trigger the immune response. Benefits Conjugating adjuvant to exosomes improves immune response against cancer cells. Lower concentration of potentially toxic adjuvant is required to trigger the immune response. Publication Bhatta, R., Han, J., Liu, Y. et al. Metabolic tagging of extracellular vesicles and development of enhanced extracellular vesicle based cancer vaccines. Nat Commun 14, 8047 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-43914-8

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