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The Effects Of Cucurbitacin B And Silmitasertib On Metastasis And Itga6 Using The Zebrafish Tumor-Xenograft, Alexandra Griffis
The Effects Of Cucurbitacin B And Silmitasertib On Metastasis And Itga6 Using The Zebrafish Tumor-Xenograft, Alexandra Griffis
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Ninety percent of cancer deaths are resultant from the metastasis of cancer cells. When cancer cells translocate through blood vessels or the lymphatic system, they may form tumors outside of their primary site. The processes of metastasis can begin quickly; after onset, metastasis is unforgiving, as it does not participate with the body’s physiological systems in an orderly way. In the past, our lab produced results indicating that a cell adhesion molecule, Integrin Alpha-6, may contribute to cancer cells' ability to metastasize. Integrins mediate interactions between the cell and the Extracellular Matrix (ECM), regulating cell attachment and cell migration. With …
Nanoparticle Conjugated Photosensitizer For Targeted Photodynamic Inactivation Of Cancer Cells, Symone D. Crowder
Nanoparticle Conjugated Photosensitizer For Targeted Photodynamic Inactivation Of Cancer Cells, Symone D. Crowder
Honors College Theses
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is considered to be a potential replacement for traditional methods of chemotherapy. It includes the administration of photosensitizing agents (PS), which generate reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon excitation at a specific wavelength. With new outlooks and techniques, cancer research is advancing each day. It has allowed the progress of several theranostic drug delivery systems (DDS) exploring the area of nanomedicine.2 In the present work, a Rhodamine derivative, Rhodamine 6G (R6G) was used as the PS. In general, rhodamine compounds undergo cytotoxic reactions on photoexcitation by electron transfer reactions with folic acid within cells, making them a favorable …
Understanding The Mechanistic Roles Of Integrin Alpha 6 In Tumor Development Using A Humanized Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Model System, Ashley B. Williams
Understanding The Mechanistic Roles Of Integrin Alpha 6 In Tumor Development Using A Humanized Zebrafish (Danio Rerio) Model System, Ashley B. Williams
Honors College Theses
Present day cancer incidence and mortality rates indicate the need for effective cancer diagnostic tools and targeted cancer therapeutic strategies. Recent studies have focused on the biological pathways of cells and tumor microenvironments to identify putative biomarkers and potential drug targets as diagnostic and therapeutic tools. Human integrins, adhesion receptors, have become the focal points in these studies, specifically Integrin Alpha 6 (ITGA6) which has been implicated in major tumor progression roles: metastasis and angiogenesis. These characteristics make ITGA6 an excellent candidate for potential drug or diagnostic target, however, the mechanism by which ITGA6 facilitates tumor progression remains unclear. Cell …
A Forward Genetic Screen To Identify Human Genes Of Interest And Their Roles In Ovarian Cancer, Susan A. Ihejirika
A Forward Genetic Screen To Identify Human Genes Of Interest And Their Roles In Ovarian Cancer, Susan A. Ihejirika
Honors College Theses
Drosophila melanogaster, fruit flies, are very important for modeling and studying human diseases. This study identifies human genes of interest and their contributions to epithelial ovarian carcinogenesis and progression as well as the roles orthologs of these genes play in Drosophila melanogaster. This is important because ovarian cancer is the most common cause of death among the gynecological cancers. This identification of genes was carried out using a forward genetic screen employing the widely used GMR-Gal4 driver/UAS-transgene system. The GMR-Gal4 driver is commonly utilized to express transgenes in the developing eye of the fruit fly. Transgenes that are expressed using …
Examining The Mechanistic Roles Of Integrin Alpha-6 In Cancer Metastasis., Chase T. Clark
Examining The Mechanistic Roles Of Integrin Alpha-6 In Cancer Metastasis., Chase T. Clark
Honors College Theses
Metastasis- the spread of cancer cells from the primary tumor to the surrounding tissues- is responsible for 90% of cancer deaths. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6) is a specific transmembrane cell surface protein that functions in cell surface adhesion and signaling. ITGA6 is upregulated in many types of cancers and promotes the migration and invasion of cancer cells to surrounding tissues. It is my objective to determine the mechanism through which ITGA6 facilitates the migration of cancer cells through the extracellular matrix (ECM). These experiments helped to establish the role of ITGA6 in tumor development and provide focus for possible chemotherapeutic treatment. …
Investigating The Toxicology Of Intramuscular Injected Cnt-Ab In Mice Followed By Microwave Hyperthermia., Conner Clark
Investigating The Toxicology Of Intramuscular Injected Cnt-Ab In Mice Followed By Microwave Hyperthermia., Conner Clark
Honors College Theses
The advent of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) has led to a wide range of research in various fields including cancer therapy for targeting specific localized and site-specific treatment. Carbon nanotubes bound to tumor specific antibodies (Ab) offers specific treatment for cancer cells without affecting surrounding tissue. This treatment makes use of infrared absorptive properties of nanotubes to incinerate both the nanotube and its associated tumor in vivo. We seek to affirm the initial results of CNT in cancer therapy by investigating the toxicological effect in mice injected with CNT-Ab followed by microwave hypothermia. After 1-week post-injection, mice were sacrificed followed …
Synthesized Tripodal Amine As Potential Anti-Cancer Therapeutic, Abigail G. Mcnamee
Synthesized Tripodal Amine As Potential Anti-Cancer Therapeutic, Abigail G. Mcnamee
Honors College Theses
Cancer remains a prevalent disease today. This disease may manifest itself in many different ways and affect a variety of tissues with everything from the brain to the blood. With this wide diversity of cancer types, treatment can be complicated since there is not a “one size fits all” treatment for the disease. Surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy are all options that must be weighed with their benefits and side effects. Ultimately though, there are not enough effective treatment options available for every type of cancer. This leaves many with the grim prognosis of never being cured. With this clear need …
Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanoparticle-Coupled Proteins In Human Serum Albumin, Kyle M. Mahoney
Synthesis And Characterization Of Nanoparticle-Coupled Proteins In Human Serum Albumin, Kyle M. Mahoney
Honors College Theses
Recently, cancer has become an ever-growing issue and has led to many researchers attempt to unravel the mystery of the disease. This research has led to a promising field of treatment: nanotechnology-coupled pharmaceuticals. Nanoparticles act as a whole unit when in conjugation with other molecules and add to the carrier molecule, most often proteins, benefits the nanoparticles themselves possess. One such carrier protein that can be conjugated with nanoparticles is Human Serum Albumin (HSA). Albumin is of interest in cancer research for two reasons: it is native to the human vasculature so it does not elicit immunological reactions, and it …
The Role Of Integrin Alpha 6 On Tumor Metastasis, Shauntell N. Luke Ms.
The Role Of Integrin Alpha 6 On Tumor Metastasis, Shauntell N. Luke Ms.
Honors College Theses
Cancer research is a large topic in science, because over 14 million people are diagnosed worldwide, and of those, 8 million will die annually. Traditional therapies are the mainstays of treatment strategies, but a cure less invasive or with less side effects have not yet been identified. In order to develop a better cure, we need to understand the tumor and molecules present in its tissues. Integrins, cell surface proteins that aid in cell communication, have been found in the tumor tissues of several types of cancers, including prostate, lung and bone. Integrin alpha-6 (ITGA6), in particular, has been found …
Small Molecule Disruption Of Ros-Regulating Pathways In Human Carcinoma, Rebecca E. Mccall
Small Molecule Disruption Of Ros-Regulating Pathways In Human Carcinoma, Rebecca E. Mccall
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Gold (I) coordinated N-heterocyclic carbenes containing appended redox cycling moieties were designed and analyzed for their ability to target the antioxidant network via multiple mechanisms in various human cancer cell models. Complexes containing either ferrocene or naphthoquinone redox cycling moieties were screened for inhibition of cell growth, inhibition of thioredoxin reductase (TrxR), and accentuation of exogenous ROS. The cell death pathway employed was determined by flow cytometry via detection of Annexin-V FITC. Furthermore, differential gene expression between treated cells and untreated cells revealed the induction of endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response pathways.
Activating The Msh2/Msh6 Apoptotic Pathway In Cancer Cells Using Non-Reserpine Compounds, Jacob M. Mauceri
Activating The Msh2/Msh6 Apoptotic Pathway In Cancer Cells Using Non-Reserpine Compounds, Jacob M. Mauceri
Honors College Theses
DNA mismatch repair (MMR) is a system that is highly conserved in both prokaryotes and eukaryotes. The heterodimeric protein MutSα and a suite of associated proteins are essential in the recognition and repair of DNA afflicted with mispaired bases and short insertion/deletion loops, but are also implicated in funneling damaged cells towards apoptosis via a key conformational change in a subunit of the MutSα complex. This conformation can be bound specifically by the small molecule reserpine. Molecular dynamics modeling and virtual screening were used to identify additional small molecule novel ligands with the predicted ability to selectively bind this “death” …