Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Novel Peptide Biomaterials For Enhanced Delivery Of Sirna Cargo For Treatment Of Ovarian Cancer, Timothy Samec

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Ovarian cancer is the 7^th leading cause of cancer related death and the 5^th most commonly diagnosed cancer among women. Primarily diagnosed in stage III or stage IV, aggressive treatment is necessary and involves surgical debulking and administration of systemic chemotherapeutics. Unfortunately, these strategies fall short in effectively treating ovarian cancer and many patients experience local disease recurrence, development of multidrug resistant tumors, regional or distant metastatic events, or a combination of the three. As such, there is a significant need for additional treatment options and methods of delivery to improve therapeutic efficacy and disease survivability.

RNA interference …

Killer Cell Activation By A Novel Multifunctional Protein: An Immuno/Gene Therapy For Cancer, Ashlee Tietje

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One of the characteristics of advanced tumors is the evasion of the immune system. There are multiple methods that tumor cells employ to achieve this including reducing the expression of activating ligands on the cell surface and a shift in the tumor microenvironment toward pro-tumor cytokines. The purpose of this research is to develop a novel bifunctional fusion protein that will target these two deficiencies in the tumor microenvironment and activate killer cells that are already present. The proposed protein combines the extracellular domain of a ligand for the killer cell activating receptor NKG2D and Interleukin-12 (IL-12). It is hypothesized …

The Effect Of Cell Culture Environment On Expression Of Cd44+, Ki67, And Foxo3a And Its Implications On The Role Of Foxo3a In Triple Negative Breast Cancer, Erin Vegter

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Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive cancer, which is known for a high rate of metastasis and poor prognosis. TNBC cells are hypothesized to undergo the cellular processes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and mesenchymal-to-epithelial transition (MET). The known prognostic markers CD44+ and Ki67 as well as the transcription factor and proposed tumor suppressor FoxO3a are thought to be indicators of EMT and MET activity in cancer cells. In order to better understand these processes an effective cell culture technique to mimic the tumor environment needs to be established. The purpose of this study was to determine if changing …

Manipulations Of Macrophage Activation Through Targeted Delivery Of Interferon Regulatory Factor Genes Mediated By Recombinant Adenovirus-Conjugated Zymosan, Mengmeng Zhang

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According to the different phenotypes and distinct patterns of gene expression, macrophages can be subdivided into two types: M1 and M2. The M1 macrophages, which are activated through the classical pathway, have a proinflammatory characteristic, providing an in-front defense line against different kinds of pathogens as well as malignant cells. On the other hand, the M2 macrophages are immunosuppressive and instead can promote tumor growth and dissemination. The solid tumor tissues are often infiltrated with a large number of macrophages, the so-called tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs). TAMs, which are polarized into M2 phenotype under the tumor microenvironment, promote tumor progression by …

Characterization Of The Anti-Angiogenic Properties Of Kdr-Ig4-7 And Its Variants As Potential Anti-Cancer Therapeutics, Jang Pyo Park

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Beginning with the development of an embryo and throughout one's adult life angiogenesis plays an essential role for organ growth and repair. The balancing of pro-angiogenic factors to anti-angiogenic factors is what regulates the process of angiogenesis. When this balance is disrupted in one direction or the other, numerous disorders can occur including ocular and inflammatory diseases and, in particular, tumor growth and metastasis. Therefore, inhibition of angiogenesis has become an effective therapy for arresting the growth of tumors.
A key regulator of angiogenesis involves vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptor, VEGFR-2 (KDR). The binding of VEGF to …

Evaluation Of Human Prolactin, Its Antagonist, And Antagonist-Based Fusion Proteins As Chemopreventative And Therapeutic Agents, Seth Tomblyn

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Cancer is a collection of diseases with many different manifestations and is the second leading cause of death in the United States. Breast cancer accounts for nearly one third of cancer diagnosis in women. Prolactin (PRL) functions as a lactogen and as a mammary gland differentiation factor. PRL acts in an autocrine/paracrine manner within the mammary gland and in breast tumors which implies PRL may be involved in breast cancer progression. This is corroborated by the PRLR over-expression in breast cancer cells lines and the majority of patient biopsies. These reasons make PRL and PRLR attractive targets for breast cancer …