Chemicals and Drugs Commons^™

Plk1 Pbd Selective Inhibition As A Potential Cancer Therapy, Lauren E. Wilder

Senior Theses

Polo-Like Kinase 1 (PLK1) is a protein that has been found to be overexpressed in a variety of cancers including prostate and colorectal cancers, and it is often an indicator of poor patient prognosis. It has functions in initiating, maintaining, and completing mitosis, so it has an important role in controlling the proliferation of cells. PLK1 contains a highly conserved catalytic kinase domain and a less-conserved Polo Box Domain (PBD). Inhibiting the phospho-ligand binding of the PBD is a potential cancer therapy because it would prevent the cell from properly completing the cell cycle, thus inducing apoptosis. In Dr. McInnes’ …

The Pharmabiotic For Phenylketonuria: Development Of A Novel Therapeutic, Chloé Elizabeth Lebegue

Senior Theses

Phenylketonuria, now known as phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency, is a genetic disorder of metabolism affecting approximately one in every 15,000 infants born in the United States. Patients have nonfunctional PAH enzyme secondary to one or more genetic mutations. The enzyme deficit results in destructive supraphysiologic blood phenylalanine levels upon consumption of the essential dietary amino acid phenylalanine. Current standards of care mitigate signs and symptoms of the disorder, but do not approach a cure. The methods for creating a prototype pharmabiotic as an innovative treatment strategy for PAH deficiency are described herein.

DNA molecular cloning techniques were utilized to engineer …