Here's a description of his project:
"Our research seeks to develop novel drugs for pediatric leukemia using a host of powerful genetic technologies, most notably, an approach called RNA interference screening. Our approach allows us to ask cancer cells "What proteins do you need to grow?" with as little bias as possible. Using this approach, we recently identified the protein BRD4 as an 'Achilles Heel' found in many forms of leukemia. Our current evidence suggests that new drugs, developed by our collaborators, that bind and inhibit BRD4 have remarkable anti-leukemia activity in experimental models."
In his "A" Award-funded project, Christopher and his colleagues will "explore the efficacy of BRD4-inhibitors in a broad collection of pediatric leukemia patient specimens. The overall goal of these efforts is to identify which pediatric leukemia patients are most likely to benefit from using these agents, such that these drugs can be introduced into clinical trials."
February 3, 2015
