Michigan State University professor and researcher André Bachmann is collaborating on cancer-fighting research that could change the way we treat the illness.

Bachmann, professor of pediatrics and associate chair for research in the MSU College of Human Medicine’s Department of Pediatrics and Human Development, is working with plant biologist Robert Dudler from the University of Zurich to develop a natural bacterium produced chemical with anti-cancer properties.

What does Brad Pitt have in common with a fruit fly? His Hollywood hairstyles cover a prominent cowlick – the swirl of hair that is caused by a patterning mechanism also active in our two-winged friends – that similarly feature “polarized” hair patterns.

In new research led by Michigan State University and featured in the current issue of Scientific Reports, researchers have discovered that these polarity genes, which do more than create cowlicks, are regulated by a tumor suppressor protein. On the macro scale, their presence can be seen in feather and fish scale patterns. On the cellular level, they are directly regulated by a cancer protein, the retinoblastoma tumor suppressor protein.

A combination of two medicines long used for treating other illnesses can stop the growth of a deadly childhood cancer, according to a recent study by a Michigan State University College of Human Medicine researcher who has a history of finding new uses for old drugs.

Laboratory tests on cell cultures showed that the drugs DFMO and sulfasalazine effectively impeded the growth of neuroblastoma, which causes about 15 percent of all childhood cancer deaths.

For cancer survivors, taking oral medication may be more convenient than spending hours undergoing infusions, but it could come with trade-offs, according to a Michigan State University researcher and her colleagues.

Alla Sikorskii, a professor in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.
By taking these oral medications, survivors may see their oncology teams less often, requiring them to deal with symptoms like fatigue, depression or skin rashes on their own. Unmanaged symptoms can result in cancer treatment interruptions or even lead to emergency room visits, said Alla Sikorskii, a professor in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry.

Olorunseun “Seun” Ogunwobi to lead biochemistry and molecular biology department, establish Center for Cancer Health Equity Research

Internationally renowned cancer researcher Olorunseun “Seun” Ogunwobi will join Michigan State University on Aug. 16 as chair of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, which is affiliated with the College of Natural Science, the College of Human Medicine and the College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Michigan State University is a top global research university and a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities, widely regarded as among the top research-intensive institutions in North America. The following story highlights one of the many examples of MSU’s research excellence and innovation.

Meghan Hill is a graduate student in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Michigan State University. Hill has won first place in MSU’s Council of Graduate Student’s 3-Minute Thesis Competition and represented MSU at the regional Midwestern Association of Graduate School’s thesis competition in Chicago. Most recently, she was awarded a dissertation completion fellowship through MSU’s College of Engineering. Hill’s research with Prussian blue nanoparticles will improve cancer research.

Colorectal cancer affects more than 150,000 people each year, yet persistent myths surrounding this illness often keep people from talking to their doctors about it.

Jacquelyn Charbel is an assistant professor in the Michigan State University College of Osteopathic Medicine, a colorectal surgeon and MSU Health Care provider. She discusses myths around colorectal cancer.

Spartan researchers help show how omnipresent biomolecular machines with important health implications transport metals

Michigan State University researcher Jian Hu has taken another important step in learning as much as possible about tiny protein machines that help shuttle metals into living cells.

This latest step, published in the journal Nature Communications, provides detailed new insights into how these machines work. Though this is a study in fundamental biology, Hu and his team are working to use this knowledge to develop new cancer therapies and enable people to live healthier lives.

A team of researchers from Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine has made a discovery that may have implications for therapeutic gene editing strategies, cancer diagnostics and therapies and other advancements in biotechnology.

Kathy Meek, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and collaborators at Cambridge University and the National Institutes of Health have uncovered a previously unknown aspect of how DNA double-stranded breaks are repaired.

Lansing, MI – MSU Health Care at McLaren Greater Lansing Breast Imaging Center has been designated a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

“This achievement highlights the commitment our facility, staff, and physicians place on providing the highest quality breast care for our patients,” said David Rawson, DO, lead interpreting physician at the MSU Health Care at McLaren Greater Lansing Breast Imaging Center. “The Breast Imaging Center is now dual accredited by the American College of Radiology as a Breast Center of Excellence and by the American College of Surgeons’ National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers. These represent the highest levels of quality possible in the delivery of breast care.”

As a young girl in Brazil, while her friends played with dolls, Carolina de Aguiar Ferreira had other interests.

Now, as a recently hired assistant professor in the Colleges of Human Medicine and Engineering, Ferreira, PhD, is opening her own lab to study promising new therapies that hunt down cancer cells and kill them with radioactive isotopes.

While her research is still in the early stages, it holds the potential not only to treat many types of metastatic cancers that have spread throughout the body, but to cure them, Ferreira said.

Two biomedical researchers at Michigan State University have received a total of $600,000 in high-risk, high-reward Catalyst Awards from the Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust.

Karen Liby, professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology – a shared department in the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine – and Robert Abramovitch, associate professor for the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine and Human Medicine and MSU AgBioResearch, will each receive $300,000 to fund their promising drug development projects.