Loretta VanCamp: Spartan, lab supervisor, lifesaver
The foundation for one of the most successful modern treatments of cancer was first discovered in a Michigan State University lab in the mid-1960s. As lab supervisor, MSU microbiologist and researcher Loretta VanCamp played a critical role in the breakthrough development of the world’s leading anti-cancer drugs cisplatin and carboplatin alongside MSU biophysicist Barnett Rosenberg and then-graduate student Thomas Krigas.
VanCamp, an MSU alumna who passed away in 2006 at 80 years old, was driven by the desire to help others when she chose her career path.
‘Optical tweezers’ help in quest for better cancer treatments
Stem cells involved in replenishing human tissues and blood depend on an enzyme known as telomerase to continue working throughout our lives. When telomerase malfunctions, it can lead to both cancer and premature aging conditions. Roughly 90% of cancer cells require inappropriate telomerase activity to survive.
In a groundbreaking new study, an interdisciplinary team of Michigan State University researchers has observed telomerase activity at a single-molecule level with unprecedented precision – expanding our understanding of the vital enzyme and progressing toward better cancer treatments.
Goodman Named AAAS Fellow
Jay Goodman, professor of pharmacology and toxicology and IIT-affiliated faculty member, was recently awarded the distinction of Fellow by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) along with five other distinguished MSU faculty members. These individuals were selected for this honor because of their efforts toward advancing science applications that are deemed scientifically or socially distinguished. AAAS Fellow's lifetime honor comes with an expectation that recipients maintain the highest standards of professional ethics and scientific integrity.
New drug combos may prevent resistance to melanoma treatments
A Michigan State University study led by a physiology graduate student in the College of Human Medicine has found that new drug combinations may prevent melanoma, an often deadly form of skin cancer, from becoming resistant to treatment.
The study published in Oncogene, one of the world’s leading cancer journals, “could be very important for a subset of melanoma patients,” said Richard Neubig, chair of the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology in the Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine and Human Medicine. He estimated that the findings could help about half of the melanoma patients whose cancer becomes drug resistant.