JACQUELINE SETAS, a recent Spartan graduate, came to Michigan State University on a golf scholarship. During her time on the MSU Women's Golf Team, Setas began noticing her body slowly breaking down and eventually was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
Scientists are using a lot of genomic data to identify medical issues sooner in patients, but they’re also using it to assist their scientific counterparts in researching diseases better.
In a new study, Michigan State University researchers are analyzing large volumes of data, often referred to as big data, to determine better research models to fight the spread of breast cancer and test potential drugs. Current models used in the lab frequently involve culturing cells on flat dishes, or cell lines, to model tumor growth in patients.
A new class of drugs called PARP inhibitors has successfully slowed the spread of ovarian cancer for some patients, but the treatments are less effective for many others.
"That's always been a question, why some patients don’t respond to treatments as well as others," said Jose Teixera, a professor in the MSU College of Human Medicine’s department of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive biology.
ANDRÉ BACHMANN is creating treatments for children with rare medical conditions that many large pharmaceutical companies won’t develop due to high costs and low returns.
The professor and associate chair for research in the MSU College of Human Medicine and his team are studying the therapeutic potential of existing drugs used to stop cancer growth in children with neuroblastoma — one of the most aggressive forms of pediatric cancer. It’s a novel approach that could lead to similar breakthroughs in medical genetics.