Funding from the American Lung Association will support a study of the therapeutic targeting of a novel type of cyclotide-based inhibitor in lung carcinoma
Julio A. Camarero, John A. Biles Professor in Pharmaceutical Sciences at the USC Mann School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, was awarded a $200,000 grant from the American Lung Association for the project “Therapeutic Targeting of Hdm2/HdmX E3 Ligase in Lung Carcinoma.”
The Lung Cancer Discovery Award is intended to support independent investigators conducting research aimed at revolutionizing our current understanding of lung cancer and improving diagnostic, clinical and treatment methods, according to the American Lung Association.
In collaboration with Ite A. Offringa, associate professor of surgery at Keck School of Medicine, Camarero’s lab has discovered a novel cyclotide and is working on strategies to improve the cellular uptake and pharmacokinetic profiles of bioactive cyclotides. The project aims to investigate the efficacy of cyclotides on several types of lung cancers.
”We anticipate that this novel type of cyclotide-based inhibitor will have a broad spectrum of antitumor activity in human lung carcinoma cell lines, thus providing a novel basis for the future therapy of this type of cancer,” Camarero said.