Archived News |

July 22, 2010

International journal publishes cancer work of 四色AV College of Pharmacy

An international journal has published research that highlights recent breakthroughs in understanding drug resistant cancers and features the work of the University of Louisiana at Monroe鈥檚 College of Pharmacy.

四色AV Assistant Professor Yong-Yu Liu, M.D., Ph.D., in collaboration with LSU-Shreveport, the John Wayne Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, Calif., and Tulane University in New Orleans, published the research in the June issue of Molecular Cancer.

The journal publishes high-quality original work that brings attention to significant advances in cancer-related biomedical science. Liu鈥檚 article ranked among the top 20 most accessed stories in last 30 days of the journal.

Liu and the other researchers discovered that targeting a specific enzyme, glucosylceramide synthase (GCS), to be particularly effective in improving drug cancer treatments. A new agent known as MBO-asGCS knocks down the enzyme, along with the gene MDR1, effectively 鈥渟mashing鈥� the drug-resistant network that shields cancer cells from chemotherapy.

鈥淕enerally speaking, drug resistance is a big problem in the treatment of most cancers,鈥� explained Liu.

MBO-asGCS is a small piece of DNA that can specifically destroy the GCS enzyme, according to Liu.

鈥淯nderstanding more about why MBO-asGCS is so effective and what role it plays in affecting other genes in a cancerous cell was a breakthrough made possible by technological advances in molecular biology,鈥� said Liu.

鈥淭he work recently published by Dr. Liu and colleagues represents a significant finding in the area of cancer treatment and has the potential to help solve a major problem in treating resistant cancers,鈥� said COP Interim Dean Benny Blaylock. 鈥淭he 四色AV College of Pharmacy is extremely proud of Dr. Liu's publication in this very prestigious journal.鈥�

The article, titled "Glucosylceramide synthase upregulates MDR1 expression in the regulation of cancer drug resistance through cSrc and beta-catenin signaling," may be accessed online at:

.

PLEASE NOTE: Some links and e-mail addresses in these archived news stories may no longer work, and some content may include events which are no longer relevent, or reference individuals and/or organizations no longer associated with 四色AV.