Identifying Inhibitors of the Feedback Suppression of Immune Regulator Signaling as Novel Cancer Therapeutics

Novel Approaches & New Therapeutic Platforms

Dong-Er Zhang (MCC)

Michael R. Jackson (SBP)

Cancer is the most devastating human disease in the world. It affects almost everyone directly or indirectly. The immune cells of the human body secrete a group of proteins called “cytokines” that have specific effects on the interactions and communication between cells. A subset of these, Type I interferons (IFN-I) “interfere” with growth and promote the death of tumors. Indeed manufactured IFN-Is have been used to treat more than ten types of cancer. However, “feedback” mechanisms suppress their anticancer effectiveness over the long term. Therefore we propose to develop methods to identify and verify compounds that potently and selectively block this feedback suppression that could become the basis for novel cancer therapeutics. The proposed studies will be conducted in collaboration among scientists in Moores Cancer Center (MCC) and Sanford Burnham Preby’s Medical Discovery Institute (SBP) using the SBP C3 Chemical Library Screening shared resource facility. The results from this proposed work will also provide critical preliminary data in support of a future funding application from the National Cancer Institute and lays the foundation for further bench-to- bedside translational studies in our cancer center.