Towards computational drug design for cancer chemotherapy
Staff - Faculty of Informatics
Start date: 5 July 2011
End date: 6 July 2011
The Faculty of Informatics (USI) and the Department of Innovative Technologies (SUPSI) are pleased to announce a seminar given by Jack. A. Tuszynski
DATE: Tuesday, July 5th 2011
PLACE: USI Università della Svizzera italiana, room A34, Red building (Via G. Buffi 13)
TIME: 10.30
ABSTRACT:
Microtubules are critically involved in mitosis and are made up of tubulin. Computer models of human tubulin isotypes identified similarities and differences in their properties and in the binding sites for paclitaxel, vinblastine and colchicine. The potential of isotype-specific derivatives we designed for use in cancer chemotherapy will be discussed. We have also modelled tubulin mutations to find any correlations with drug resistance. I'll discuss our partial experimental validation of these results. We have recently embarked on massive computational screening of candidate drugs for various chemotherapeutic targets. Here, I will report on our new work involving DNA repair enzyme inhibitors which promises to enhance the efficacy of standard platinum-based and radiation therapies.
BIO:
Jack Tuszynski is Allard Chair, Division of Experimental Oncology at the Cross Cancer Institute and Professor at the Department of Physics, University of Alberta.
His research interests include models of motor protein function, microtubule assembly and function, integration of mathematical modelling into the pharmaceutical development process, and rational drug design.
HOST: Prof. Andrea Danani, Laboratory of Applied Mathematics and Physics, DTI-SUPSI, in collaboration with Prof. Rolf Krause, USI
