Our Research
Ongoing Research
THE SUMOYLATION SYSTEM & CHEMOTHERAPY
Our studies on how the SUMOylation system is regulated led us to develop three different tools to block different activities related to the SUMOylation system (patent pending).
Most tumors exhibit an increase in the activity of the SUMOylation system, which is critical for tumor survival and resistance to chemotherapy.
Therefore, blocking the SUMOylation system is a promising cancer treatment approach.
Our ongoing studies pursue four main goals associated with the activity of each of our SUMO-blocking agents:
1) Confirm their specificity and mechanism of action at the molecular level.
2) Characterize the cellular effects triggered at different dosages.
3) Determine whether they enhance the antitumor activity of current chemotherapeutic agents.
4) Assess whether they prevent the establishment of chemoresistance against current chemotherapeutic agents.
Virology
Our research is also heavily focused on studying the interactions established between the cellular SUMOylation system and the Influenza A Virus (IAV) during infection. Our laboratory determined that increasing the activity of the SUMOylation system beyond a certain threshold blocks IAV maturation and assembly, therefore preventing viral multiplication. Thus, we are assessing different enhancers of global cellular SUMOylation to determine whether they could constitute efficient antiviral treatments against IAV as well as against other viral agents.
ACS Chem. Biol. 2021, 16, 12, 2707-2718
MODEL SYSTEMS & COLLABORATORS
While our laboratory has over 25 years of experience using tissue culture systems as model systems, a substantial fraction of the work currently underway requires different model systems to confirm the validity and applicability of our results in preclinical models. To this end, we have established targeted collaborations with distinguished colleagues in our department:
Dr. Giulio Francia: Dr. Francia is a world leader in using mouse models to study metastatic cancer.
Dr. Anita Quintana: Dr. Quintana is a world-recognized expert in using zebrafish to study congenital craniofacial malformations and the development of the central nervous system.
Dr. Manuel Llano: Dr. Llano is an outstanding retroviral scientist and an expert in the development of genetically modified cell lines; his expertise has allowed us to develop numerous luciferase-labeled tumor cells to facilitate tumor tracing and detection in vivo.