Work on cancer-killing compound nets FSU professor major grant

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Work on cancer-killing compound nets FSU professor major grant

Category: Cancer/Oncology News

Article Date: 13 Oct 2005

Within a laboratory on the Florida State University campus, a chemist

leads a team of researchers in a quest to develop synthetic versions

of rare natural substances. If all goes well, the team's efforts

could pay off in the form of the next generation of cancer-fighting

drugs.

Such research often is a long, laborious process that can take years

to generate results -- but is essential if breakthroughs in medicine,

engineering and the sciences are to occur. In the FSU chemist's case,

the state of Florida has acknowledged that the wait may well be worth

it.

B. Dudley, an assistant professor in FSU's department of

chemistry and biochemistry, recently was awarded a $450,000, three-

year grant from the & Esther King Biomedical Research Program,

which is operated by the Florida Department of Health.

The program (www.floridabiomed.com) supports biomedical research on

the prevention, diagnosis, treatments and cures for tobacco-related

diseases, including cancer.

Dudley and his doctoral students are doing research on the synthesis

of roseophilin, a naturally occurring compound produced by an obscure

species of bacteria. Roseophilin (pronounced rose-ee-oh-FILL-in),

which was first identified by Japanese researchers in 1992, is

cytotoxic, meaning it kills cancer cells.

Public funding such as the King grant is essential if scientists are

to continue to make progress in the ongoing battle against cancer and

other diseases, Dudley said.

" The grant will allow us to engage in the kind of fundamental

research that is needed to bring down the cost and increase the

effectiveness of future pharmaceutical drugs, " he said.

Dudley explained that the overall mission of his lab is to develop

better access to synthetic versions of " biologically important "

chemicals for which nature provides a limited supply. Typically, he

said, he and his students choose a molecule that has shown

interesting properties and then use it as a springboard for

scientific discovery. Such is the case with roseophilin.

" Roseophilin is emerging as a promising new avenue for cancer

research, " he said. " If we can develop a process for creating large

amounts of this and similar compounds both cheaply and efficiently,

then it becomes much easier to determine how effective they are at

fighting certain types of cancers. "

Naresh Dalal, chairman of FSU's department of chemistry and

biochemistry, called Dudley an innovative researcher in a promising

field of cancer research.

" Many labs across the world have been and continue to be interested

in roseophilin, " Dalal said. " Here at FSU, Professor Dudley has

devised a strategy aimed at providing relatively easy access to

synthetic roseophilin, and he recently completed a 'proof of

principle' study that supports his research design. He also is

developing synthetic production methods related to and inspired by

his roseophilin studies.

" In short, cancer researchers the world over will benefit from his

work. "

Dudley praised the & Esther King Biomedical Research Program,

saying it " arrives at a critical time in Florida. Our population is

growing and aging, which will increase the need for front-line

biomedical applications at a time when federal funding of basic

sciences is becoming tougher to obtain. This grant has a profound

impact on my lab because it enables us to grow our program and

demonstrate the impact of our research. "

Dudley acknowledged the example set by another FSU chemist,

Holton, in inspiring his own research. In the early 1990s, Holton

gained fame when a scientific breakthrough in his lab enabled a

process for synthesizing large quantities of taxol, a compound

derived from the Pacific yew tree that has proven successful at

combating breast cancer.

" I came to FSU as an undergraduate and met Professor Holton then, "

Dudley said. " His presence was one of the factors that drew me back

here as a professor. "

Additional information on Dudley's research is available online at

http://www.chem.fsu.edu/dudley/index.html.

By Barry Ray

B. Dudley

gdudley@...

850-644-2333

Florida State University

http://www.fsu.edu