Cancer Treatments Could Be Altered by Enzymes

The Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences at Florida State University College of Medicine, Yanchang Wang, has taken on a daring new research project. The research he is conducting will help to further knowledge on how cancer works, and could potentially result in new therapies for cancer patients.

The focus of this study is on two very important enzymes; Cdk1 and Cdc14. An enzyme is a protein that the body uses to catalyze, or speed up, a chemical reaction within the body. Enzymes are vital to the success of life, however as with any natural process things can go wrong. In the case of these two enzymes, the effects can be life altering. Cancer is caused when cells divide uncontrollably, and the Cdc14 enzyme plays a key role in making sure that cells divide correctly, as does the Cdk1 enzyme. The Cdk1 starts cell division, while the Cdc14 enzyme stops it. Their job is to regulate and maintain the correct number of genes and chromosomes during cell division.

Professor Yanchang's research is aimed at discovering any links and possible ways to regulate cell division in a therapeutic fashion with the two enzymes. Professor Yanchang says "From this proposed experiment, we expect to find a new way to regulate cell division."

The experiments are going to be conducted on yeast cells, due to the fact that their cell division process is quite similar to that of a humans. The research being conducted has earned over one million dollars in funding, with donations from prominent organizations such as the American Heart Association and American Cancer Society. There is high hopes for this research project, and with such a tragic illness being researched, hope is one of the best things anyone can have.