As part of T.E.A.L.®’s 2017 Medical Research Program, Dr. Maria Barbolina of University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy was awarded $35,000 to fully fund her project: Targeting Fractalkine Receptor To Increase Sensitivity to PARP Inhibitors. This proposal aims to test a new combination of drugs in a new treatment. The goal of this treatment is to prevent formation of recurrent metastatic lesions, reduce growth of metastatic tumors, and extend lives.
Please see the press release below from Dr. Maria Barbolina for more information her project.
Inhibitors of poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARPi) have proven effective in targeting cancer cells with deficiencies in homologous recombination DNA repair mechanisms. Our studies demonstrated that the chemokine receptor for fractalkine (CX 3 CR1) is expressed in the majority of serous ovarian carcinoma cases, and its expression correlates with patients’ survival. We have also demonstrated that reduction of CX 3 CR1 expression makes cells deficient in homologous recombination and sensitizes them to a PARPi olaparib. In this project we will determine the role of CX 3 CR1 downregulation in sensitization to a panel of PARPis, including olaparib, rucaparib, niraparib, and veliparib.