Epigenetic Radiosensitization of Lung Cancer
Abstract
Most lung cancer patients are treated with radiation therapy at some point during the disease. Yet radiotherapy is not curative because tumors find ways to evade the damage cause to DNA by radiation, increasing repair pathways. Repair pathways are partly controlled by signals on histones, the proteins that package DNA. Upon DNA damage by radiation, histones are chemically modified to mark the sites of damage and to trigger the recruitment of repair factors in the cell. We have identified small molecule compounds that can alter these histone marks. Here we propose to evaluate if these potential drugs can block the recruitment of DNA repair factors and thus prevent DNA from being repaired after radiation damage. This would lead to massive tumor death and potentially a cure of lung cancers co-treated with these epigenetic inhibitors and radiotherapy. We foresee that this strategy will have a direct applicability to the clinic if it proves successful in our model systems.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 31, 2017
- Source ID
- W81XWH1610129
Entities
People
- Elisabeth D. MartÃnez
Organizations
- United States Army
- University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center