Immunology

A biomedical engineering researcher at the University of Arkansas will use a $416,897 grant from the National Cancer Institute to continue developing a new therapy for bladder cancer.

Assistant professor David Zaharoff previously demonstrated that chitosan, a natural polysaccharide derived from the exoskeletons of crustaceans, can enhance delivery and anti-tumor efficacy of a drug known as Interleukin-12 (IL-12), a powerful cytokine that stimulates the body's immune system to attack a range of cancerous tumors. IL-12 held great promise as a therapy for cancer but was shelved in the 1990s because of its high toxicities.

One of Zaharoff's previous studies eradicated bladder tumors in mice.

"IL-12 has demonstrated remarkable anti-tumor activity in numerous preclinical models," Zaharoff said. "But its clinical use has been limited by severe toxicities following systematic administration. Among other things, this grant will help us address this limitation."

Zaharoff was the first scientist to co-formulate chitosan and IL-12, a discovery he made while working as a postdoctoral fellow at the Laboratory of Tumor Immunology and Biology at the National Cancer Institute. He transferred his research to the U of A when he accepted an endowed position in 2009 and established the Laboratory of Vaccine and Immunotherapy Delivery.