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Oct. 15, 2020 鈥� DENTON 鈥� A Texas Woman鈥檚 University biology team, led by associate professor Michael Bergel, Ph.D., has been issued a patent for three compounds that prevent the growth of human breast, lung and colon cancer cells.

Bergel鈥檚 team discovered and demonstrated the ability of the compounds, called 鈥渂isamidoximes,鈥� to specifically inhibit these cancer cells in very low concentrations, without killing healthy human cells at the same concentrations. In lab tests, one of the compounds was effective in shrinking breast cancer tumors, and all three of the compounds combined with a commercially available chemotherapy drug were more effective in preventing the growth of colon cancer cells in culture than when using the drug alone.

鈥淭his novel invention will contribute to cancer treatment research and has the potential to save lives,鈥� said Holly Hansen-Thomas, Ph.D., 草莓传媒官网下载 Vice Provost for Research and Innovation.

Research is currently underway to assess the compounds鈥� further potential when delivered at higher concentrations and directly to the tumor site.

鈥淭his is a momentous achievement," noted Bergel. "After many years of experimental work and two more years of navigating the patent process, I am so proud to see what our team has accomplished. Colleagues, former and current doctoral students, and many undergraduate researchers all joined forces and worked tirelessly. I'm also grateful for the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board Advanced Research Program grant and 草莓传媒官网下载's Research Enhancement Program funding, which allowed us to reach this milestone.鈥�  

Bergel鈥檚 co-inventors on the patent are 草莓传媒官网下载 biology doctoral program alumni Sudheer Dhanireddy, Ph.D., and Amon Gekombe, Ph.D.; the late James Johnson, Ph.D., former 草莓传媒官网下载 professor of chemistry and biochemistry; and Johnson鈥檚 former student, Debra Dolliver, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at the University of Alabama. Johnson and Dolliver synthesized the bisamidoximes for the team鈥檚 analysis.