Research
Benbrook Lab
The philosophy our research team can be summarized in a quote by William Henry Welch, which describes "translational research" about a century before the term was coined:
"The discovery of the healing serum is entirely the result of laboratory work. In no sense was the discovery an accidental one. Every step leading to it can be traced, and every step was taken with a definite purpose and to solve a definite problem. These studies and resulting discoveries mark an epoch in the history of medicine."
Our approach is to first define the important clinical questions. Next, we generate hypotheses that address the questions and design a series of experiments that will support or refute the hypotheses.
Currently, we are trying to address the clinical questions of how to prevent and treat cancer, polycystic kidney disease (PKD) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCO). Download our summarized plan to develop a cancer prevention pill.
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Below are some of our Cancer Experimental Approaches:
- Develop and validate a 3-D organotypic model of carcinogenesis and chemoprevention
- Identify the molecular alterations that occur during these dynamic processes
- Determine if preventing these molecular alterations also prevent these processes
- Evaluate clinical specimens for target molecules involved in these processes
- Develop drugs that interfere with or "target" the validated molecular alterations
For PKD, our lead heteroarotinoids (Het) compound, called SHetA2, is being evaluate in the cpk/cpk mouse model.
For PCO, the POMC obese mouse model is being characterized for the PCO phenotype and will be tested for SHetA2 effects.
Current Members of our Research Team are:
- Doris M. Benbrook, Ph.D. Principal Investigator
Email Dr Benbrook - Tongzu Liu, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Fellow
- Shylet Chengedza, MS, Biochemistry PhD Graduate Student
- Patience Masamha, MS, Biochemistry PhD Graduate Student
