Dr. Aimin Peng to research DNA damage response and cancer therapeutics
Aimin Peng, PhD, associate professor in the department of oral biology at the UNMC College of Dentistry, received grant funding from the National Cancer Institute for his project, 'The novel role of microtubule regulators in the DNA damage response.'
"Radiation and chemotherapy are among mainstay treatment options for many types of cancer, including oral cancer. These forms of cancer treatment kill cancer cells largely by inducing cytotoxic DNA damage," Dr. Peng said. "Our overarching goal is to better understand the mechanism of the DNA damage response, and in turn, use the knowledge to guide the development of more effective and specific cancer therapeutics."
Some of the objectives of the project include identification and characterization of new factors of DNA damage repair, and delineating novel inter-organelle crosstalk between cytoskeleton factors and DNA damage responses.
"Oral cancer is an important area of dental research. We believe that our project will impact the current understanding of how cancer cells, including oral cancer cells, progress and evade existing therapeutics that induce DNA damage. The outcome will potentially guide the development of new cancer therapeutics with improved effectiveness and specificity," Dr. Peng said.
"I look forward to continuing to work with my College of Dentistry colleagues and advancing our research interests in oral cancer."
