Novel Therapeutics:
Reprogramming Ribosome Production to Shut Down Cancer Growth
Michael Buszczak, Ph.D.
- Professor, Department of Molecular Biology
- Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine
- Cecil H. and Ida Green Center for Reproductive Biology Sciences, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Every cancer cell depends on making large numbers of ribosomes to sustain uncontrolled growth.
Dr. Buszczak has developed Ribo-SNAP, a patented technology that allows scientists to watch new ribosomes being built in real time inside living cells, something no existing platform can do.
Using this system, his team has screened hundreds of thousands of compounds and identified multiple drug candidates that selectively block ribosome production in cancer cells without damaging DNA.
This creates a powerful new way to shut down tumor growth while avoiding the toxicity of traditional chemotherapy.
The same platform can also be used to discover drugs that restore ribosome production in muscle wasting and rare genetic diseases, opening multiple high-value therapeutic paths.
