School of Systems Biology

Bioengineers and biologists team up to battle cancer cells

Anonymous — Tue, 21 Sep 2021 18:41:07 +0000

Bioengineers and biologists team up to battle cancer cells Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 09/21/2021 - 14:41

In This Story

Bioengineers—like Remi Veneziano—find solutions to some of the world’s grand problems. But sometimes, it takes collaboration with scientists to find out the questions that need to be answered to properly apply and maximize these engineering solutions.

Veneziano, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering and Computing, is partnering with Amanda Haymond, a research assistant professor in the School of Systems Biology, to apply DNA nanotechnology to create a drug that boosts the immune response to fight breast cancer.

Amanda Haymond is a research assistant professor in the School of Systems Biology in the College of Science.

Their work entitled “New Hybrid Molecular Modalities Comprised of DNA-Origami and Interfering Peptides as Inhibitors of Protein-Protein Interactions” received a grant of nearly $530,000 from the National Institutes of Health’s Innovative Molecular Analysis Technologies program, which funds explicitly creative technologies for cancer detection or treatment. “There are two big things we are trying to do with this work, one is to answer a biological question, and the other is to provide a proof of concept for a new drug modality,” says Haymond.

On the biology side, Veneziano and Haymond are looking to target a specific protein’s complex. When a body is infected with cancer, a protein called IL-33 will signal the immune system to flood the cancerous area with immune cells to combat cancer and stop further damage. “However, in a chronic inflammatory cancer context, the flood of IL-33 can recruit a number of other cell types, including MDSCs, that are activated by binding to IL-33 and tamp down on the immune response,” says Haymond.

The influx of suppressive immune cells can be detrimental as the body stops fighting the cancer. In addition, the protein structure created from the interaction of IL-33 and MDSCs is quite large, which makes it difficult to target with conventional small molecule drugs. This is where Veneziano’s work in DNA nanotechnology comes in.

“With the technology we are developing, instead of testing multiple drug combinations for efficiency, we can take into consideration the structural parameters of the protein we are trying to target, and use DNA nanotechnology to build rigid nanoscale objects that would have the same dimensions and organization as the protein to target multiple sites of the protein simultaneously,” says Veneziano.

Remi Veneziano is using his DNA nanotechnology to test a new drug modality to fight breast cancer.

Therefore, the drugs they are developing will act as adaptors that will prevent the proteins from interacting together. Veneziano’s nanotechnology research makes it possible to precisely target multiple sites on these proteins concurrently to increase the success of their drug. So, instead of using three separate drugs that possibly won’t work in tandem properly to prevent this immune response, Haymond and Veneziano are developing a new drug modality that is exactly designed with the target in mind.

Veneziano is hopeful that this process could be completely automated, making it easier to target certain proteins to combat different types of cancer and diseases. This expansion will require even more collaboration between scientists and engineers in the future, Haymond and Veneziano say.

“This work can’t be done by bioengineers or biologists independently. It takes synergy between the two of us, and Mason and its institutes promote these types of collaborations,” says Veneziano.

Topics

Bioengineering

biology

School of Systems Biology

Department of Bioengineering

Breast Cancer

cancer research

CEC faculty research

Monique Sweeney is September Employee of the Month

Colleen Rich — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 17:05:33 +0000

Monique Sweeney is September Employee of the Month Colleen Rich Tue, 08/31/2021 - 13:05

Monique Sweeney. Photo provided

Monique Sweeney, administrative assistant for ��AV’s School of Systems Biology (SSB), is known for her friendly presence and eagerness to support the Mason community.

“She has been one of the most dedicated, passionate, and positive employees in the SSB department,” said June Kang, a PhD candidate in bioinformatics and computational biology.

For her hard work, Sweeney is September Employee of the Month.

“When I received the news that I was chosen as the September Employee of the Month, I was very surprised. I couldn’t stop smiling,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney, who has worked in SSB since August 2015, reinforces the Mason value of “our students come first” through her organization of many important student events for SSB, such as Student Research Day and Departmental Student Orientation, said Donald Seto, professor for SSB and director of the master’s program in bioinformatics and computational biology.

“I enjoy the opportunity to assist others. At the end of the day, I feel a satisfaction knowing that I was able to make a difference providing support to the students and my colleagues,” Sweeney said.

Sweeney also provides customer service for students and faculty, prepares the monthly faculty meeting agenda and meeting minutes, prepares affiliate faculty contract letters, works on special projects as needed by the school, and assists with student services, including scheduling thesis defenses.

“It is not an overstatement to say that I would not be on the path to a PhD next year without Monique’s support,” said Megan Herceg, a PhD student in bioinformatics and computational biology. “Throughout the ups and downs of graduate school, Monique celebrated my successes, supported me during my failures, and challenged me to think of both in new ways.”

Sweeney’s colleagues shared how she is a real asset to SSB and Mason.

“It is not an overestimation to state that without her help, care, and thoughtfulness, the SSB as a unit will not run smoothly,” said Dmitri Klimov, professor for SSB and director of the PhD program in bioinformatics and computational biology.

How she got to Mason:

I was afforded the opportunity to work at Mason through a good friend of mine, who also works at the university. In August 2015, she informed me that there was a part-time position at the Sci-Tech Campus, and that I should consider applying for the position. I was a stay-at-home mom at the time, and her encouragement is what made me apply.

Best day on the job:

To see the satisfaction on the students’ face after providing service to them.

What she likes best about working at Mason:

I enjoy the autonomy and the support that is provided by my leadership. They motivate me and provide the necessary training needed to grow in my position. Also, I enjoy seeing the student diversity. Working with diverse students gives me the opportunity to interact with them and learn about their culture.

What she does when she’s not working:

When I’m not working, I love spending quality time with my family and friends.