Dr. Darin Jones, assistant professor of chemistry at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has received $795,683 over a five-year period from the National Institutes of Health for his project to enhance therapy for cancer patients. Working with Dr. John Tainer from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Dr. Jones is working on a way to target and kill cancer cells without reliance on hormonal receptors in the body.
In hormonal cancer therapy, doctors must rely on proteins already present in the patient’s body. If the patient does not have the necessary protein receptors, the cancer treatment will not work.
“This idea is borne out of the fact that you wouldn’t have to have a receptor to receive treatment,” Jones explained.
This project will also allow the cancer patient to receive a lower amount of chemotherapy, a form of therapy that can have numerous side effects.
Dr. Tainer, who is testing the medicine in this form of therapy, is excited to work with Jones on the project.
“Without a doubt, the creative chemistry from Dr. Jones is the heart of the project and what is driving its success,” Tainer said.
Jones has an extensive background in cancer therapy research. Before joining UA Little Rock, he was the senior principal scientist and research scientist at Pfizer, a prominent pharmaceutical company.
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R01CA200231. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
