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Chen – Animated 3D model of a novel anti-cancer drug guides experimental testing

 

Animated 3D model of a novel anti-cancer drug guides experimental testing (2024)

Undergraduate: Colin Chen


Faculty Advisor: Daniel Krummel
Department: Neurology

GABAergic signaling is critical to regulating brain function. In cancers, genes coding for proteins integral to GABAergic signaling exhibit enhanced expression. Foremost amongst these proteins are subunits of the Type-A GABA receptors, the major inhibitory neurotransmitter receptor in the adult brain. We are investigating how GABAergic signaling contributes to the development and growth of various solid tumors, including primary and metastatic brain cancers. Our long-term goals are both translational and basic: (1) develop a therapeutic approach and new therapies targeting GABAergic signaling as a vulnerability to solid tumors; (2) understand how GABAergic signaling regulates cancer cellular function. We have produced a hypothetical (testable) model based on our and others' experimental data. To provide greater insight into this model and its ramifications, we have worked to present it as a three-dimensional (3D) animation. We present the stages in our working model, its significance, how a 3D animation was constructed, and the final animation.