Illinois Medicine

UNROLLING THE BLUEPRINTS ANTI-CANCER U FROM ANTIBIOTICS A finding about thiazole antibiotics may lead to more effectively targeted cancer strategy NIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS College of Medicine at Chicago researchers have discovered how some recently approved drugs act against cancer cells. In a study reported in the online journal PLoS ONE, UIC researchers show how a class of drugs inhibits a protein called FoxM1—one of the most highly overproduced proteins in cancer cells—and suggest that this may account for the drugs' anti-cancer activity. Andrei Gartel, PhD, UIC associate professor of molecular genetics, and his colleagues had previously shown that antibiotics called thiazoles kill cancer cells and inhibit FoxM1. When they went on to investigate whether the antibiotics attacked other proteins involved in cancer, they got a surprising result. "We found that these '' A thiazole antibiotics actually stabilized other cancer- causing proteins," says Gartel, who worked on the study with Uppoor G. Bhat, visiting assistant research professor in medi- cine, and Marianna Halasi, a graduate student in biochemistry and molecular biology. Recently, a number of proteasome inhibitors We found that these thiazole antibiotics actually stabilized other cancer- causing proteins. have shown promise against cancer, but no one understands why they have anti-cancer effects. It's possible, Gartel suggests, that by using thiazole antibiotics in combination with well-known protea- some inhibitors, "we may see a synergy that allows us to markedly reduce the dose of any one of these drugs and still effectively kill the cancer cells." '' I L L INOI S MEDICINE | 5 The medical center unveils a $40 million makeover NEW $40 MILLION INVESTMENT in the University of Illinois Medical Center will modernize the infrastructure of the hospital and serve as the first step to renovate the facility. In January, the University of Illinois Board of Trustees gave its approval for a bond issue to raise the funds, and architectural and engineering plans should be ready by the start of July. The three-year plan includes more than $20 million for infrastructure replacement that will range from exhaust fans and elevators to hot water heat exchangers and electrical systems. "The hospital is 30 years old, and it's time to replace or upgrade these systems," says David Loffing, acting chief operating officer of the medical center. "This will allow the medical center to con- tinue its mission of medical care, research and education." New projects, such as a new stem cell lab and a 20-bed short-stay unit that will increase the capacity of interventional procedure and diagnostic areas, are also included in the plan. And in year three, the renovations will include a new state-of-the-art hybrid operating room with imaging and robotic capabilities that will enable the growth of neurosurgery, vascular and orthopedics procedures. A $650 million, five-year Facility Master Plan for the medical center, including a new $450 million patient tower and a $75 million upgrade of the Eye and Ear Infirmary, is still a goal. "This investment is a first step—it will help with the next 10 years of operation. Our eye is still on positioning the medical center for the next 30 years and re-establishing programs at the College of Medicine among the top five in the country," says Loffing, who points out that with the master planning complete, discrete, key elements can be started one by one or as a whole. "We know where we want to go, but we also know that in the foreseeable future, the funds are not going to be available from the state," Loffing concludes. "We're excited about what the medical center can be, though, and we're finding other avenues to raise the necessary funding."

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