Breakthrough in Protein Folding Simulation for Anti-Cancer Drug Design Announced by National Foundation for Cancer ResearchNational Foundation for Cancer Research Supercomputers Assist Project Director Harold Scheraga to Uncover Elusive Problem Dr. Harold A. Scheraga, Project Director for the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) and Todd Professor of Chemistry Emeritus at Cornell University has discovered an answer to the "protein folding problem" which has eluded scientists for years. By simulating protein structure through the use of supercomputers, Scheraga's discovery is expected to have an impact on the design of future anti-cancer drugs.  Using pure physics and supercomputers, Dr. Scheraga demonstrated with remarkable accuracy the ab initio prediction of protein structure. Together with related experimental work, he is now able determine the pathways of oxidative folding for pancreatic ribonuclease A, a protein whose modification has strong potential as an anti-cancer agent. "This breakthrough is a big step forward in the search for an analytical solution to simulating protein molecules for anti-cancer drug design. It provides fundamental insights to a new understanding of disease and more effective drugs," explained NFCR Science Director, Sujuan Ba, Ph.D. Scheraga's discovery, unveiled at the Third Community Wide Experiment on the Critical Assessment of Techniques for Protein Structure Prediction (CASP3), is also being exploited to calculate the structure of an interferon bound to its receptor which has strong potential as an anti-cancer agent. "This breakthrough in the understanding of protein structure further demonstrates that a cure for cancer will only be achieved through a wide range of disciplines--including the physics and chemistry of biological phenomena," said Ba. Cancer is a molecular disease that originates in the genes where dangerous proteins mutate to generate cancerous cell growth. Gene by gene, protein by protein, NFCR Project Directors like Dr. Scheraga are discovering how cancer starts and why it spreads. The National Foundation for Cancer Research, which has supported Scheraga's research at Cornell since 1982, is dedicated to supporting basic science cancer research in the laboratory. "Basic science cancer research in the laboratory is where our greatest hope for a cure for cancer will come," Dr. Ba remarked, and "with NFCR's sustained support, scientists like Dr. Scheraga stand at the very forefront of the "War Against Cancer". "
For more information, or to contact National Foundation for Cancer Research, see their website at: www.researchforacure.com |
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