UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON — Two University of Dayton researchers were awarded nearly $500,000 to explore strategies for the detection and potential treatment of non-small cell lung cancer.
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The National Institutes of Health awarded the grant to Shawn Swavey, professor of chemistry, and Kristen Krupa, chair of UD’s department of chemical and materials engineering, to fund their project.
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The project will focus on developing fluorescent imaging tools to better understand how stress inside cancer cells can be used to detect and potentially destroy tumors, according to a press release.
The researchers aim to create probes that can monitor cancer cell activity and deliver therapies directly where they may be most effective by targeting a part of the cell called the endoplasmic reticulum.
The project will involve testing a family of compounds that can be adapted to act as real-time sensors of cancer cell stress, carrying chemotherapy drugs directly to tumor cells and serving as light-activated agents that trigger cancer cell death.
This approach could lead to new strategies for diagnosing and treating non-small cell lung cancer, according to the press release.
According to the American Cancer Society Cancer Facts & Figures 2025, an estimated 226,650 new cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S., and 124,730 people will die from the disease in 2025.
87% of lung cancers are classified as non-small cell lung cancer. Lung and bronchus cancer is responsible for the most deaths.
“This work has the potential to open new doors in how we detect and treat lung cancer,” Swavey said. “By designing molecules that can identify and attack cancer cells, we hope to create tools that can be adapted for future therapies.”
Swavey has expertise in the creation and evaluation of organic compounds for medical therapeutics while Krupa researches how materials, especially nanomaterials, interact with the body, including how they influence inflammation.
Krupa said the project will provide opportunities for students to engage in cutting-edge cancer research.
The grant will include four undergraduate students per year assisting with the creation of these probes, as well as testing their effectiveness in lung cancer cells.
“Our goal is not only to advance science but also to train the next generation of researchers who will continue this important work,” Krupa said.
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