Normalcell Cancercell

Cancer cells have an alteredactin cytoskeleton

Oncology Research Unit, Dept Pharmacology, Level 5 Wallace Wurth

Developing novelchemotherapeutics that target

the actin cytoskeleton•• Drug DevelopmentDrug Development

– Identification of actinspecific target in tumourcells

– Determine the mechanismof action (MOA) of anti-actin compounds :

• Impact on actincytoskeleton

• Cell growth/survival– Determine if this translates

to efficacy against tumourcells anti-actin compoundsare efficacious in tumourcell lines

•• Target ValidationTarget Validation– Changes in the actin

cytoskeleton of cancer cells– Role of the actin

cytoskeleton in cancer cells• Cell growth• Cell survival

– Evaluate what happens totumour cells if specificcomponents of the actincytoskeleton are altered

• siRNA• Knockout animals

0 6 24 48hrs cAMP

G0/G1

S

G2/GM

Techniques acquired duringhonours

1) Tissue Culture 2) Immunofluorescence staining

3) Western blotting

4) Flow cytometric analysis 5) Viability assays

Projects: contact details

•• Target validation:Target validation:• Galina Schevzov (g.schevzov@unsw.edu.au)

•• Anti-actin drug developmentAnti-actin drug development• Justine Stehn (j.stehn@unsw.edu.au)