RISE Seminars: Research & Innovation from Student Entrepreneurs
David Krist
Chemical Decision-making and New Molecules for Neurosurgical Oncology
September 24, 2021
12:00 p.m - 1:30 p.m.
Medical Sciences Building Auditorium Room 274
Simulcast at Pollard Auditorium, Carle Forum or virtually via https://go.medicine.illinois.edu/RISESeminars
Lunch will be provided at both locations with advanced registration by September 22.
Registration is required for in-person attendance at MSB or Pollard Auditoriums
Abstract: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most aggressive primary brain cancer with a 5-year survival rate of 5%. If the tumor is accessible, the first indicated step is surgical removal. Currently, several tools are available to help the surgeon distinguish cancerous from healthy tissue during the procedure. At least two types of fluorescent drugs with distinct mechanisms of action can selectively accumulate at the tumor, making it glow against healthy tissue. First, we have shown that such fluorescent visualization allows higher rates of gross total resection. We then further compare the efficacy of fluorescent reagents to help standardize an inconsistently utilized clinical practice. Our upcoming work will develop a suite of cytotoxic reagents to selectively target GBM. The strategy and underlying design principles will be discussed.
David Krist received a PhD in Chemistry from Northwestern University where he developed a drug discovery platform for ubiquitin ligases, which regulate the cell cycle and drive the initiation of many cancers. He then pursued postdoctoral studies with Dr. Brenda Schulman at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry where he designed a method to stabilize transition-state intermediates of ubiquitin ligase complexes for visualization by cryo-electron microscopy. By observing the catalysis of ubiquitin modification at the molecular level, these projects illuminated mechanistic aspects that directly inform the accelerating development of PROTAC chemotherapeutics.
Now a second-year medical student at Carle Illinois, David works with neurosurgeons Dr. Wael Mostafa and Dr. Paul Arnold to develop better detection and eradication of cancers in the central nervous system by leveraging molecular technologies.
