Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Pediatric Oncology Research Fund
November 2010
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Advancing Research For Targeted
Cancer Therapies
The Walensky laboratory at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute is focused on developing new research tools and prototype therapeutics to investigate and neutralize the defective signaling pathways that cause cancer. Their goal is to develop an arsenal of new compounds - a “chemical toolbox” - to systematically interrogate and target disease-causing protein interactions. To achieve these objectives, Dr. Walensky and his team of postdoctoral fellows and graduate students take a multidisciplinary approach that employs synthetic chemistry techniques, structural biology analyses, and biochemical, cellular, and mouse modeling experimentation. By supporting the purchase of equipment and add-on components that maximize the lab’s synthetic and analytical outputs, the foundation continues to fuel progress toward identifying and drugging new cancer targets. I am thrilled to report that our work this year has advanced three new approaches to targeted therapy for cancer. We have three new publications appearing in the scientific literature this November and December and I couldn’t be more pleased with this progress. My laboratory team has grown to 18 members strong, and with your support, we will continue to add specialty equipment to our experimental arsenal. Thank you so much again for your support of our cancer research. Sincerely, Loren D. Walensky, M.D., Ph.D. |