Linnaeus University gets SEK 1.8 million for cancer research
Associate professor Ran Friedman at Linnaeus University has been granted SEK 1.8 million from Cancerfonden for research that studies the mechanisms that lead to cancer cells developing resistance to anti-cancer drugs.
Today, many cancer forms can be treated with drugs that block specific proteins in the cancer cells. However, these drugs can become inefficient for some patients. The tumour cells can in fact develop resistance to the drugs through a mechanism called resistance mutations.
In the project, Ran Friedman, associate professor at the department of chemistry and biomedical sciences at the faculty of health and life sciences, will study the mechanisms that lead to resistance mutations in chronic and acute myeloid leukemia. Using this knowledge, it can then be possible to use already existing drugs in a way that reduces the risk of resistance mutations, for instance through periodical changes between different drugs.
The project’s aim is to develop new treatment methods that can make patients benefit longer from the treatment. Ran Friedman will use computer models to develop new treatment strategies and then test them on cancer cells. He is allocated SEK 600,000 a year for three years.
“I’m very pleased and grateful for the support from Cancerfonden, which will make it possible for us to continue with our studies of drug resistance in cancer. I would also like to thank the members of my research team for their fantastic work and research results, and the faculty for supporting our research”, says Friedman.