Reading time: 3 minutes Aishat Motolani We live in an era of catchy headlines. I gasp every time I read a health headline on mainstream news networks. Some thumbnails read thus, “red wine could increase your lifespan,” or “naps are linked to X type of disease.” Naps? I often remark in confusion. I love taking... Continue Reading →
Old weapon for a new battle: Repurposing existing market drugs for cancer treatment
Reading time: 5 minutes “It cannot get any better with our three-in-one device…buy one get one free today,” sings my radio as I commute to the lab daily. I nod in agreement to such commercials because I love to do more with less. Currently, many products are often rebranded as multi-purposed because products and services... Continue Reading →
The Role of the Human Gut Microbiome in Pancreatic Cancer
Reading time: 5 minutes Aishat Motolani The incidence of pancreatic cancer is almost commensurate with its media mentions. As a fan of the wizarding world of the Harry Potter series and the quiz game show Jeopardy, the demise of Professor Snape and Alek Trebek came as a shock. "Neither a magic wand nor an encyclopedia... Continue Reading →
A Common Denominator That Links All Cancers
Reading time: 4 minutes Aishat Motolani Cancer is a heterogeneous genetic disease notorious for dodging several bullets of treatments. Tumors can develop in different organs and tissues of the body. As a result, there are over 100 types of cancers according to the National Cancer Institute. One of the current approaches pursued to solve cancer... Continue Reading →
Meet the Laser-focused Protein Bulldozers: PROTACs
Reading time: 5 minutes Aishat Motolani Just as bulldozers work to demolish dilapidated buildings or clear weeds on farmlands, PROteolysis TArgeting Chimeras (PROTACs) are small bifunctional molecules designed to degrade proteins that are present in excess in diseased conditions. In cancer, these specific proteins are called oncoproteins. Oncoproteins are capable of transforming a normal cell... Continue Reading →
Immune-related Adverse Events: A Blessing or a Curse for Cancer Immunotherapy?
Reading time: 7 minutes Aishat Motolani You have most likely heard of several branded FDA-approved drugs during TV commercials and sighed, “Ah! not again with this rhythmic list of symptoms.” Well, some of those symptoms may have included immune-related adverse events (IRAEs). iRAEs are composed of an array of side effects that are reminiscent of... Continue Reading →
The circulating tumor DNA: a promising cancer biomarker
Reading time: 6 minutes Aishat Motolani What if I say a floating DNA in the blood could broadcast a glimpse of a diseased system’s future, particularly that of cancer? Diagnosing cancer commonly involves the use of invasive procedures, such as tumor tissue biopsy. This involves the examination of tissues extracted from a primary or metastatic... Continue Reading →