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New research to help fight tumor growth

Faculty Featured Featured News News Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics Research Sidebar Featured News, Leaf Huang
Mariava Phillips
October 4, 2023


A cryoEM image of liposomes. Photo Credit: Leaf Huang Laboratory

Leaf Huang, Ph.D., has spent much of his career researching gene therapy and targeted drug delivery. In his current research, he is targeting bacteria that feed tumor growth with liposomal antibiotics in order to generate neoantigens that induce anti-tumor immune responses that help stop the growth. This would influence cancer progression—specifically colorectal cancer. 

 Huang is the Fred Eshelman Distinguished Professor in the Division of Pharmacoengineering and Molecular Pharmaceutics (DPMP) at the UNC Eshleman School of Pharmacy. He, along with first author and former postdoc, Menglin Wang, Ph.D., had this research published by a top journal, Nature Biotechnology. 

 “We are glad to see the clinical relevance of our study. We are also excited about the potential bacteria vaccine to prevent or to treat the colorectal cancer patients infected with Fusobacterium nucleatum,” said Huang.  

 Current research in the Huang lab focuses on the role of tumor-associated bacteria in tumor progression and metastasis, such as Fusobacterium nucleatum, which is a bacterium that colonizes in the gut and promotes the growth and spread of colorectal cancer.  

 The lab designed nano formulations encapsulating antibiotics to help fight this bacterium. Killing of the tumor associated with Fusobacterium nucleatum induced a strong immune reaction to control the tumor growth.  

 This shows the possibility of improving cancer therapy outcomes. The discovery of cancer-associated microbial neoantigens offers exciting possibilities for the development of innovative anti-tumoral therapeutic or preventive vaccine strategies. 

 In addition to this new research, Huang was recently invited to present the 27th Annual John G. Wagner Pfizer Lectureship in Pharmaceutical Science at the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He was nominated for this award and selected as the 2023 lecture recipient by their faculty based upon his prestigious career and contributions to the field of pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in the areas of gene therapy and delivery.  

 

 

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