Our warmest congratulations to Benjamin Paik, attachment student from Dr Alan Prem Kumar’s group who clinched the Gold Award at the Singapore Science and Engineering Fair (SSEF) 2018, held from 7-8 March 2018. He received the award at the joint A*STAR Talent Search and Singapore Science and Engineering Fair Award Ceremony held on 26 April at the Biopolis.
The SSEF 2018 is a national competition for students in secondary schools and junior colleges with a strong aptitude for science and technology to have their projects exhibited and reviewed by a panel of scientists from local universities and research institutes. These award winners were then eligible to proceed for A*STAR Talent Search (ATS), which recognises student projects that excel in scientific research across multiple disciplines. Beyond the quality of their submitted projects, their creativity and critical thinking abilities are also being considered in the rigorous selection process.
Through this competition, Benjamin learnt and interacted with like-minded compatriots in the pursuit of knowledge and future careers in science and technology.
Project Title:
Mitochondrial-Targeting Anticancer Drugs: Characterization of a novel “mitocan” for clinical utility in the treatment of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
Project Abstract:
Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) is a highly aggressive, invasive and fast-growing form of breast cancer that is unresponsive to anti-hormonal chemotherapy. Currently, TNBC patients rely on harsher treatments like radiotherapy, which is nonselective and kills healthy cells too, leading to debilitating side effects, or surgery, which still necessitates the use of neoadjuvant chemotherapy to shrink the primary tumor to improve the chance of breast conservation. As such, the development of a potent and selective drug to fight TNBC is an unmet medical need. Mitochondria in aggressive cancers, especially TNBC, are highly active and hence are an attractive target for anticancer agents to exert selective potency against TNBC cells while sparing non-tumorigenic cells. Herein, we screen 6 mitochondrial-targeting anticancer drugs (mitocans) for their potency against TNBC cells and found MitoTam, a novel derivative of tamoxifen, to be the most potent. MitoTam also selectively killed TNBC cells at drug concentrations nontoxic to non-tumorigenic cells. Further characterization of MitoTam’s mechanism of action revealed its ability to impair mitochondrial respiration, induce mitochondrial ROS production, induce apoptosis and cell cycle arrest, abrogate JAK2-STAT3 signalling and decrease expression of genes transcriptionally controlled by STAT3. This validates MitoTam to be a selectively potent anticancer agent against TNBC, because its effects go beyond just impairing mitochondria.