BHSU RECEIVES GRANT FOR CANCER TREATMENT RESEARCH

Black Hills State University has been awarded a $383,091 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for research in cancer treatment. The project, led by BHSU Assistant Professor Dr. Yun Seok Choi, will span three years and focus on the eventual development of a novel Nedd8 sensor that could lead to new and effective treatments for cancer.

Through this research, Choi and his student team hope to make significant strides in understanding and targeting Nedd8, a protein involved in various cellular processes. Abnormal Nedd8 activity has been linked to cancer progression. By developing a sensor to detect Nedd8, this research could pave the way for discovering drugs that effectively inhibit the protein's harmful activity.

"One might wonder why such a sensor hasn't been developed yet if it's so crucial. The answer lies in the challenge: current sensor design methods are limited, making the creation of a Nedd8 sensor particularly difficult," Choi explained. "We are proposing a novel, generalizable sensor design method, and we are demonstrating its effectiveness by successfully developing the Nedd8 sensor. Our preliminary data strongly supports the viability of this new design approach."

The project will be conducted at BHSU with students involved at every phase. During the first two years, the team will focus on designing and refining the Nedd8 sensors. In the later stages, these sensors will be applied in various biomedical applications, including drug screening, which will be conducted in collaboration with the High-Throughput Screening Laboratory at the University of Kansas.

"BHSU students are integral to this research. We are working on creating biosensors that have never been developed before, and creativity is crucial in this process," Choi said. "Our BHSU students have excelled in this area, often designing sensors that surpass my own ideas. We inspire each other, and they will be the driving force behind the progress of this research."

Students working on this project will gain collaborative research experience and have the chance to present their work at national and international conferences. The result could involve students assisting with publication and, if possible, patenting the novel sensor.

Choi added that the success of this grant underscores BHSU's commitment to fostering undergraduate research and exemplifies the university's dedication to providing students with real-world research experiences that could make a global impact.