Ohio Professor Researches Proteins in Cancer Cells Using New Lab Facilities

Newswise — Michael Edelbrock, Ph.D., associate professor of biology and environmental, safety and occupational health, uses high-tech research equipment to study proteins that appear within cells early in the cancer process. And, as of summer 2007, he does it all within the newly renovated science labs in the Davis Street building, located on The University of Findlay's campus. Typically, Edelbrock begins the cell research process by growing human or animal cells in a tissue culture environment. Then, the cells are treated with different chemical agents and observed at specific intervals of time for a reaction. The cells are then removed from the culture, and proteins and DNA are extracted. Once the proteins and DNA have been removed, Edelbrock studies differences between cancer cells and normal cells by looking at changes in activity, ability or inability to repair DNA, and the cells' ability to mutate DNA compared to non-cancer cells. As a result of his research, Edelbrock has published his findings in two papers, and a third is nearing completion. He also has presented his findings at national and international scientific conferences. "Cancer is so complex and so multi-faceted that I don't think there is any one answer to a cure," he said. "We're going to be able to strive for early recognition using sophisticated biomarkers and establish genetic profiles that will help drive therapeutic regime." Using the capabilities of the new labs, which cost $450,000 each, Edelbrock has all the tools he needs to delve inside a cell. He can look at the cell by itself using fluorescent microscopy. He can tear the cell apart and look at the inside constituents. He can separate the very small organelles of the cell, nucleus, mitochondria, lysosomes, etc., to study their inner workings. In addition, he can study specific proteins, or genes, using bio-informatics " the use of math, computers and biology to study gene disease. Among the new additions to the labs are incubators, high-speed centrifuges, electrophoresis equipment, a DNA amplification system, hybridization ovens and a fully functional tissue culture room. According to Edelbrock, few predominantly undergraduate liberal arts institutions have the on-campus capabilities to which UF faculty and students now have access. UF is unique for a university of its size and strong liberal arts background. Edelbrock became interested in cancer research when he started work on his doctorate several years ago. For more than 15 years of his career, he studied how pollutants interact with the environment and how they cause human disease. He decided to narrow down his research to study how chemicals cause health problems " specifically cancer. When he's not using the new lab facilities for research, Edelbrock also will use the facilities for teaching. "The primary goal in designing the labs was to make sure that the teaching facilities were the highest possible," he said. Major equipment in the labs was designed to be mobile so that it could easily be shared between instructors and classrooms. Edelbrock pointed out that faculty and students in the biology, environmental, pharmacy and pre-veterinary programs are able to use the new lab facilities. He hopes that the new capabilities will allow research projects to transcend the disciplines. For example, students may treat cells with a common pollutant, and then study a variety of cellular responses. Pharmacy students could treat the cells with a pharmacological agent to try and block the pollutant from action. In another example, environmental students could study how the pollutant affects the environment, and biology students could collect tissue samples from insects and then extract their DNA to find evidence that the pollutant correlates with DNA mutation rates. This type of interdisciplinary approach will allow undergraduate students from different programs to engage in scientific research, integrate the data that is collected and report it. With the new lab facilities and top-of-the-line equipment housed in the Davis Street Building, Edelbrock has confidence that undergraduate and faculty research will reach a new level at UF.