CDA journal spotlights work of young researchers

The December issue of the Journal of the California Dental Association spotlights the research work of up and coming investigators in the state's dental schools, the California Dental Association (CDA) announced.

An article, titled "αvβ3 Suppresses the RhoA-LIMK1 Pathway in K1735 Melanoma," features the work of University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and UC Davis students and their mentors, who have been investigating the role of integrin in promoting tumor invasion. The authors' findings in this study describe a mechanism of activation and invasion in head and neck melanoma.

"High Throughput Screening of Biologically Functional Small Molecules for Modulating the Expression of FGFR1OP2/wit3.0 in Fibroblasts" is a pilot project by investigators from the University of California, Los Angeles. They describe a screening assay used to study molecular compounds that may alter the expression of a molecule that speeds wound healing.

Also in this month's issue, a study titled "Discovery of Specific Ligands for Oral Squamous Carcinoma to Develop Anti-cancer Drug Loaded Precise Targeting Nanotherapeutics" highlights the use of a one-bead, one-compound combinatorial library to identify six compounds with high binding affinity to different oral squamous cell carcinoma cell lines but not to normal cells. This discovery may lead to imaging and therapeutic applications to help treat cancer.