Lopez-Berestein Laboratory
Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, M.D.
Professor
Areas of Research
- Nanomedicine
Our cancer nanomedicine and biology laboratory explores the mechanisms of cancer cell survival, tumorigenesis and tumor progression and is focused on identifying signaling pathways regulating proliferation, invasion, drug resistance, apoptosis and autophagy. These studies provide a rational and basis for the development of therapeutic applications using RNA-interference (siRNA and microRNA), oligonucleotides, (antisense), chemotherapeutic agents and small molecules in cancer and a wide variety of other diseases.
Research in the Lab
Nanomedicine functions as a critical bridge that will connect basic science discoveries and clinical applications by enabling the development of highly effective targeted therapies utilizing nanoparticles that capable of delivering therapeutic payloads to disease sites and targeting identified molecular pathways.
The lab has focused on the development of tumor-specific nanodelivery systems for the delivery of variety of therapeutic payloads (i.e, siRNA, peptides, and potentially small molecules and chemotherapy). The lab has also developed an understanding of several pathophysiologic mechanisms in ovarian cancer leading to the development of novel targets and, subsequently, the translational application of siRNA to animal models using nanoparticle carriers.
In addition to our focus on understanding complex biological networks and identifying novel molecular targets in various solid and hematological cancers, we develop novel drug-delivery systems including lipid-based (in other words, nanoliposomes), polymer-based particles (chitosan, PLA) for delivery of therapeutic agents to various solid tumors and hematological cancers . These nanocarriers are designed for the delivery of therapeutic agents to the tumor cells and microenvironment to maximize the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer agents and reduce their side effects, if there are any. However, on the developmental component we will further develop a dual assembly nano particle that is capable of sustained release of ncRNAs as well as amenable to targeting moiety assembly.
Our long-term goal is to develop clinically relevant, non-toxic, tumor-targeted nano-therapeutics agents that can be used translated into the clinic to improve the treatment options for the patients' therapy and further enhance efficacy of current regimens.
About the Principal Investigator
Professor, Experimental Therapeutics
Email: glopez@mdanderson.org
Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, M.D., has been one of the prominent leaders in the field and has been working on developing nanotherapeutics more than 30 years, leading to ¡°bench-to-bedside¡± translation of more than 20 compounds with several FDA-approved drugs. He was the first laboratory that conducted pharmacokinetic and clinical trials of liposomal-based drugs in the U.S. Beginning in the early 1980s, his lab began exploring the use of liposomal carriers for therapeutic applications and was the first group in the U.S. to study the pharmacokinetics, distribution and safety of liposomal carriers in cancer patients. This study was fundamental for further development of this innovative technology. Since that time, his laboratory developed ¡ª from bench to clinic ¡ª several antifungals and antitumor therapeutics, such as lipid-based Nystatin and Amphotericin B for fungal infections, the latter now marketed as ABELCET, and Annamycin, Aroplatin and Lipo-ATRA (ATRAGEN), among others, as anticancer therapeutics. It is worth noting that single-agent ATRAGEN can cure some patients with untreated acute promyelocytic leukemia without the use of chemotherapy.