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INVESTIGATIONS INTO NEW WAYS TO TREAT NEUROBLASTOMA AND KIDNEY CANCER
Sunil Sudarshan , M . D .
Senior Scientist , O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Professor , Department of Urology , UAB Heersink School of Medicine
Anderson Family Endowed Chair
Co-Leader , Cancer Biology & Immunology Program
Han-Fei Ding , M . D ., Ph . D .
Senior Scientist , O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center
Professor , Molecular & Cellular Pathology
Gene P . Seagal Endowed Professor , Department of Pathology , UAB Heersink School of Medicine
“ Enthusiasm is contagious ,” said Sunil Sudarshan , M . D . “ When you have a great collaborator to partner with , it really encourages you to take risks which can lead to new , often unexpected , directions .”
Sudarshan and Han-Fei Ding , M . D ., Ph . D ., both senior scientists at the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center , joined forces after Ding was recruited to UAB in 2021 . Ding is a pioneer in the field of the interaction between gene expression and cellular metabolism , while Sudarshan is a long-time clinician-scientist in the UAB Department of Urology who specializes in both hereditary and sporadic forms of kidney cancer .
When they first met , they knew there was enormous potential to collaborate . They even moved their research labs next to each other so their teams could interact , both formally and informally . Their collaboration involves not only generating and pursuing new lines of study , but also identifying new strategies to treat cancer focused on tumor metabolism .
“ The central dogma is that DNA is converted to RNA , which is then converted into protein ,” said Sudarshan . “ There has been considerable interest in how DNA can be altered to impact gene expression . However , there is clear recognition that RNA itself can also be altered with profound effects on protein expression . This recognition has led to resurgent interest in the field of RNA epigenetics , also referred to as
epitranscriptomics . Our laboratories are interested in studying the role of the epitranscriptome in remodeling tumor metabolism .”
Both Sudarshan ’ s and Ding ’ s labs tackle malignancies that are not as commonly studied : neuroblastoma and kidney cancer . “ Yet , we find clear overlaps with respect to the research questions we are going after and how to go about solving them . This has resulted in each of us bringing unique methodologies and skills to the table and seeing how we can help apply them to the other ’ s ongoing studies ,” Sudarshan says . And on a practical note , “ we are also able to better strategize acquiring shared equipment and infrastructure that would benefit both research groups .” ❚■
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