Scientists design 3D model of molecule key to halting tumor growth

Research into stopping tumor growth was recently featured in BBC Science Focus Magazine as one of the world's "20 moments in 2020 to be excited about." A compound that activates an enzyme capable of suppressing tumors was discovered by a cross-institutional team from the University of Michigan and Case Western Reserve University.

The team designed a molecule that could attach to a PP2A enzyme and used a special type of microscope in order to “see precisely how different parts of the protein were brought together and stabilized by the compound,” said the study’s co-senior author Derek Taylor, PhD an associate professor at Case Western Reserve and member of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The work was spearheaded by two first-authors from Dr. Taylor's group, Daniel Leonard, a Medical Scientist Training Program (MTSP) student and Research Scientist Wei Huang, PhD.