Professor Yuk-Ching Tse-Dinh
Professor and Director, Biomolecular Sciences Institute
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry
Florida International University, USA

Date: Tuesday, 6-February-2018
Time: 12:00 noon
Venue: Rm. A2-08, 2/F, Mrs. Chen Yang Foo Oi Telemedicine Centre
William MW Mong Block, Faculty of Medicine Building
21 Sassoon Road, Pokfulam, Hong Kong

Summary: 
Topoisomerases are ubiquitous enzymes that have been utilized effectively as targets for antibacterial and anticancer therapy in the clinic.  Patients with glioblastoma have median survival of <15 months even with concurrent temozolamide and radiation therapy, so new therapy regimens are much needed.  Irinotecan is an approved anticancer drug that targets human TOP1, a type IB topoisomerase.  The covalent TOP1 intermediate trapped by irinotecan can be repaired by the tyrosine phosphodiesterase TDP1.  We are investigating if the ratio of TOP1 target and TDP1 repair activities may be of predictive value for response of glioblastoma to irinotecan, and the potential combination of irinotecan with TDP1 inhibitor for glioblastoma treatment.  Bacterial topoisomerase I (TopA) enzymes are type IA topoisomerases that are distinct in sequence and mechanism from human TOP1.  Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases globally.  Mycobacterium tuberculosis TopA has been validated genetically and chemically as a target for discovery of new TB therapy to combat multi-drug resistant TB.  We are utilizing high throughput screening and structure-based drug discovery approaches to identify inhibitors of M. tuberculosis TopA that can be developed into leads for TB drugs.

ALL ARE WELCOME