When
Monday, February 24, 2025 - 12:00 p.m.
Metin Akay
John S. Dunn Endowed Chair Professor
Department of Biomedical Engineering
University of Houston
“Novel Tumor-Suppressive RNA Therapeutics for the Treatment of Breast Cancer, Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), and Colorectal Cancer (CRC)”
Keating 103
Zoom | Password: BearDown
Hosts: Alex McGhee and Swarna Ganesh
(Instructor permission required for enrolled students to attend via Zoom)
Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation by contacting the Disability Resource Center at 621-3268 (V/TTY).
Abstract: As highlighted by the recent Grand Challenges (Shankar, Akay et al., IEEE OJEMB, 2024), interdisciplinary collaborations across engineering, computer science, physical sciences, and medicine are essential to driving future advancements. We are focusing in the development of novel therapies for highly aggressive cancers, aiming to improve patient outcomes and address the limitations of traditional approaches. Our research into tumor-suppressive microRNAs (miRNAs) as therapeutic agents shows promising results. Specifically, we identified miR-449 and miR-329 as potent candidates capable of simultaneously silencing EF2K and AXL mRNA, demonstrating tumor-suppressive effects in both in vitro and in vivo tumor models of breast cancer, glioblastoma multiforme, and colorectal cancer. The systemic injection of miR-449 or miR-329 encapsulated in long-acting slow-release nanoparticles (SLNPs) resulted in remarkable suppression of tumor growth in multiple, with no observed side effects. We believe this miRNA-based therapy could serve as a safe and effective tumor-suppressive monotherapy or be combined with standard chemotherapy treatments to further improve patient survival. We are also investigating the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) to identify molecular biomarkers that predict patient response and treatment signatures from gene expression data. Through spatial transcriptomics and proteomics, we aim to map these changes and study the molecular mechanisms of miR-449b-induced tumor suppression in both CRC and GBM models. Our work in miRNA-based nanotherapeutics offers a new frontier in cancer treatment, particularly for highly aggressive, hard-to-cure, or incurable cancers such as triple-negative breast cancer, CRC, and GBM. With impressive therapeutic efficacy and excellent safety profiles in preclinical models, we are optimistic about the potential of these therapies to provide a safer, more effective alternative to traditional chemotherapy.
Bio: Metin Akay is the John S. Dunn Endowed Professor of the Biomedical Engineering Department at the University of Houston. He has played a pivotal role in building an innovative and dynamic environment for both research and academics in BME at the University of Houston (UH). His vision focused on integrating basic and translational research to address the rapidly evolving global healthcare landscape. Under his leadership, the department has built strong research programs in three key areas: neural and rehabilitation engineering, biomedical imaging, and immuno-engineering and bionanosciences. In addition to fostering a unique research environment, he played a key role in establishing both the undergraduate and graduate programs at UH BME. He received honorary doctorates from Aalborg Silesian and Pécs Universities and professorship from the Technical University of Crete. He has authored more than 20 books and 170 journal papers, along with 200 conference papers and abstracts and delivered over 200 keynote, plenary and invited talks at highly respected international conferences, including IEEE ICASSP. He is a recipient of the IEEE EMBS Academic Career, Early Career and Service Awards, an IEEE Third Millennium Medal, and the prestigious Zworykin Award from the International Federation for Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE). He is a life fellow of IEEE, fellow of the Institute of Physics (IOP), the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering (IAMBE), the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).