Partnership produces promising research

The first medical research collaboration between UCF and Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona (Sanford-Burnham) has given way to promising research that could benefit cancer patients.

Two independent teams of cancer researchers, chemists and bioinformatics engineers have published discoveries that may lead to new methods of diagnosis and treatment of many types of cancer.

"Collaboration is a huge part to be considered because without it, no one would have been able to achieve such research and discoveries that are now being talked about," said Shaojie Zhang, Ph.D., an assistant professor of engineering and computer science at UCF with an expertise in bioinformatics.

The first noteworthy breakthrough is a result of the partnership between UCF chemistry professor Dr. Kevin Belfield and Sandford-Burnham associate professor and cancer researcher Dr. Masanobu Komatsu.

"This partnership has helped tremendously because we at the lab at UCF perceive things through a chemical approach, but Dr. Komatsu and his team concentrate on cell biology, both which are important to our findings," Belfield said. "It was definitely critical for physical science researchers and biomedical researchers to collaborate to achieve what we have."

With a collaboration between his team of graduate and postdoctoral students, and Komatsu and his team of postdoctoral students, Belfield has been able to focus his research on a non-invasive way to first detect then inspect a cancerous tumor, in real time, to see how it is being affected by treatment, mainly focusing on breast, melanoma, cervical and ovarian cancers.

Belfield's technique first requires an injection of molecular probes into the bloodstream of an animal. The probes then bind to folate receptors, which are present in certain kinds of tumors, particularly cervical and ovarian cancer. The probes carry florescent dyes that hone only onto specific biomarkers in cancer cells. The dye-spotted tumor can then be detected by a microscope using near infrared light, which then produces a high-resolution 3D image of the tumor.

Belfield would like to translate this method for clinical use, but variations of this method may not be available for at least another five years. It depends on how it is adapted to different kinds of cancer, but the next step is to direct therapy, using this same method, to target a tumor of a cancer patient.

While probes only carry dyes now, they are also being designed to carry therapeutic drugs that are less harmful than treatments like chemotherapy.

"Most of the chemotherapy that is out there is non-specific," Belfield said. "When it is injected or digested, it typically disperses throughout the body, damaging healthy cells. This method wouldn't damage any healthy cells, only targeting the cancerous tumor, greatly minimizing the side effects caused by other treatments."

However, right now, Belfield is more focused on detecting cancer than treating it.

"The current work is not directed at cancer therapy and treatment, but more on the imaging detection side," Belfield said. "Most cancers can be treated if detected early, which is key. Once detected early, in a non-invasive way, the cancer can be surgically removed and our method can make sure the tumor is removed and with treatment, it can, in real time, show how the cancer cells are reacting to the treatment."

Junior micro and molecular biology major Nick Fusco is amazed at the research that Belfield and his team have collected.

"The use of chemical probes is such an innovative idea, and I can't wait to see how it will impact the medical field in the future," Fusco said.

The motivation behind Belfield's discovery is the fact that cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the United States, right behind heart disease. Most cancers are detected in phase three or four, the late stages of cancer. With this prognosis, the survival rate is low; only a small percentage of people have survived past five years. But nearly all cancer, if detected early, can be readily treated and cured. The survival rate of cancer that is detected early is very high.

"To me, it's nice to see that my research efforts can possibly directly impact a large part of society and contribute to a better life and also to the understanding of the science of cancer and what is behind it," Belfield said.