“Biochemistry unveils the molecular blueprints of existence, empowering us to unravel the mysteries of life and harness its potential for the betterment of humankind.”
― Aloo Denish Obiero, Kenyan Biochemist, Author, Poet

Biochemistry at LTU: Researching to Save Lives

One of the most devastating and incurable diseases is pancreatic cancer. As Irfana Muqbil , assistant professor of biochemistry, describes, “It is one of the most lethal cancers because it doesn’t have any early symptoms, and once it’s diagnosed, it’s already in the late stages.” She added, “There are no effective treatments.”

Muqbil has been studying various cancers and chemical carcinogenesis since she was a Ph.D. student at Aligarh Muslim University in India. When she came to the U.S., she joined Karmanos Cancer Institute as a postdoctoral researcher. Her research focused on novel drugs that can block cancer-promoting proteins by suppressing the nuclear transport protein XPO1, which is found to be in excess production in many cancers including pancreatic cancer.

She explained, “Fifty percent of all cancer patients in the later stages develop a muscle-wasting disease called cachexia. It is highly manifested in pancreatic cancer patients and patients with other types of cancer like gastric cancer.” That’s where Muqbil is focusing her current research at LTU.

“I’m still working on pancreatic cancer, but now we’re also studying the muscle wasting associated with this disease. Up to eighty percent of these patients develop cachexia and around one-third die of this muscle-deteriorating disease rather than the cancer itself. To date, no medical intervention completely reverses cachexia and there are no approved drug therapies” she said.

“We are trying to see how different molecules behave. We’re using an XPO1 nuclear transporter inhibitor to see if it curtails cachexia. So far, we’ve seen very good results. We did find a connection. It’s had a dual effect: it inhibited the progression of cachexia and cancer,” Muqbil explained.

In the lab, Muqbil and student Dingqiang (Bruce) Zhang, who will graduate with his Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Premedical Studies in May ’24, are trying to find the cause of cachexia.

“There are two types of pancreatic cancer: ductal, in which cells produce enzymes and is called PDAC, and endocrine, which produces the hormones insulin and glucagon and is called pNET. We’re combining Resveratrol, one of the most studied natural polyphenols, or nutrient compounds, known to have anti-cancer, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties,” Muqbil continued, “with Everolimus, the standard-of-care drug for pNET, to see if that increases the effectiveness of the drug. Here again, we found some good results.” Resveratrol is found in the skins and seeds of red and purple grapes, berries, peanuts, and pistachios and can be taken as a dietary supplement.

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Premedical Studies student Dingqiang (Bruce) Zhang working on cell culture and treating cell plates.

Zhang earned his undergraduate degree in pharmaceutical science in his home country of China and his master’s degree in pharmacology from Tufts University in Boston. His career goal is medicine. While working as a research assistant at the University of Michigan, he found LTU’s Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Premedical Studies.

The first of its type in Michigan, this program provides a solid foundation in the scientific fields required for success on the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT), particularly for students whose degrees did not include the biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics customarily required of medical school applicants.

Working with Muqbil is great preparation for his career in medicine because, “it’s related to our body; it’s all related to disease, which as a doctor, I want to help cure. Biochemistry is the most fundamental subject to learn. It’s like a language. You have to learn it to understand the disease.”

Muqbil speaks with pride about her co-researcher Zhang because he was second author on their research article titled “Deciphering cellular plasticity in pancreatic cancer or effective treatments," which was published in the high-impact journal Cancer Metastasis Reviews .

Among her other publications, Muqbil’s article “Cancer cachexia research: coming of age” appeared in the June 2023 issue of Translational Lung Cancer Research and “Role of noncoding RNAs in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma association cachexia” in the December 2022 edition of American Journal of Physiology – Cell Physiology .

In conjunction with colleagues at Wayne State University, Muqbil has submitted a grant request to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to continue and expand this research. The research with animals would continue at Wayne and the cellular work would continue at Lawrence Tech.

LTU offers a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry with a concentration in biochemistry and chemical biology. Presently, two freshman students are “shadowing Zhang in the lab, observing, taking notes, starting to journal, learning the science, and learning why we’re doing what we’re doing,” Muqbil said. “This is a great introduction for them as they progress in their program.”

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate in Premedical Studies student Dingqiang (Bruce) Zhang with his wife in New York City.

She joined the LTU faculty in 2021 and encourages students to consider the chemistry program for a variety of reasons: several degree and career options; small class size with personal attention from their professors who are passionate and enthusiastic about their students and their subject matter; and undergraduates can do meaningful research.

“I’m interested in outreach. I’m especially interested in seeing more girls in STEM programs,” she said. Muqbil recently received a science outreach grant from the Association of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB) to bring high school students enrolled in the after-school program Raquet Up Detroit to LTU’s campus in March to “do science.” “Students will isolate DNA from their favorite foods and test them to see if they are genetically modified,” she said.

“The language of biochemistry speaks volumes, deciphering the molecular code that underlies the complexity of living organisms.”
― Aloo Denish

by Renée Ahee