A UF professor is looking for a new treatment for liver cancer by using a body’s molecule like a drug.
Thomas Schmittgen, a professor in the Department of Pharmaceutics, is studying a cellular ribonucleic fragment, RNA, and how it contributes to the development of cancer. Schmittgen said he wants to find a natural treatment for the cancer.
“The main goal of our work is to develop better treatment for liver cancer,” he said.
Schmittgen, who has been studying cancer for 10 years, has been researching ways to find a more natural alternative to chemotherapy. Schmittgen and his team have been studying how the cellular fragment, microRNA, impacts liver cancer.
With his approach, Schmittgen said he’s hoping to reverse the cancer by restoring the level of microRNA in the body.
The American Cancer Society found the number of liver cancer cases has more than tripled over the past 36 years.
Dhruvit Sutaria, a UF pharmacy graduate student who has been helping Schmittgen since he began the project, said the professor “eats, sleeps and drinks data” when it comes to studying the cancer.
He said Schmittgen’s passion for the research is evident in the way he spends late nights collecting information and devotes some weekends to further their findings.
“When you look at anyone in academia, I think it’s driven by personal interest,” Sutaria said, adding that he once thought he had cancer when he found a mass on the base of his throat. When Sutaria found out he didn’t, he felt relieved, but the close call drew him to learning more about cancer, he said.
Sutaria said Schmittgen has a more intimate connection with his students than any other personal investigator.
“All of us are from different places, and it’s amazing to see how we all work as a team,” said Sutaria.
Schmittgen said the research he’s been able to do so far is a result of the effort the seven others working with him in the lab and other collaborators around the country.
“You need to establish collaborations with people, both within the University of Florida, in the country or the world,” said Schmittgen.
