Drexel University & Kimmel Cancer Center

Drexel University recently established a formal consortia relationship with the Kimmel Cancer Center (KCC), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center at Thomas Jefferson University. The focus of KCC is discovery in cancer and, through discovery, to develop novel approaches to the diagnosis, monitoring, imaging, prevention, and treatment of human cancer. Participation in the Consortium provides our researchers with new collaborative research opportunities with colleagues at KCC and Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) that will both deepen and expand our cancer research efforts.

Shared Resources of Kimmel Cancer Center

The shared resources of the KCC represent a vitally important component of the operations of the Consortium Cancer Center. The KCC operates ten shared resources to support the activities of cancer center members. Additional information regarding shared resources may be found on the Kimmel Cancer Center website.

Population Sciences Working Group

Drexel University faculty and students are welcome to participate in the seminars and networking activities of the Population Sciences Working Group. Activities focus on research, education and community engagement in cancer prevention and control, to build Consortium capacity for the formation of a population sciences program and comprehensive cancer center status. The Program is co-led by Dr. Klassen at Drexel, and Drs. Ron Myers and Edith Mitchell at Thomas Jefferson University.

Drexel investigators are welcome to contact Dr. Ann C. Klassen, Associate Dean for Research in the School of Public Health, for more information. Activities are posted on the SPH website at http://publichealth.drexel.edu/Research-Centers/550/

Drexel Research Facilities

Drexel provides the Consortium with both intellectual expertise and cutting edge technologies. Examples of selected capabilities are highlighted below.

Bioinformatics

• System biology and computational genomics for the discovery of biomarkers associated with cancer
• Specialized in the identification of sequence motifs, co varying viral and bacterial genome segments; large scale microarray analysis; discovery of viral and pathogenic insertions into the human genome, chip-seq analysis and other bioinformatics approaches such as the analysis of yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) and Next Gen Sequencing datasets

Biosensing and Bioimaging

• Development of contrast agent targeted to malignant cell lines
• Drug delivery systems using a contrast agent platform
• Nano-scale contrast agents
• Contrast agents for apoptosis signaling

Contact:
Dr. Margaret Wheatley
(215) 895-6148

Biomedical Ultrasound

• Development of contrast agent targeted to malignant cell lines
• Drug delivery systems using a contrast agent platform
• Nano-scale contrast agents
• Contrast agents for apoptosis signaling

Contact:
Dr. Margaret Wheatley
(215) 895-6148

Biosensors

• Piezoelectric Breast Cancer Detector
• Piezoelectric Plate Sensors
• Aqueous Quantum Dots

Contact:
Dr. Wan Shih
(215) 895-2325

Cancer Metastasis Models

• Animal model reproduces human disease
• Homing of human cancer cells to the skeleton in animal model
• Screening test for therapeutic validation in animal model

Contact:
Dr. Alessandro Fatatis
(215) 762-8534

Centralized Research Facilities

• X-Ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy w/ Auger
• Vibrational Spectroscopy Ultrafast Spectroscopy
• Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Transmission Electron Microscopy
• Focused Ion Beam
• X-Ray Diffraction
• Small/Wide Angle X-Ray Scattering
• Micro Computed Tomography
• Nanoindentation
• Microfabrication
• Sample Preparation

Drug Discovery and Novel Molecular Diagnostics

• Therapeutic, biomarker, and diagnostic technologies
• Medicinal chemistry
• Merck natural products collection
• Small molecule compound library
• High-throughput screening

Contact:
Dr. Timothy Block
(215) 489-4949

Microfabrication: Cell Biology on a Chip

Breast and Prostate 3D Models

• Cultured normal and transformed breast and prostate epithelial cells provide a more physiologically environment to study altered pathways in tumor biology.
• Can be used to model progression from normal, premalignant to malignant cancer.

Contact:
Dr. Mauricio Reginato
(215) 762-3554

Liver on a Chip

• Primary hepatocytes co-cultured with sinosoidal endothelial cells in microchannel platform
• Recreates cellular, architectural and fluidic microenvironment of human liver functional unit
• Screen for drug-induced liver toxicity

Contact:
Dr. Michael Bouchard
(215) 762-1898