Medicine tailored not only to individuals, but to individual genes, is one of the goals of the Buffalo Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics. The Center is beginning to delve further into the study of proteins and their interactions within gene products in a variety of organisms, including humans.
Through extensive scientific research that will take place at UB this year, the center plans to develop personalized, gene-specific medicine for individuals.
Of all the drugs that have been designed for personalized treatment of illnesses such as cancer, only about 500 proteins have been targeted. Considering approximately 35,000 to 50,000 genes combine to form the nearly one million different types of proteins that exist in human genetic material, there is still a great deal of potential for improvement in signature medicines, according to Dr. Jeffrey Skolnick, director of the Buffalo Center of Excellence in Bioinformatics.
"It's a tiny percentage of the whole, so one can only imagine that when we have an effective way of going after these proteins, just how many drugs can be designed," Skolnick said at the University Council meeting Tuesday. "And by looking at variations, the ways in which you could specifically target medicine for individuals greatly increase as well."
According to Skolnick, making strides in the field of personalized medicine is the center's long-term goal, the fruits of which should be more visible sometime in the next five to 15 years.
"We want to figure out what (protein cells) do on a molecular level, but ultimately . what they do on the system level - that's the key," said Skolnick.
Designing drugs to target specific proteins is not a simple task.
Once the drug is in the system, a complicated process of secretion, absorption, and metabolism within the cells follows, and that is only if the drug successfully reaches the targeted protein. Toxic effects can result if everything does not go exactly as planned.
The design history of tailored medicines has encountered many failures, according to Skolnick. The drugs have to be tested using a trial and error method, making research a costly endeavor.
University officials hope the center's research will increase UB's stature as a research university by attracting funds and specialized scholars to the region.
Newly-elected University Council Student Representative Jennifer Tuttle expressed her belief that the research will bring increased recognition to UB. "As a student I feel that the short term effects of this research will be increased funding and prestige to the university," Tuttle stated in an e-mail.
UB Provost Elizabeth D. Capaldi also pointed to the research's effect on UB's national reputation.
"It's going to attract some more wonderful faculty and I think more students from all over the world are going to want to come here, and that the people who are here should be proud," Capaldi said.
