Dyson College of Arts and Sciences

W W W . P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N W W W . P A C E . E D U / D Y S O N 15 Nancy Krucher Professor of Biology Nancy Krucher studies how cancer cells function and make the decision to grow, with an emphasis on the ability of certain proteins within the cells to stop the cancer from growing. The Retinoblastoma Rb protein, one of the first proteins shown to regulate cell proliferation, normally inhibits proliferation, but becomes inactive in most types of human cancer. Through her research, Krucher developed a methodology to activate the Rb protein in cancer cells, with the aim of halting their proliferation. Supported by a three-year $360,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health, Krucher initially studied the role of Rb proteins in the proliferation of breast cancer cells, but since 2017, her research has progressed to studying the activation of Rb in pancreatic cancer, one that is very invasive early on, and within which the Rb protein is inactive. In July 2018, she was awarded a new grant in the amount $399,135 from the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute to fund her important work, which could lead to new treatment strategies for certain types of cancer. It also supports undergraduate student research and exposes students to hands-on research experiences. I M P A C T Krucher has been able to not only stop proliferation, but cause cancer cell death, includ- ing inhibiting the invasive ability of the cells. This research is immensely important because only one-fifth of Americans diagnosed with pancre- atic cancer survive for a full year, according to the American Cancer Society, and it is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the country. Aaron Steiner Assistant Professor of Biology Aaron Steiner is the recipient of a three- year $378,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health. The funding supports his research on the cellular and molecular processes that enable auditory hair cell regeneration, which can restore compromised hearing in fish and other non-mammalian vertebrates. This could aid in understanding hair cell recovery in the human ear, which is important because these cells do not naturally regenerate, and loss or deterioration often negatively impacts hearing. I M P A C T Steiner's research could potentially identify new paths to stop hearing loss, which afflicts as many as 20 percent of Americans, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. Scientists may also be able to use his work to study a wider range of biological processes, such as how the brain is wired, or how immune cells find and destroy their targets.

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