Page 26 - Hormel Report 2023

Jarrod French, PhD
“Cancer cells reprogram their metabolism to support their rapid rate of growth. If we can better understand the differences in their metabolic pathways, we can exploit this knowledge to develop novel therapies that treat cancer by selectively starving
transformed cells.”
Jarrod French
26 | THE HORMEL INSTITUTE // Nucleotide Metabolism and
Drug Discovery
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
Our lab uses an integrative and highly collaborative approach to identify the molecular determinants of protein func-
tion and dysfunction in various physiological contexts. We are particularly interested in proteins and protein complexes that regulate metabolic processes such as nucleotide biosynthesis, the discovery and development
of immunomodulatory therapies, and the mecha- nisms that certain photoreceptors use for signal transduction. We also develop new chemical biology and structural biology tools and methods.
Assembly Mechanisms, Regulation and Function of Higher Order Protein Structures of Nucleotide Metabolism
We are working to understand how large struc- tures of proteins, called biomolecular conden- sates, are assembled, organized and
trafficked in cells. These types of structures help to regulate, both in space and time, how important cellular
nutrients are made and broken down
(see figure). The purine biosynthetic pathway is a particu- larly important target for the development of anti-cancer treat- ments because rapidly growing cancer
cells require vast amounts of purines to proliferate.
Targeting the Suppressor of TCR Signaling (STS) Proteins as a Means to Enhance the Immune Response to Treat Infections by Deadly Pathogens
The Suppressor of T-cell Receptor Signaling (STS) proteins are negative regulators of anti-fungal and anti-bacterial responses. With our collaborator Nick Carpino at Stony Brook University, we have found that knock-out of this protein in mice leads to a profound resistance to infection. We are currently in the process of developing small molecule inhibitors for STS-1 as lead candidates for a potential immunomod- ulatory drug. Such therapies could be broadly applicable against a wide variety of bacterial and fungal pathogens.