Research Overview
The main focus of the Lam Lab lies in discovering revolutionary and innovative methods of disease treatment on a nano-scale and molecular scale. Our work is most related to molecular medicine, drug discovery, nanoparticle and drug-delivery techniques in cancer and other diseases. Our research is done through the use of cutting edge technologies and established procedures.
Versatile Nanoparticle-based Drug Delivery Platform
We have developed a novel telodendrimer-based micellar nanoparticle platform for efficient drug delivery. It shows great promise in formulating many existing and new drugs to enhance the drug efficacy and lower the drug side-effect for a number of different diseases. These nanoparticles have been successfully used to treat ovarian cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, multiple myeloma and lymphoma animal models and kill leukemia cancer stem cells. Furthermore, a variety of imaging agents, such as fluorescent dyes and radionuclides could be physically encapsulated or covalently attached to the nanoparticles which allow us to use these nanoparticles as contrast agents for SPECT, PET, MRI, CT and fluorescent imaging.
The Base Technology: OBOC
In 1991, the one-bead-one-compound (OBOC) combinatorial library method was introduced through the recognition that via the "split-mix" scheme of synthesis, a unique synthetic compound were displayed on each bead, thus the "one-bead one-compound" concept. Using this method, millions of compounds can be generated within days and screening can be achieved within days as well.
Initially developed to screen libraries consisting of short linear peptides, OBOC libraries have ever since been expanded to cyclic peptides, peptoids, peptidomimetic and small molecule libraries, and have been successfully used in the identification of protein kinase and protease substrates and inhibitors, ligands for cell surface receptors, enzymes involved with mRNA processing, artificial enzymes and various ligands for the preparation of affinity column media. An innovative procedure, OBOC holds a variety of uses in the fields of combinatorial libraries and nano-medicine.
Click here to view the original OBOC article published in Nature in 1991: