Before a cure, a crusade to stop lung cancer from spreading | News | Notre Dame News | University of Notre Dame Skip To Content Skip To Navigation Skip To Search University of Notre Dame Notre Dame News Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Home Contact Search Menu Home › News › Before a cure, a crusade to stop lung cancer from spreading Before a cure, a crusade to stop lung cancer from spreading Published: November 11, 2016 Author: Jessica Sieff The American Cancer Society has reported that lung cancer, which kills more Americans than any other type of cancer, is expected to result in an estimated 158,080 deaths in 2016. Although drugs are currently available to fight lung cancer, drug discovery challenges persist because treatment options are limited. Not only is lung cancer often drug resistant, but radiation treatment and surgery can be quite difficult depending on the location of the tumor(s) within the lungs. Robert Stahelin, Adjunct Associate Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame, Interim Senior Associate Director at the Harper Cancer Research Institute (HCRI) and Associate Professor of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology at the Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend, is working to better understand lung cancer at a cellular level and is investigating drugs that could inhibit lung cancer growth and prevent it from spreading. “I’m looking at signals within the lung cancer cells that cause them to grow quickly, move and divide,” he said. “With cancers, a primary tumor may metastasize and attack another organ in the body. Lung cancer often metastasizes — or spreads — to other organs such as the liver. Once the liver is infected, the cancer causes increased health problems and patients are more likely to succumb to the disease.” Stahelin’s laboratory aims to advance understanding of how the mechanisms of lipid signaling are controlled in lung and other types of cancers. Membranes, composed mainly of lipids, hold the keys to cell division, growth and metabolism necessary for cancer cell growth and metastasis. That understanding could ultimately help to determine the causes of lung cancer and identify viable targets, lipids or proteins for drug development and treatment. Contact: Robert Stahelin, 574-631-5054, rstaheli@nd.edu Posted In: Research Home Experts ND in the News Subscribe About Us Related October 05, 2022 Astrophysicists find evidence for the presence of the first stars October 04, 2022 NIH awards $4 million grant to psychologists researching suicide prevention September 29, 2022 Notre Dame, Ukrainian Catholic University launch three new research grants September 27, 2022 Notre Dame, Trinity College Dublin engineers join to advance novel treatment for cystic fibrosis September 22, 2022 Climate-prepared countries are losing ground, latest ND-GAIN index shows For the Media Contact Office of Public Affairs and Communications Notre Dame News 500 Grace Hall Notre Dame, IN 46556 USA Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube Pinterest © 2022 University of Notre Dame Search Mobile App News Events Visit Accessibility Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube LinkedIn