PULLMAN, Wash. — Washington State University cancer researcher Nancy Magnuson looks forward to the day oncologistsusing gene analysiscan prescribe new chemotherapeutic agents to prevent or even eliminate malignant tumors in their patients.
Her dream may have moved closer to a reality when, in 1980, she and other researchers were working to isolate and clone a cytokinea small protein molecule that regulates immune systemsbut discovered an oncogene.
Intrigued by the discovery of a gene that seemed to keep very close company with cancer cells, Magnuson’s research took a new direction. “It’s like a detective story,” she said. “It’s nice to be able to discover something that no one has ever known before.”
“Solving the Mystery of Why Cancer Happens” will be the topic of Magnuson’s Nov. 16 presentation at
The Herbert Eastlick Distinguished Professor of Molecular Biosciences, Magnuson is focusing her research on a gene that helps cells survive but which also causes cancer.
The gene, pim 1, and its product protein, Pim-1, a known promoter of cancer cell growth, are the focus of her research. Because the protein promotes cell survival, Magnuson believes that ability may also be the key to Pim-1’s role in promoting the production of cancerous cells. Solving that puzzle could lead to the development of chemotherapeutic agents that will selectively eliminate cancer cells.
In 2002, more than 31,000 people in the state of
Researchers, including those at WSU’s Cancer Prevention and
Magnuson earned a bachelor’s degree from UCLA and a doctorate in immunology from WSU. She serves on the board of directors of the