IIT Seminar Series: Stephen Safe

Tue, November 14, 2023 11:00 AM - Tue, November 14, 2023 1:00 PM at 162 Food Safety & Toxicology Building

*The Institute for Integrative Toxicology presents Dr. Stephen Safe, Texas A&M University, to speak on, “Nuclear Receptor 4A (NR4A) as a Target for Inhibition of Tumor Growth and Reversal of T cell Exhaustion,” on Tuesday, November 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. in 162 Food Safety and Toxicology Building.

Bis-Indole derived compounds (CDIMs) bind pro-oncogenic orphan nuclear receptors 4A1 (NR4A1) and NR4A2 and inhibit growth, survival, migration and invasion of most solid tumors. A subset of the CDIM compounds bind both receptors and these dual receptor ligands act as inverse NR4A1/2 agonists in cancer cells and tumors. Moreover in a syngeneic mouse model using mouse MC38 colon cancer cells as xenografts the dual receptor ligands inhibited tumor growth decreased T cell exhaustion in tumor and splenic infiltrating lymphocytes and also decreased splenomegaly. Similar results were observed in other tumor types.

Research in the Safe laboratory focuses on developing and discovering compounds for mechanism-based drug development that targets both cancer and non-cancer endpoints. The major target for cancer chemotherapy includes specific protein (Sp) transcription factors, the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), the estrogen receptor (ER), and orphan nuclear receptors NR4A1 (Nur77, TR3) and NR4A2 (Nurr1).

*Fulfills seminar requirements for the Environmental and Integrative Toxicological Sciences Graduate Programs. Seminars that fulfill this requirement are archived at: https://iit.msu.edu/training/eits/recent-seminar-list.html.