Medical School Professor Presents Research at International Cancer Conference

Dr. Alekseev and medical student research assistants, Laura Barba & Blake Taylor
Dr. Oleg Alekseev, Associate Professor of Anatomy at Campbell University Jerry M. Wallace School of Medicine, presented his research at the “Anticancer Drug Action and Drug Resistance: from Cancer Biology to the Clinic” conference hosted last month in Florence, Italy.  Dr. Alekseev has been investigating the expression of tNASP (t- isoform of Nuclear Autoantigenic Sperm Protein) in human prostate in normal and the most common pathological conditions in the prostate.  Due to the potential impact of his research, his work generated the significant interest and led to him being invited to present his findings at the international conference hosted by the Eurpoean Association for Cancer Research, American Association for Cancer Research, and the Italian Cancer Society.
The research demonstrated that tNASP protein is not present in a normal prostate, but tNASP is always present in a prostate with cancer. Two important conclusions were drawn from these findings: the presence of tNASP in prostate cells can be used for the diagnostic of prostate cancer; and we can treat the prostate cancer by targeting the expression of tNASP.
“As a highly immunogenic protein, tNASP generates the immune response when the protein is expressed in prostate cancer. Measuring this immune response could be used for the design of new diagnostic and prognostic marker for prostate cancer,” said Alekseev.
Alekseev began his research at UNC-Chapel Hill and continued his work in the Bryan Hall Research Facility at Campbell University upon joining the faculty in 2013.   His earlier data had already demonstrated that a simple diagnostic test (ELISA) can be used to detect the presence of tNASP in the blood and use it as the diagnostic marker for prostate cancer with the high degree of accuracy. His most recent findings affirms the protein is only expressed in cancer cells and therefore allows for targeting of cancer cells, while leaving health cells alone, in the designing of new treatment approaches for prostate cancer.
“The research project now is in an active phase,” said Alekseev. “I invited two ambitious and promising CUSOM students, Laura Barba and Blake Taylor (CUSOM 2017) to participate in the research – both of them have previous cancer research experience. We were pleased to have our two year research results accepted for poster presentation at the joint, interdisciplinary conference in Florence.”
“Campbell University and CUSOM are very supportive in providing the researchers with the access to the research facility, modern equipment, and a favorable research environment which allowed the research to continue without hassles or delays,” said Alekseev.
“Participation in this conference and reporting our results is the logical continuation of the hard work Laura Barba, Blake Taylor and myself have put into this project.  It was a pleasure to represent CUSOM as a rising competitive research institution at a top-ranked international scientific conference.”
Dr. Alekseev will continue his research with continued assistance from Campbell medical students.