Nowak has researched a gene that she discovered for more than 20 years.
A gene first discovered in rats’ brains could potentially help treat tumor growth and diabetes complications in humans.
Felicia Nowak first discovered the previously unknown gene, called Porf-2, more than 20 years ago — before she even knew its function.
Now, Nowak, an associate professor of molecular endocrinology at Ohio University’s Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine, and her team have learned the gene could help millions of people.
“The significance of the research really is the potential benefit to our understanding of how the brain develops, how it works and also how things go wrong,” Nowak said. “The part that I find most exciting is that we basically discovered this factor and figured out what it does, which you don’t get to do every day.”
Though her research with the gene has led to many discoveries about its effect on the development of cells in the brain, Nowak said understanding Porf-2 is not the only factor in treating tumor growth and diabetes-related issues.
“There may well be other factors that are at play here, too,” Nowak said. “Hopefully, it will help us understand the process even if it doesn’t turn out to be a therapeutic tool.”
In previous research with graduate students, Nowak said they discovered that Porf-2 promotes cellular death but delays the cell division process that leads to the birth of new cells.
One of the most common examples of this programmed cell death is in a person’s hand, said Wen Zhang, a senior studying biological sciences and neuroscience in the Honors Tutorial College.
“When our hands grow out, they’re webbed, but due to cell death, the cells between our digits are able to program themselves to die (in order) to have our hands the way they are,” she said.
Though Nowak began her research in rats, she and Zhang have been working with cell culture models most recently to study cell death and growth.
“You can manipulate a lot of things in cell culture models that you can’t in animal models,” Nowak said. “The cell culture models were really where we got our first big breakthrough.”
Zhang said the current cell culture project serves as a preface to future research Nowak will be conducting.
One of the next steps in Nowak’s research is to use a mouse model to test the effects of having the gene versus not having Porf-2 in a healthy mouse.
Another possibility is to induce diabetes in mice to see if the gene protects against some of the problems associated with diabetes.
“Genetic research has taken on increasing importance as scientists like Dr. Nowak seek to understand and find connections between disease and genetics,” said Kenneth Johnson, executive dean of OU-HCOM, in an email. “Ultimately, the hope is that therapeutic remedies will be developed that can be used to both treat and prevent disease.”
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