Sounding the Death Knell on Cancer Cells
Each year about 550,000 Americans die of cancer, or more than 1,500 people each day. The human body has 50 to 100 trillion cells. To maintain a perfect balance of cell numbers in each organ, our body has a sophisticated program, called apoptosis, to get rid of unwanted cells. Each day, many cells repair themselves or "commit suicide." If apoptosis fails to occur as it should, uncontrolled cell growth occurs, and a number of diseases can result. Apoptosis failure is a major cause of cancer.
Over the past two decades, scientists such as Jialing 
Xiang, associate professor of biology, have taken a closer look at the stepwise apoptotic process in normal and cancer cells. Xiang is investigating the role of cellular regulator molecules involved in the signaling process. "The outcome of our research will help us to understand how cancer cells are able to escape the 'death penalty,'" she explains. "Our efforts may also identify potential cellular targets for designing anticancer drugs." Xiang's research work has been supported by the American Cancer Society and the National Institutes of Health. She has published over 35 peer reviewed papers on cancer related research.
2008 IIT Annual Report; Updated August 2, 2010
