January 9, 2020 Volume 102 Number 01 THE DUQUESNE DUKE www.duqsm.com PROUDLY SERVING OUR CAMPUS SINCE 1925 Welcome back, time to hit the stacks New drug created to target only cancer cells Kellen Stepler features editor A Duquesne University pharmacy professor and his team have re- cently created and synthesized a drug that targets cancer cells with- out damaging normal cells. Aleem Gangjee and students in his lab have developed a way to block the protein SHMT 2. When SHMT 2 is overproduced in the body, it is a major contributing factor in pancreatic cancer cases. Gangjee explained that SHMT 2 is known as an “onco driver,” which is an enzyme that drives cancer. “The goal of the drug is to attack a specific enzyme in pancreatic cancers,” Gangjee said. “The onco driver leads to growth of cancer cells in the pancreas.” Gangjee also notes the drug is Griffin Sendek / Photo Editor selective; the new treatment will Students return to campus and to the library as the Spring 2020 semester begins on Jan. 9. see CANCER — page 2 Osteopathic School of Medicine finds its home at DU Jessica Lincoln vations last year. staff writer "I believe that 1323 Forbes Av- enue is the ideal location for the new Duquesne's new College of Osteo- medical school," said John M. Kauff- pathic Medicine now has a home, man Jr., the founding dean of the officials confirmed in December, as medical college, who assumed the the university entered into a purchase role on Jan. 1. "In addition to being agreement for a Forbes Avenue build- at the entrance of the university, it is ing site. located across the street from UPMC The Medical College will be located Mercy Hospital, where we anticipate at 1323 Forbes Ave., a 1.2-acre site training medical students. This co- bordered by Magee Street to the west location of medical school and teach- and Stevenson Street to the east. ing hospital would serve the needs of The university has agreed to pay our communities, the medical stu- $5.7 million for the site, which is cur- dents and the faculty very well." rently occupied by the headquarters Work on the building will com- of Life'sWork of Western PA, a non- mence later this year with the de- profit organization. The new build- molition of the Weitzman Building, ing will sit across from the UPMC which has served as the headquar- Cooper Fieldhouse (formerly A.J. ters of Life'sWork for nearly 50 years. Palumbo Center), which began reno- Katia Faroun / Staff Photographer see OSTEOPATH — page 2 opinions features sports a & e Follow us on... Conflict With Iran New Year, MBB Looks Superstar at the New You Sharp Benedum The iconic rock Trump’s terrible Starting 2020 off Can the team opera visits decision making right keep winning? Pittsburgh @theduquesneduke PAGE 4 PAGE 5 PAGE 6 PAGE 7 2 THEDUQUESNEDUKE POLICE briefs DU professor creates drug to attack cancer cells, leave healthy cells alone Welcome back to campus! Some- how there was crime over break CANCER — from page 1 The idea to create a drug like executive officer at Flag Therapeu- for us to report. Let’s hope your this was “obvious,” according to tics, which develops the drug for enter only pancreatic tumors. He New Year’s resolution is to do Gangjee. clinical trials. explained that cancer cells have a better. “Once we found that SHMT 2 According to the American Can- transport mechanism that allows was an onco driver, it was just cer Society, pancreatic cancer is them to facilitate nutrients to en- On Dec. 18, a student reported a matter of designing a drug,” the third-leading cause of cancer- ter the cell. Some transport sys- that one of his roommates may Gangjee said. “It took an enor- related death in the U.S., and has tems are only in tumor cells, while have taken his microwave and an mous amount of time, it didn’t just the highest mortality rate of all others are found in normal and expensive jacket. happen overnight. The idea was major cancers. For all stages com- tumor cells. mine, and lab student Junayed bined, 91% of pancreatic cancer “The drug avoids normal cells, On Dec. 23, a non-affiliated fe- Nayeen synthesized the drug.” patients will die within five years and just attacks cancerous cells,” male reported that she had been Chemical synthesis in drugs is of diagnosis. Gangjee said. “Only cancerous sexually assaulted by a Duquesne cells get transported.” an artificial execution of chemical Gangjee’s research is not going University student in the Locust Currently, the drug is still in reactions to obtain a product. Syn- unnoticed at Duquesne. Street Parking Garage. The City animal trials. These studies have thesis occurs through physical and “Dr. Gangjee has dedicated his of Pittsburgh Police sexual as- been successful thus far, as the chemical manipulations involving entire career to new drug discov- sault unit was contacted and is treatment has yielded positive re- Courtesy Duquesne.edu one or more reactions. ery. His latest discovery, a drug handling the investigation. sults in both early and late-stage called Flag Therapeutics, which is Gangjee explained that students targeting pancreatic cancer, is an pancreatic cancer. in his lab synthesize the drug at excellent example of how basic sci- On Dec. 28, the theft of a bicycle an early-stage oncology company. “We expect the drug in clinical Duquesne, and then send out the ence medical research contributes had been discovered, but no vic- Last year, Gangjee shared his trials in about a year or two, but drug to other institutions to be to increasing health outcomes in tim has reported it missing as of findings at an American Associa- there are a lot of hoops to jump tested. Gangjee collaborates with patient their communities, which this time. through,” Gangjee said. tion of Cancer Research confer- Dr. Larry Matherly at the Karma- is the essence of the mission of the Gangjee is hopeful to begin pre- ence, and the results have been nos Cancer Institute in Detroit, School of Pharmacy at Duquesne,” clinical development of the drug published in Molecular Cancer which tests the treatment, and Dr. said J. Douglas Bricker, dean of JOKE CORNER! in the near future with a group Therapeutics. Frank Sorgi, president and chief Duquesne’s School of Pharmacy. I was gonna tell a time- traveling joke, but you guys didn’t like it. Medical school to take Man who claimed to Job interviewer: “And over LifeWorks building be missing boy gets where would you see yourself in five years’ OSTEOPATH— from page 1 As a result of the plan, new de- time Mr. Jeffries?” velopment in the Uptown area is Planners estimate that the new expected to adhere to sustainable two years in prison building and other improvements Mr. Jeffries: “Personally building performance standards, (AP) — An Ohio man who claimed ra, Illinois, boy who disappeared in to the medical college will cost I believe my biggest weak- and developers are encouraged to to be a child who disappeared at 2011 at age 6. Authorities said Rini about $60 million. A "substantial ness is in listening.” use other "green" design strate- age 6 pleaded guilty Wednesday to claimed he had just escaped captors portion of the cost of construction" gies throughout the planning pro- aggravated identity theft and will who sexually abused him. will be covered by upcoming fund- cess. Preliminary designs for the serve two years in prison, minus Federal authorities said they were raising efforts, the university said medical college include enhanced time served. suspicious after he refused to be fin- in a statement. Q: What’s the best thing greenspace in the area, as well as Brian Michael Rini, 24, of Medi- gerprinted. DNA testing quickly re- SLAM collaborative architects about Switzerland? glassed lobby spaces and a curved na, will be on one year of probation vealed his true identity. have already completed prelimi- setback from the road. to be served at the end of his sen- Rini had been released from a A: I don’t know, but the nary designs for the 80,000 square As for Life'sWork, the university tence, U.S. Judge Michael Barrett state prison last March after serving flag is a big plus. foot building, and construction is has structured a delayed closing so told him. Rini will be credited for more than a year on burglary and set to begin in June 2021. SLAM's that the organization and its ten- time served dating to his arrest on vandalism charges. Prison records previous work includes the Medical ants will have time to relocate. The April 4, 2019. show he was accused of making up Education Building at Emory Uni- organization will begin transition- Rini, now with a neatly trimmed stories during his time there. Q: What happens to a versity and the Simulation Center ing to its new space in the South beard, answered Barrett with a soft Richard Monahan, a federal pub- frog’s car when it breaks at Johns Hopkins Hospital. Side this spring, with the move set “Yes, sir,” when asked whether he un- lic defender, told Barrett that Rini down? "In addition to administrative derstood the consequences of his plea. still faces state probation violation and faculty offices, the building will to be completed by June 30. "The space we have on Forbes Prosecutors dropped charges of charges, among other pending legal A: It gets toad away. include more than 12,000 square lying to FBI agents. Barrett ordered matters. Avenue is no longer ideally suited feet of classroom space and more a presentencing investigation into When confronted with the DNA to meet our current and future than 20,000 square feet of space Rini’s background, but both sides results, Rini said he’d watched a needs," the organization said in a for such advanced learning tech- agreed that the federal identity theft story about Timmothy on ABC’s blog post.