VOL. CXVIII, No. 39
DailyBarometer.com
wednesday, NOVEMBER 4, 2015 Oregon State University
Glow away, cancer
OSU researchers use compound to make cancer cells glow, aid in treatment, removal of ovarian cancer By Lauren Sluss News Contributor
Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered how to make cancer cells glow in a treatment that both helps surgeons to locate cancer cells for removal and kills any cancer cells that remain. The research team based out of the College of Pharmacy recently unveiled the breakthrough in a presentation at the American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences’ annual meeting in Orlando, Florida. The success of the treatment is due to the compound naphthalocyanine, which glows when exposed to near-infrared light. “Basically, we have developed a diagnostic agent to be used for image guided phototherapy application. We can deliver this agent to cancer tissues to make it glow,” said Olena Taratula, principal investigator and assistant professor at the College of Pharmacy. “The surgeon can then see more clearly where the cancer cells are located, and have an easier time
removing them.” The process was not an easy one, though, as naphthalocyanine isn’t water soluble and has a tendency to house itself in several cells within the body, rather that just the cancer cells. By adding a special watersoluble polymer called a dendrimer, scientists were able to coax the compound to reside exclusively in cancer cells. This breakthrough has both diagnostic and therapeutic applications. “Not only can these nanoparticles injected into the cancer cells provide additional image guiding during surgery, but they can also be used for cancer therapy,” Taratula said. “These nanoparticles can generate heat under an infrared light and kill the cancer cells on the spot.” The nanoparticle injections have already had positive results. Although it is too early to begin clinical trials, the OSU research team has successfully used the chemical compound on mice. “We injected it into the mice and within 24 hours
the compound had entered the tumor, allowing us to use phototherapy and infrared light to cut out and destroy the cancer cells,” Taratula said. The research responsible for making the discovery was conducted on ovarian cancer cells and has real implications toward an advancement in ovarian cancer treatment. “We expect about twenty-two thousand women to be diagnosed with ovarian cancer each year. What we are trying to do is to provide a safer, more efficient way for surgeons to remove the cancer cells,” Taratula said. The ultimate goal for the team is to move to clinical trials, junior and biohealth major Tony Duong explained. Duong has been working with the research team for over two years, and has seen the implications the nanoparticle research can have. “The plan overall is to eventually be able to produce our nanoparticles on a mass scale and to be able to
See Glow, Page 6
Students rally in the fight for free textbooks ASOSU textbook rally works to bring free textbooks to OSU By Julie Cooper News Contributor
CONTRIBUTED BY ASOSU
According to Oregon State University’s financial aid and scholarship webpage, OSU students pay an average of $1950 per year on textbooks and school supplies. The most recently distributed biannual student survey by the Oregon Student Association listed textbook affordability as the number two issue of concern for OSU students, following college affordability. On Wednesday, Nov. 4, Associated Students of Oregon State University will partner with the Beaver Store, OSU Faculty Senate and the OSU Library to hold a rally in the Student Experience Center Plaza to provide information on
NOV 4TH SEC PLAZA @ 1:00PM IN THIS ISSUE >>> BE A PART OF HISTORY AND HELP BRING FREE TEXTBOOKS TO OSU! JOIN US FOR SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKERS, ACTIVITIES, AND FUN! For more information email asosu@oregonstate.edu or visit our website at asosu.oregonstate.edu/textbookrally
how students and faculty can become involved with bringing free textbooks to OSU. To address student concerns, OSU is attempting to get more legislative support and funding for the use of Open Education Resources. Lyndi Petty, the ASOSU vice president and current interim ASOSU president, has taken over the responsibility of putting on the rally in the aftermath of ASOSU President Cassie Huber’s recent impeachment. According to Huber, the Higher Education Coordinating Committee recently granted Oregon’s 24 public universities and community colleges a fund of $700,000 to be shared for the purpose of compensating and developing textbooks. Huber said ASOSU originally requested $1.1 million, but the full amount was not approved. “The goal of the rally is really to increase awareness about open educational resources, and to develop
a system where we can get faculty, students and administration behind us to go back to the legislature, and be like, ‘We’ve got this long list of people dedicated to the use of OERs, let’s move this forward. We need more money,’” Huber said. Petty will speak briefly at the rally on behalf of ASOSU, and provide support to those who have been involved in the project from the start, including ASOSU’s Executive Director of Government Relations Tabitha Pitzer. Petty’s greatest hope for the rally is creating a widespread knowledge and involvement among students throughout the process of change. “I really want as many students as possible to be there, because this is a really awesome opportunity for students to be directly involved with something that’s really important,” Petty said. “We do have a voice as stu-
See Rally, Page 3
Razor-thin glass technology, NEWS, PAGE 3 Wrestling back on the mat, SPORTS, PAGE 4 Citation software with Dr. Tech, FORUM, PAGE 8