Jong Yun, PhD
Associate Professor, Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics
Experimental Therapeutics, Penn State Cancer Institute
Biography
Development of therapeutic agents for cancer and neurological diseases (Cancer Neuroscience).
Our current project is centered around our novel drug-like compound, SHY-1. SHY-1 is a potent dual kinase inhibitor of Rho kinase and death associated protein kinase-1. Using multiple in vitro cell culture models, we discovered that SHY-1 robustly stimulates neurite/axon formation/growth leading to extensive synaptic connections. Based on these and other evidence, SHY-1 is being developed as a novel pharmacological therapeutic agent for neurological injury and/or diseases and cancer. We are elucidating the signaling mechanisms associated with SHY-1 in induction of neuronal neurite/axon formation/growth and cancer cell death.