Peixuan Guo Lab

Developing Anti-Cancer Drugs Without Debilitating Side Effects

The Guo Lab experts know that there is no routine blood cancer, and today, treatments are no longer a one-size-fits-all approach. Each patient is different, with unique genetic biomarkers driving his or her cancer, and the Guo Lab is working to develop anti-cancer drugs that specifically target diseased cells using RNA nanotechnologies, reducing side effects and unnecessary toxicity to the patient.

Mission

At the OSUCCC – James, the Guo Lab’s mission is to advance cancer treatments by developing RNA nanotechnology platforms that target specific cancers and result in advanced treatment protocols that are more efficient and that also spare patients the crippling side effects that often accompany current anti-cancer drugs.

Pioneering unprecedented work, the.nationally recognized research team is motivated to transform cancer treatment by developing technologies that allow researchers and scientists to target specific cells, further enabling physicians to tailor even more individualized, precise treatments.

The team is inspired by cohesive teamwork, interdisciplinary projects, a high-morale environment, and personal and professional motivation to perform research and make discoveries. 

How We Do It

The Guo Lab’s internationally recognized research team has expertise in both basic and commercial research applications. Researchers focus on numerous projects, from answering basic scientific questions on the mechanisms of viral assembly and DNA packaging with the phi29 nanomotor to developing novel cancer therapeutics using RNA nanotechnology and diagnostic approaches for single-pore sensing using the phi29 motor channel.

Approaches include biotechnology, nanotechnology, pharmaceutics, chemistry, biophysics, molecular biology, biomedical engineering, computer modeling and mathematical quantification to investigate fundamental questions such as RNA/RNA, RNA/protein, protein/protein, or ATPase/DNA and biomotor/DNA interactions, as well as macromolecular structure and function.

The Guo Lab experts know that there is no routine cancer, and today, treatments are no longer a one-size-fits-all approach. Each patient is different, with unique genetic biomarkers driving his or her cancer. and the Guo Lab is working to develop anti-cancer drugs that specifically target diseased cells using RNA nanotechnologies or personal medicine to reduce side effects and unnecessary toxicity to the patient.

In fact, the National Cancer Institute and several commercial companies have licensed Dr. Guo’s medical patents and are working on pre-clinical staging for cancer therapies and diagnoses. Their groundbreaking research has resulted in more than eight international conferences including the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on RNA Nanotechnology, for which Dr. Guo is founding chair, and a new International Society of RNA Nanotechnology and Nanomedicine (ISRNN), for which Dr. Guo serves as the founding president.

Breakthroughs and Discoveries

The Guo Lab is unique to the region and the nation, and Dr. Guo’s work has been reported on hundreds of times, including on television (such as ABC, NBC and BBC) and has been frequently featured on the websites of NIH, NSF, MSNBC and NCI.

Dr. Guo has also been a member of two prominent, national nanotech initiatives sponsored by NIST/NIH/NSF and the National Science and Technology Council, and the director of NIH Nano Medicine Development Center.

Collaboration With Other Ohio State Labs and Research Teams

The interdisciplinary nature of the Guo Lab’s research provides an excellent foundation for collaboration with many scientists from different disciplines. According to Dr. Guo, his lab’s team is inherently interdisciplinary, and each team member provides his or her input to ensure the entire group works cohesively and shares a mutual enthusiasm.

The team looks for scientists and collaborators who are complementary in skill sets and with common interests. They seek collaborators who can focus, persist and lead on projects.