A student from the University of Northern British Columbia has won a Studentship from the BC Cancer Agency to conduct Molecular Biology research at the University this summer.

Dustin King, a Biochemistry and Molecular Biology student from Burns Lake, will be carrying out cancer research under UNBC Chemistry professor Chow Lee, and investigating the way certain RNA molecules create conditions conducive to the spread of the disease in the body.

“One of the things that attracted me to UNBC was Dr. Lee’s research,” says King, who is in his fourth year of studies. “The interaction of molecular structures has always interested me, and to be afforded the opportunity to work with a scientist of his caliber while still an undergraduate is a fantastic opportunity.”

King has designed molecules in the lab, which inhibit a protein interaction that promotes cancer. In addition, his research has found that the new molecules can decrease CD44 mRNA in human cervical cancer cells. CD44 is a protein that makes cancer cells more invasive and able to spread in the body.

“Dustin has a creative and inquiring mind and is very passionate about scientific research. He is doing outstanding work very early on in his career,” says Dr. Lee. “The fact that he is of aboriginal ancestry also makes him an exceptional role model for young people in northern BC.”

Dr. Lee says he expects the research to be completed this summer and to have the results published in an academic journal sometime in the fall.

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