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Finkielstein Lab members

April 22, 2025

AI-backed saliva test shows promise for flagging chemotherapy risk, early results indicate

Early results from a new study suggest that a simple saliva test with powerful artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms could help doctors identify cancer patients at high risk for severe side effects from a widely used chemotherapy drug.

The drug, 5-fluorouracil (5-FU), has been in use since the 1950s, making it one of the oldest chemotherapy agents still used today. It remains a cornerstone of cancer treatment, used in nearly a third of chemotherapy treatments for colorectal, breast, head and neck, pancreatic, and stomach cancers.

5-FU disrupts how cells make and use DNA. Cancer cells divide rapidly and need to copy their DNA continuously. The drug mimics DNA building blocks and jams the process, halting cancer cell growth. But some patients carry genetic differences that prevent their bodies from breaking down the drug properly. In those cases, 5-FU can build up to toxic levels, causing serious and sometimes life-threatening complications.

 

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    A Novel Bispecific Antibody to Target the Brain Tumor Microenvironment , home

    May 2, 2025, 11:00 a.m. | Khuson Yun, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of Neurology, Houston Methodist Chair, Neurodegenerative Disease Research, Houston Methodist Research Institute, Weill Cornell Medical College | Co-Sponsored by the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute Cancer Research Center – Roanoke

Creating a healthier future. For everyone.

The Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC is one of the nation’s fastest-growing academic biomedical research enterprises and a destination for world-class researchers. The institute’s Virginia Tech scientists focus on diseases that are the leading causes of death and suffering in the United States, including brain disorders, heart disease, and cancer. Since its founding in 2010, the research institute has experienced unprecedented growth: doubling its enterprise and lab facilities in Roanoke, while also investing in brand-new laboratories on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus in Washington, D.C.

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Giving to the Research Institute

Your generous support of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute's rigorous biomedical research enterprise makes a difference for our faculty, students, and patients. Every donation helps accelerate the pace of new discoveries to help patients with cancer, neurological disorders, heart disease, and even rare genetic disorders. Private donations fast-track our progress.