Dr. Minond is Testing Small Molecules against Prostate Cancer for Drug Discovery
Dmitriy Minond, PhD, is an Associate Professor of the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Rumbaugh Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research.
Tell me briefly about your recent grant-funded project(s).
The project titled “In Vivo Efficacy and SAR Studies of Novel Anti-Prostate Cancer Compounds” is sponsored by Florida Department of Health Bankhead-Coley Cancer Research Grant mechanism. The objectives are (1) to test the novel small molecule we discovered against taxane-resistant prostate cancer in a mouse model, and (2) to conduct preliminary structure-activity relationship medicinal chemistry study to ascertain amenability of the lead compounds to optimization. The results of these studies will be used to submit subsequent proposals for more extensive studies.
Who is working with you on this project?
Dr. Sadeeshkumar Velayutham, an assistant research scientist in my lab, and Marvin Larbi, a PhD student in Molecular Medicine and Pharmacogenomics track in the Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy. We also collaborate with outside consultant, Dr. Robert Getzenberg (Executive Vice President of Clinical Development, Veru Inc) who is a prostate cancer translational biologist and a clinical researcher.
What opportunities and/or benefits does this grant bring to the NSU community?
This grant creates opportunities for students to get experience in drug discovery necessary for securing positions in either industry or academia. For faculty, it opens an additional venue for future collaborations and spin-off projects. For the public, this is a potentially new way to treat metastatic drug-resistant prostate cancer.
How does this project connect with your other work at NSU?
This project is one of several drug discovery projects that are being conducted by the researchers in my lab. We are working on drug discovery in melanoma and rheumatoid arthritis where we have patents for methods of treatment and novel compounds. The rheumatoid arthritis project is the closest to the clinic and we are trying to raise funds to conduct toxicology studies necessary for FDA application to conduct human trials.
How has NSU helped you pursue and/or achieve personal and professional goals you have set for yourself? NSU resources used?
In this project we are using vivarium for animal studies. All molecular work is being done at my laboratory in Rumbaugh Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research. We are also enjoying the support of the Office of Sponsored Research who helped us with pre- and post-submission processes. Having access to these resources allows me to pursue my professional goal of bringing new therapies to the clinic.
What advice do you have for other grant seekers at NSU?
I would like to pass on the advice that I received as a new principal investigator that worked for me and some of the truths that I learned by making multiple mistakes along the way. If you have an idea, get preliminary data, write and submit a grant, address the reviews, and re-submit. The rest is details (which study section, which agency, which mechanism etc.). Stick to the basic process and prepare for the long haul. Be patient, read the comments and try to see the proposal from a reviewer’s viewpoint, try to see what the major criticisms are that really need to be addressed and what are the minor ones. Grant writing is a never-ending learning process, but by going through this process you will learn how to recognize and deal with issues, and it will serve you well throughout your career.
What is the next grant proposal or project on your agenda?
I don’t think in terms of a single grant – I will be submitting multiple proposals to multiple agencies for all my current projects. The projects are living stories that get updated as we progress. My goal is to keep all stories/projects funded so they continue until we can get them to clinic.