Thalidomide, a drug that caused birth defects in the 1960s by destroying blood vessels, is still used today to treat clinical conditions. The molecular target of thalidomide in the endothelial cell that makes up our blood vessels is unknown. This project aims to carry out an RNA Sequencing screen using Human Endothelial Venous Endothelial Cells that have been treated with thalidomide to identify novel candidates. These candidates will then be isolated and validated in a variety of models systems including human cell lines and chicken and zebrafish embryos.
Identifying the molecular targets of thalidomide in the endothelial cell will provide more detail on how thalidomide caused the broad range of birth defects it is associated with. Of equal importance, this project should allow us to design more potent thalidomide analogs that could be used to treat cancer more effectively by targeting only vascular-specific targets, ultimately having societal impact including more targeted cancer medicines.