Donald ronning, ph.d.
Professor, Pharmaceutical Science | University of Nebraska Medical Center
Dr. Ronning’s research foci are the discovery and development of novel anti-infective and anti-cancer compounds. The anti-infective drug discovery efforts are particularly interested on identifying and developing compounds possessing efficacy for treating Tuberculosis, but many targets are relevant to other bacterial pathogens.
As a part of this discovery process, the research aims to understand the mechanistic details of protein function through structural characterization and enzyme kinetic studies, and to use that knowledge to identify inhibitors, assess mechanisms of inhibition, and detail the modes of interaction with the target protein. In addition, new cancer projects include understanding and targeting DNA repair mechanisms in Ovarian Cancer as well as lead optimization of compounds for treating Medulloblastoma.
Research Grants
2020-2021
Assessing MP1 Mechanism-of-action in Juvenile Cancers | Project Complete
$100,000
The main findings are that results from using xenograph mouse models to assess the efficacy of MP1 for the treatment of Medulloblastoma are encouraging. These results support the continued study of MP1 as a lead compound for Medulloblastoma. While the proposed in vitro studies were unable to confirm that MYC is the target of MP1, there are alternative methodologies that could be employed to more quickly identify the molecular target(s) of this compound. Given the opportunity to perform such studies could lead to better delivery to the brain and improved efficacy in treating MB.