19 August 2025

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Research targets DNA replication vulnerability in oral cancer

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To help increase success in treating patients with oral cancer, Adams School of Dentistry’s Aimin Peng, PhD, is working on a project to target a possible vulnerability in this cancer type. By exploiting replication stress in oral cancer cells, researchers hope to develop more effective and targeted therapies for patients with oral cancer, the sixth most common cancer.

Uncontrolled growth is a hallmark of cancer, and the ability to replicate DNA under stress is essential for tumor growth. Peng said he and his team will use mouse models and cell biology techniques to explore the molecular mechanisms of DNA replication under stressful conditions in oral cancer. 

“This integrated approach allows us to study replication dynamics and stress responses both in vitro and in vivo, with high physiological relevance,” Peng said. 

Peng said targeting the pathways that enable DNA replication under stress could be used to effectively suppress tumor cells while sparing healthy cells. As researchers target that replication stress pathway, they hope to identify and characterize promising areas where therapeutics might come into play, based on studies in oral cancer cells and mouse models.

“Ultimately, we hope to establish proof-of-principle for pharmacological targeting of replication stress as a novel approach to oral cancer treatment,” Peng said.

This project brings together expertise in oral cancer biology, cell cycle regulation, transgenic mouse modeling, and pharmacological development. These complementary areas are critical for ensuring mechanistic rigor, physiological relevance, and translational potential.

Source: https://dentistry.unc.edu/