Research Projects

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a global health issue, with it being the third most common cancer in males and the second most common in females. sphingolipids play a role in cell proliferation, and acid ceramidase (AsAH1) is an enzyme that converts ceramide to sphingosine, which is phosphorylated by sphK1 and 2 to s1P. Tumor cells have an inherent tendency to increase AsAH1 expression, providing survival advantages. The role of AsAH1 in colorectal cancer progression, regulating the host immune response, and modulating the tumor microenvironment is yet to be fully understood. This proposal aims to address these roles through in vitro and in vivo assays using pre-clinical models of CRC. The third objective is to combine AsAH1 inhibitors with checkpoint inhibitor antibodies in syngeneic and humanized mouse models to study the effects of individual dugs alone and in combination. The results of this proposal are expected to provide more insights into the unknown roles of acid ceramidase in colorectal cancer progression.