Tyler Trent is no longer with us, but he's saving lives anyway.
Using cells taken from the Purdue superfans tumors, researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine have made a groundbreaking discovery, finding a combination therapy that significantly slows tumor growth.
The researchers, led by Karen E. Pollok, PhD, found a variation in Tyler’s tumors (TT1 and TT2) called the MYC-RAD21 signature, which has been found in tumors that tend to recur. Pollok says there are two drugs that can block its effects, a Chk1 inhibitor (pronounced: “check-one” inhibitor) and a bromodomain inhibitor. Her team tested each of those drugs individually, as well as in combination.
“What we found in Tyler’s model is we can take one of these drugs, the Chk1 inhibitor or the bromodomain inhibitor, and we can administer it in models with the TT2 tumor and we get the tumors to stop growing some, compared to a control,” said Pollok. “However, when we put the two drugs together, we block the growth of these tumors substantially.”
Tyler, for those who might not remember, is a former Purdue student and Boilermaker superfan who died on January 1, 2019, after a long battle against an aggressive form of bone cancer.
He famously predicted Purdue's upset victory over Ohio State in 2018 – the team's lone loss that season – and was able to make it to the game to watch his prophecy unfold in person.
There's no denying Tyler made an impact on that team and that university during his time on Earth, but now he's making a lasting impact on humanity beyond it.
