Paul Spagnuolo
Profile and Department: Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo
Our laboratory focuses on the anti-cancer treatment applications of nutraceuticals (i.e., food derived bioactive compounds) with particular interest in nutraceuticals that induce death of leukemia and leukemia stem cells. We created and screened a unique nutraceutical specific library and ongoing projects are determining the mechanisms by which lead candidate compounds regulate cell death processes. Through this investigation, we are also using the nutraceuticals as novel probes to uncover pathways that govern leukemia stem cell death. The long-term goals of our research are to define the role of nutraceuticals in cancer chemotherapy, develop new leukemia therapeutics and improve our understanding of leukemia stem cell biology.