Binghamton Researchers Aim to Recycle Cancer's Building Blocks

Faculty and students target overabundant proteins to develop new cancer treatments

Mar. 24, 2026 at 12:12am

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Researchers at the Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences are exploring innovative ways to kill cancer cells by focusing on recycling the proteins that fuel tumor growth. Led by Tracy Brooks and Tony Davis, the team is developing "two-headed" chemicals that can target overabundant proteins and mark them for degradation by the cell's natural recycling pathways. Their work has a particular focus on ovarian cancer, where they've found racial disparities in the molecular drivers of the disease.

Why it matters

Cancer cases worldwide are expected to reach 33-35 million by 2050, with 18.2 million annual cancer-related deaths. This research aims to find new ways to treat cancer by targeting the proteins that drive tumor growth, which could lead to more effective and less harmful therapies. The focus on ovarian cancer, especially in Black women who face worse outcomes, also addresses critical health disparities.

The details

Brooks and Davis's labs manufacture chemicals that can "tag" overabundant proteins for degradation by the cell's natural recycling pathways, using a technique called PROTACs (proteolysis targeting chimeras). This approach aims to remove the problematic proteins entirely, rather than just inhibiting them. The researchers have found that the protein BRD4 is overexpressed in 25% of ovarian cancers in Black women, contributing to poorer survival rates. However, accessing the cell lines and patient samples needed to study this disparity has been a major challenge.

  • In 2025, the National Cancer Institute reported over 2 million new cancer cases in the U.S.
  • By 2050, global cancer cases are expected to reach 33-35 million, with 18.2 million annual cancer deaths.

The players

Tracy Brooks

The chair and associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Binghamton University, whose research has focused on anti-cancer therapeutics and new drug targets.

Tony Davis

An assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences at Binghamton University, whose chemistry background centers on drug discovery and biosynthesis.

Nelly Michura

A junior biology and global public health double major at Binghamton University, who works in the Brooks lab testing drug compounds on ovarian cancer cell lines.

Steven McKay

A fourth-year doctoral student who conducts synthesis work in the Davis Lab and testing in the Brooks Lab, focusing on pancreatic cancer.

Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (SOPPS)

The academic department where Brooks and Davis are faculty, and where students like Michura and McKay conduct their research.

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What they’re saying

“My lab, in essence, is a cancer biology lab and a cancer pharmacology lab, where we are looking for new and different ways to kill cancer. But we don't focus on only one cancer; we focus on the proteins involved, in all of them.”

— Tracy Brooks, Chair and Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

“There's something special about being in the School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, where we are multidisciplinary. The approach to the best, most innovative science is to take people who have different areas of expertise and look at how their interests align.”

— Tony Davis, Assistant Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences

“This work is deeply personal to me because I'm a Black woman, and I know that ovarian cancer is something that could affect me one day. Black women are often underrepresented in research and rarely highlighted in these conversations. Yet ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest gynecological cancers and the seventh most common worldwide. It affects countless women, which is why this research matters so much. Finding solutions has the potential to save many lives.”

— Nelly Michura, Junior Biology and Global Public Health Major

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue confirming the mechanism of action of their targeted protein degradation compounds, to ensure they are effectively and selectively eliminating the problematic proteins in cancer cells while sparing healthy cells.

The takeaway

This innovative cancer research at Binghamton University demonstrates how a multidisciplinary approach can yield new insights and potential treatments, particularly when focused on addressing critical health disparities. By recycling the building blocks of cancer, the team hopes to develop more precise and less harmful therapies that could save countless lives.