Dr. Campbell McInnes College of Pharmacy University of South Carolina The McInnes laboratory at the University of South Carolina, Department of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences is engaged in the development of novel anti-cancer drugs based on inhibition of protein kinases involved in regulation of the cell cycle. Through advances in the understanding of the molecular differences between normal and cancer cells, they aim to exploit new information to design targeted therapeutics. The cell cycle is a series of events which a cell undergoes during the processes of growth and division. Deregulation of these events commonly leads to abnormal cell growth and uncontrolled division, the hallmarks of cancer. They are developing novel therapeutics based on induction of arrest of cell growth and apoptosis (programmed cell death) selectively in cancer cells. Using computer screening, design and chemical synthesis, molecules will be constructed and tested for anti-cancer activity in model studies. An NIH funded research project involves a worldwide collaboration with leading scientists at Medical University of South Carolina, University of Nottingham, UK, University of Thessaly, Greece and at Dana Farber Cancer Institute, in Boston. Dr McInnes has 15 years of experience in cancer research, most recently working with Cyclacel Pharmaceuticals developing new cancer treatments through structure guided design.