Ching-Shih Chen, PhD

Lucius A. Wing Chair
of Cancer Research & Therapy,
Kimberly Professor,
Professor of Medicinal Chemistry,
Internal Medicine, and Urology

336 Parks Hall
500 West 12th Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210

E-mail: chen.844@osu.edu
Phone: (614) 688-4008

Medicinal Chemistry / Faculty and Research / Ching-Shih Chen

Education

Postdoctoral Research 1986, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
Ph.D. 1985, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI.
M.S. 1980, National Taiwan University.
B.S. 1978, National Taiwan University.

Areas of Interest

Structure- and mechanism-based design of novel therapeutic agents that selectively target metabolic and survival machineries in cancer cells at cellular or epigenetic levels

Dr. Chen¹s research focuses on exploring signaling pathways that govern cancer cell survival as targets for drug discovery and design. He employs a multidisciplinary approach to identify new molecular targets by combining a wide range of expertise encompassing synthetic medicinal chemistry, molecular and cell biology, molecular pharmacology, and animal models in his research team. His laboratory has developed a series of novel small-molecule agents that target different molecular defects related to kinase signaling, epigenetics, and cell metabolism in cancer cells, including phosphoinositide-dependent kinase (PDK)-1/Akt inhibitors, histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, Bcl-2/Bcl-xL inhibitors, protein kinase C delta activators, AMPK activators, and glucose transporter inhibitors. These novel agents mediate antiproliferative effects through mechanisms distinct from that of conventional chemotherapeutic regimens, which will provide a rational approach for molecular targeted cancer therapy. Currently, many of these promising compounds are undergoing preclinical development in his laboratory using a number of cancer models including those of prostate, breast, liver, and pancreas. Two of these agents, the PDK-1/Akt inhibitor OSU-03012 (AR12) and the HDAC inhibitor HDAC-42 (AR42), are currently undergoing Phase I clinical trials at OSU James Cancer Hospital and other cancer hospitals.

These studies are supported by research grants by the National Cancer Institute, Department of Defense Prostate Cancer Research Program, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and Stephanie Spileman Fund for Breast Cancer Research.

[ View Recent Publications ]

Courses Taught

Biopharmacy 602: The second in a two-course sequence which provides the fundamental background in modern molecular life science required for pharmacy studies.

Honors & Awards (in the past three years)

2010 Distinguished Scholar Award, OSU

2009 - 2010 IND approval and clinical trials of two agents, OSU-03012 (AR12) and OSU-HDAC42 (AR42), developed in my lab

2008 Innovation in Drug Discovery Award, OSU

2005 - 2009 Chartered member, Basic Mechanism for Cancer Therapeutics (BMCT) Study Section, NCI

2005 The Lucius A. Wing Chair of Cancer Research and Therapy, OSU
Comprehensive Cancer Center

2004 Winner of the V Foundation-AACR Grants in Translational Cancer Research

2004 Elected Fellow, American Association for the Advancement of Science
(AAAS)

2003 Kimberly Chair Professorship, OSU College of Pharmacy

Professional Experience

2002-present: Professor of Internal Medicine and Urology, College of Medicine,
The Ohio State University.

2001-present: Member, James Comprehensive Cancer Center, The Ohio State University.

2001-present: Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Division of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, The Ohio State University.

1998-2001: Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky.

1995-2001: Member, Markey Cancer Center, University of Kentucky.

1995-1998: Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Kentucky.

1991-1995: Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy,
University of Rhode Island.

1987-1991: Assistant Professor of Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacognosy,
University of Rhode Island.