Dr. Scott Dowdy

Biography

Dr. Scott Dowdy's lab focuses on the development of targeted delivery for RNA interference and antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics. His pioneering work is centered on the synthesis of bioreversible, charge-neutral phosphotriester-backbone modifications, known as short interfering RiboNucleic Neutrals (siRNNs). The lab is currently in the process of synthesizing and screening the next generation of non-toxic endosomal escape domains. Utilizing differential conjugation approaches, his research combines various chemistries with site-specific targeting domains, such as carbohydrates, small molecules, and monoclonal antibodies, to generate Targeted-RNA Conjugates (TRCs). The ultimate goal of this research is to address cancer, infectious diseases, and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Dr. Dowdy has a long-standing interest in understanding the regulation of early and late G1 cell cycle progression in cancer. His findings include the role of cyclin D:Cdk4 in activating the RB tumor suppressor in the early G1 phase, leading to the generation of 14 distinct mono-phosphorylated isoforms of RB that preferentially bind to specific overlapping targets. Furthermore, he investigates how cyclin E:Cdk2 activation signifies the critical transition at the G1 Restriction Point, resulting in initial RB inactivation through hyper-phosphorylation. His research aims to elucidate the regulatory interplay between activating and inactivating cyclin:Cdk complexes in deregulated cancer.

Research Interests