Research Interests
Dr. Samoylova is a protein/peptide biochemist with a strong research interest in phage display technology. Phage display is a powerful technique for identifying peptides or proteins that specifically recognize and bind to particular molecular targets. In addition to her published research studies, she is an author of methodological book chapters on in vitro and in vivo selection of phage display libraries in "Genetic Library Construction and Screening" (2002) and "Current Protocols in Protein Science" (2008). For many years she has been applying phage display as a discovery tool for development of highly specific peptide-based diagnostic/therapeutic/immunological agents for different projects and applications.
Dr. Samoylova’s long-lasting research interest is on development of targeted anti-cancer peptides and identification of cancer-specific biomarkers for brain tumors, gliomas. She has developed a strategy that incorporates the use of phage display-derived peptides for cell-surface molecular profiling of individual tumors followed by cytotoxic treatments formulated on the basis of tumor profiles. One of the most recent of her interests is focused on targeting peptides for cancer stem cells. Phage display is utilized to select peptides that are specific to cancer stem cells only, but not to normal stem cells. Such peptides have a potential to be used for construction of targeted gene/drug therapy agents and improved diagnostic tools. Another focus related to gliomas is the development of peptides that can be utilized for specific delivery of anti-glioma therapeutics across blood-brain barrier to glioma cells. To achieve the objectves, the in vivo experiments in animals are designed to include intravenous administration of a phage display library and recovery of phage from brain cells separated from endothelial cells. This allows isolation of phage clones expressing peptides that are capable of facilitating transport of phage particles across blood-brain barrier followed by accumulation in brain cells. Similar transporter peptides are used in another project on brain pathology - generation and brain delivery of recombinant proteins for enzyme replacement therapy for neuronopathic lysosomal storage diseases. Some of these disorders can be effectively treated with only a small increase in functional enzymatic levels above the deficient state, achievable by enzyme replacement and/or gene therapies. Dr. Samoylova is testing new approaches for the use of enzyme replacement /gene therapies in GM1 gangliosidosis, a lysosomal storage disease caused by beta-galactosidase deficiency.
Another one of Dr. Samoylova's phage display projects is in reproductive biology and focuses on development of contraceptive vaccines to reduce overpopulation of dogs and cats. The approach is to develop peptides that mimic sperm cell surface peptides/proteins that bind to zona pellucida (ZP) at fertilization. These ZP-binding peptide (sperm mimics) antigens stimulate production of anti-peptide antibodies which act as anti-sperm antibodies. Such antibodies can reduce fertility of the animal via decrease of sperm motility/viability, inhibition of acrosome reaction, and/or interference with sperm-oocyte binding.
