Laurence H Hurley, PhD

Professor Emeritus, Pharmacology & Toxicology

hurley@pharmacy.arizona.edu

Links

Department Profile

NCBI Bibliography

Laurence Hurley is Professor Emeritus of medicinal chemistry at the University of Arizona. After obtaining his PhD at Purdue University, he was a postdoc in the Chemistry Department at the University of British Columbia. He has held appointments at the Universities of Maryland, Kentucky, and Texas (Austin), and since 2000 he has been at the University of Arizona, where he has served as Co-Director of the Molecular Therapeutics Program at the Arizona Cancer Center. His long-time research interest is in molecular targeting of DNA, first by covalent binders (CC-1065 and psorospermin), then as compounds that target protein–DNA complexes (pluramycins and Et 743), and most recently as four-stranded DNA structures (G-quadruplexes).

Cancer Focus

Dr. Hurley’s present research interests are in the areas of design and development of antitumor agents. Most recently his research has centered on secondary DNA structures, particularly G-quadruplexes and C-quadruplexes (also called i-motifs), as gene targets for drug design. While he was CSO of Cylene Pharmaceuticals a first-in-class G-quadruplex-interactive compound (Quarfloxin), developed from this technology and licensed from the University of Arizona, was advanced into phase 1 and 2 clinical trials in 2007.

Research Program Role

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

Display Name
Laurence H Hurley, PhD

Publications

Miranti CK, Moore S, Kim Y, Chappeta VR, Wu K, De B, Gokhale V, Hurley LH, Reyes-Reyes EM. 2020. Nucleolin represses transcription of the androgen receptor gene through a G-quadruplex. Oncotarget. 11:1758–1776. doi:10.18632/oncotarget.27589.

Song JH, Kang H-J, Luevano LA, Gokhale V, Wu K, Pandey R, Chow H-HS, Hurley LH, Kraft AS. 2019 May. Small-Molecule-Targeting Hairpin Loop of hTERT Promoter G-Quadruplex Induces Cancer Cell Death. Cell Chem Biol. doi:10.1016/j.chembiol.2019.04.009.

Kaiser CE, Van Ert NA, Agrawal P, Chawla R, Yang D, Hurley LH. 2017. Insight into the Complexity of the i-Motif and G-Quadruplex DNA Structures Formed in the KRAS Promoter and Subsequent Drug-Induced Gene Repression. J Am Chem Soc. 139:8522–8536. doi:10.1021/jacs.7b02046.

Kendrick S, Muranyi A, Gokhale V, Hurley LH, Rimsza LM. 2017. Simultaneous Drug Targeting of the Promoter MYC G-Quadruplex and BCL2 i-Motif in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma Delays Tumor Growth. J Med Chem. 60:6587–6597. doi:10.1021/acs.jmedchem.7b00298.

Brown RV, Wang T, Chappeta VR, Wu G, Onel B, Chawla R, Quijada H, Camp SM, Chiang ET, Lassiter QR, et al. 2017. The Consequences of Overlapping G-Quadruplexes and i-Motifs in the Platelet-Derived Growth Factor Receptor β Core Promoter Nuclease Hypersensitive Element Can Explain the Unexpected Effects of Mutations and Provide Opportunities for Selective Targeting. J Am Chem Soc. 139:7456–7475. doi:10.1021/jacs.6b10028.

Sutherland C, Cui Y, Mao H, Hurley LH. 2016. A Mechanosensor Mechanism Controls the G-Quadruplex/i-Motif Molecular Switch in the MYC Promoter NHE III. J Am Chem Soc. 138:14138–14151. doi:10.1021/jacs.6b09196.

Kang H-J, Cui Y, Yin H, Scheid A, Hendricks WPD, Schmidt J, Sekulic A, Kong D, Trent JM, Gokhale V, et al. 2016. A Pharmacological Chaperone Molecule Induces Cancer Cell Death by Restoring Tertiary DNA Structures in Mutant hTERT Promoters. J Am Chem Soc. 138:13673–13692. doi:10.1021/jacs.6b07598.