Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS) in Biology
Department
Biology
Committee Chair
Le Su
Abstract
Ewing sarcoma is a rare and aggressive pediatric bone cancer with poor survival rates in patients, as low as 30% in advanced or recurrent cases. There are limited treatment options, making molecularly targeted therapy vital to explore. Through CRISPR scans of Ewing sarcoma cell lines, ribosome biogenesis was highlighted as a potential target. As RNA polymerase I is a key component of ribosome biogenesis, the cytotoxic ability of two RNA Polymerase I inhibitors, CX-5461 and BMH-21, were used on patient-derived Ewing sarcoma cells. The efficacy of the drugs on two cell lines was determined via measuring cell viability, migration potential, and colony formation potential after drug treatments. RNA levels were measured after drug treatment to determine the level of inhibition of RNA polymerase I. The growth of multicellular spheroids that resemble tumors were treated and grown over time to show the growth of the cancer cells, as well as the cytotoxicity of the RNA Polymerase I inhibitors.