BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Editor

Gino Pacifico is yet another Clarkston Community Schools success story.
A 2017 Clarkston High School graduate and currently a Dean’s List student at Northern Michigan University studying Biochemistry, Pacifico recently won the Technology Innovation Student Award for a project he proposed on developing novel ways to increase drug efficacy in cancer therapies.
He will be conducting this research over the summer in Marquette, on NMU property.
The main objective of the study is to measure the difference in binding affinity between a natural anti-cancer compound found in birch trees (betulin) and a derivatized form of betulin with the main transporter protein found in blood serum (serum albumin).
“My grandmother passed away from bladder cancer last summer, so cancer has affected my loved ones, as well as many other people,” Pacifico said. “Many of my friends’ relatives have passed away from different types of cancers. The research was not initially motivated by the effect cancer has on my life. The compound of interest (betulin) has other therapeutic effects, including antiviral activity, specifically towards inhibiting HIV-2.
“What motivated the research was trying to find a widely available compound that had medicinal value that was produced in plants native to Michigan. Many medicinal compounds produced by plants have low activity in the human body because their chemical structure makes the compound not soluble in water. Because the drug/compound cannot dissolve in water, the bioavailability of the drug in mammals is low, decreasing its efficacy. Betulin comprises up to 30 percent of the dry weight of birch tree bark, making it a widely available compound produced by trees that grow in Michigan. The medicinal effects of betulin motivated me to choose this compound for the proposed study.”
Albumin is a transporter protein found in the blood in mammals. This protein transports drugs, hormones, fats, and waste products through our body. Betulin naturally doesn’t dissolve in the blood, because of its chemical structure. By adding a sugar group onto the chemical structure of betulin, it becomes more soluble in blood plasma. By increasing the solubility of an anti-cancer compound, the drug is better able to reach the cancer in different places in your body.
Pacifico said he originally came to NMU to study Medicinal Plant Chemistry with an eye on one day working in the cannabis industry. He then began working in a biochemistry research lab and developed an interest in using isothermal titration calorimetry to measure drug-protein interaction.
“This prompted me to change my major to Biochemistry,” Pacifico said.
Back home, Pacifico attended Clarkston and Pine Knob elementary schools, in addition to Sashabaw Middle School, Clarkston Junior High and then CHS, where he was on the Varsity Swim team and was in the international baccalaureate program.
He said there are many aspects of Clarkston to embrace and enjoy.
“What I love most about Clarkston are the opportunities the school system has for students,” Pacifico said. “Although it can be hard for students to know exactly what to be in high school, there are many great programs CHS offers that let students explore different career options and higher educational programs.”
Moving forward, Pacifico hopes to work for either a start-up pharmaceutical company that focuses on using naturally-produced compounds to develop new drugs to treat cancer, neurodegenerative, and metabolic disorders, or work in the cannabis industry in product quality control.
“John Drallos was my history professor in high school for three years, and I learned many life lessons in his class, the most important one being, ‘don’t be dumb,'” Pacifico said.
“As simple as it sounds, it was one of the hardest lessons to learn.”
Lesson learned, obviously.