FORMER UH CANCER CENTER MD / PHD STUDENT ’ S RESEARCH REVEALS HOW ASBESTOS FIBERS CAUSE CANCER
The research of Jiaming Xue , a former UH Cancer
Center graduate research assistant pursuing dual MD and PhD degrees , was featured in a national journal . His study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences , discovered important mechanisms regarding how asbestos fibers cause cancer .
Jiaming Xue , PhD
Xue conducted his research over the past five years in the laboratory of his mentor , Haining Yang , MD , PhD . Xue ’ s work revealed that upon exposure to asbestos , human cells that survive , continue to live with mutations caused by asbestos and later become cancerous .
The study also showed that commonly used antidepressant drugs have a secondary effect of inhibiting autophagy , a process that allows some cells to survive , and could reduce asbestos carcinogenesis . Future studies will be planned to test whether anti-depressive therapy may reduce cancer risk among individuals exposed to asbestos .
Xue successfully defended his doctoral research thesis and was awarded his PhD degree . “ Jiaming represents the high standard of students at UH with dedication and perseverance . I hope his success will inspire the future students to pursue a career of MD / PhD ,” said Yang . Xue plans to continue his medical studies at the John A . Burns School of Medicine and work to become a physician / scientist . “ I want to be an oncologist . Hopefully , after my training , I can come back and practice in Hawai ‘ i ,” he said .
Xue ’ s study was part of a larger study supported by a $ 2.5 million grant from the U . S . Department of Defense .
$ 3.5M GRANT TO IMPROVE HEAD AND NECK CANCER RESEARCH
The National Institutes of Health awarded a $ 3.5M grant over a five-year period to the University of Hawai ’ i Cancer Center , the University of Pittsburgh , Massachusetts General Hospital and Aethlon Medical , Inc ., for a joint study on new strategies to improve immunotherapy responses in patients affected with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma ( HNSCC ).
Each year in Hawai ’ i , approximately 250 people are diagnosed with HNSCC with Whites , Chinese , and Native Hawaiians having higher incidence rates amongst other ethnic groups . This grant will allow researchers to develop new strategies and approaches to improve the outcome of HNSCC .
“ We look forward to identifying new molecular targets and new clinical approaches to improve the efficacy of immunotherapy and save lives ,” said Muller Fabbri , MD , PhD , associate researcher and scientific lead of the Micro- and Nano-Scale Cancer Therapeutics Initiative at the UH Cancer Center , co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program , and study co-investigator .
IMPROVING HEALTHCARE FOR HAWAI ‘ I ISLAND PATIENTS
Muller Fabbri , MD , PhD speaking to visiting students
BIG ISLAND
Studies show that cancer patients who reside in rural areas have higher mortality rates , are more likely to be diagnosed with advanced-staged cancers , have coexisting but unrelated disease conditions , and experience delays in receiving diagnoses and treatments in comparison to those in urban areas . Patients residing on the Island of Hawai ‘ i struggle with traveling long distances , which takes a significant amount of time , money and effort to seek and receive cancer treatment .
UH Cancer Center postdoctoral researcher , Izumi Okado , PhD , received a grant from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality to conduct care coordination research on Hawai ‘ i Island . Conducting this research will give Okado the opportunity to understand and identify strategies to improve healthcare delivery for cancer patients in rural areas .
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