Lambert Leong
NASA offers internship to graduate research assistant
Lambert Leong , a graduate research assistant at the UH Cancer Center and graduate student , Department of Molecular Biosciences and Bioengineering in the UH College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources , was selected to participate in a National Aeronautics and Space Administration ( NASA ) internship program .
“ I am excited for what I will learn , and I hope to continue to build our relationship and collaboration with NASA . I know that I will learn a lot , and gain a lot of experience , which I will bring back to the UH Cancer Center so that we can better our body shape solutions for Hawai ‘ i ’ s diverse population ,” Leong said .
Leong will work with the Anthropometry and Musculoskeletal Laboratories within NASA ’ s Human Systems Academy on the project , “ Body Shape and Bone Modeling .” Through the use of 3D optical cameras and dual energy x-ray absorptiometry ( DXA ), he hopes to develop methods for modeling body shape and composition . Leong will apply his new knowledge to different body composition and obesity projects at the UH Cancer Center .
Leong works in the Shepherd Research Lab conducting biomedical imaging research to better detect and monitor metabolic diseases and cancer risk . niversity of Hawai ‘ i Cancer Center researchers , Sung-shim ( Lani ) Park , PhD , MPH , and Lenora Loo , PhD , were awarded a five-year $ 2.8 million grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities of the National Institutes of Health , to study smoking-related lung cancer disparities across different racial and ethnic populations .
“ This is the first study of its kind to molecularly characterize smoking-related lung cancer across different racial and ethnic groups . Lung tumor biology may be a key contributor to the disparities in lung cancer risk and survival ,” said Park , study co-principal investigator and UH Cancer Center associate researcher .
Park and Loo will use data and biospecimens from the Multiethnic Cohort Study to characterize the molecular profiles of lung adenocarcinoma , the most common subtype of lung cancer , from African Americans , Japanese Americans , Latinos , Native Hawaiians and Whites .
“ We hope that the findings from this study will provide new information on the biological mechanisms that contribute to the racial and ethnic disparities of lung cancer , so that new personalized treatment targets and strategies can be developed to mitigate these disparities ,” said Loo , study co-principal investigator and UH Cancer Center associate researcher .
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The leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women is lung cancer . n
Lung cancer is the 2nd most common cancer for men and women . n
There are about 776 cases of lung cancer each year .
UH Cancer Center Hawai ’ i Tumor Registry
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