Jason Chesney, MD, PhD

A team of researchers led by Dr. Chesney discovered that a drug containing parts of the diphtheria toxin appears to prompt the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells in patients with advanced melanoma.

The immune system that attacks cancer cells in humans depends on a balance between T cells, which recognize and attach tumor cells, and suppressive or regulatory T cells, which turn off activated immune cells in order to prevent autoimmune disease. The team discovered that the diphtheria-derived drug, called denileukin difitox, targets and depletes these regulatory T cells, allowing the ‘attack’ T cells to kill melanoma cells in mice. This success led to testing the drug in human patients. The results demonstrate that depleting these cells in patients with melanoma may allow the immune system to activate and successfully kill cancer cells. Preliminary results of the clinical trial showed that five out of seven patients with stage IV metastatic melanoma experienced significant regression or stabilization of tumors and less aggressive spread of cancer.

Dr. Chesney has been awarded an independent researcher grant by the NIH.

Geoffrey Clark, PhD

Cancer is caused by cells in the body that have lost the ability to control their own growth and to respond correctly to environmental signals that normally control their behaviour. These defects are due to a combination of damage to two classes of genes: tumor suppressors, which normally act as brakes to cell growth, and oncogenes, which normally act as accelerators. It is the combined effects of loss of function of tumor suppressors and excessive function of oncogenes that provides the molecular basis for cancer.

Dr. Clark studies how the interaction of one of the most important oncogenes, called Ras, interacts with an important class of tumor suppressors, called RASSF proteins, to modulate the development of cancer. RASSF tumor suppressors are frequently inactivated in cancer by gene silencing. In these cases, the genes remain intact but dormant in the cancer cells. Dr. Clark is investigating the potential for using therapeutic approaches that “wake up” the dormant RASSF tumor suppressors as a novel therapeutic approach to cancer.

Albert Cunningham, PhD

Scientists know that most cancer-causing substances induce cancer only with certain types of human tissue. Dr. Cunningham uses this knowledge, combined with advanced computer modeling techniques, to study how cancer-causing substances react with human cells and how various compounds react with tissue cells to inhibit the growth of cancer at the molecular level.

His goal is to develop new drugs that attack only specific types of cells and only specific parts of those cells in order to effectively kill cancer without the debilitating side effects often associated with chemotherapy drugs.

Magda Kucia, PhD

Dr. Kucia is part of the team led by Dr. Mariusz Ratajczak that discovered the Very Small Embryonic-Like Stem Cell (VSEL) in adult human bone marrow. She and her colleagues have demonstrated that these cells can be transformed into pancreas, heart, muscle and other types of tissue.

This work may lead to new repair strategies to repair tissue damage that may occur in cancer patients during therapy and in other types of regenerative medicine. The work may also be directly related to a better understanding of tumors and metastatic cancer cells, as well as diseases such as leukemia.

The team’s stunning discovery of a previously unknown type of stem cells has created tremendous excitement and offers immense therapeutic potential.

Chi Li, PhD

Dr. Li studies genetic mutations that cause tumors, particularly those that control the timing and process of cell death. Many tumor cells are abnormally resistant to cell death, causing uncontrolled growth of cancer.

Dr. Li studies the role of a particular structure within the cell, called the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in programmed cell death. He theorizes that the function of the ER and its interaction with other structures within the cell regulate programmed cell death, which will help scientists find new targets for cancer drugs that can induce the death of tumor cells.

Qiutang Li, PhD

Dr. Li’s research examines how the development of skin cancer is affected by a gene called IKKalpha. Scientists know that the gene plays an important role in controlling the growth and development of cells in the skin, but do not understand exactly how it works in the process of cancer development. Dr. Li’s goal is to better understand how this gene works in skin cells to affect the development of squamous cell carcinoma, a common type of skin cancer. Her work may lead to new treatments for skin cancer, which is extremely common and is being diagnosed at an increasing rate.

Robert Mitchell, PhD

Dr. Mitchell and Dr. John Eaton are working to determine whether it is possible to immunize animals against solid-tumor cancers based on the concept that cancer cells express antigens and have a metabolism similar to those of embryos. They have demonstrated that mice vaccinated with specially-treated embryonic stem cells from genetically unrelated mice will not develop lung cancer.

They theorize that similar vaccination may lead to protection against other types of cancer as well.

Dr. Mitchell has been awarded an independent researcher grant by the NIH.

Binks Wattenberg, PhD

Cancer occurs because cancer cells grow when they are not supposed to, and they do not die when they are supposed to. Dr. Wattenberg’s laboratory studies both sides of the life/death coin in cancer cells. In one project Dr. Wattenberg is studying an enzyme that causes cells to grow. Dr. Wattenberg has found that where this enzyme is in the cell determines whether cancer cells will grow and he is studying why this is and how to prevent it.

On the death side of the coin, Dr. Wattenberg is investigating one of the main proteins that causes cells to die when they are growing out of control. This protein does not function properly in cancer cells. Dr. Wattenberg is exploring how to re-activate this protein to kill cancer cells.

Dr. Wattenberg has been awarded an independent researcher grant by the NIH.

Hong Ye, PhD

Dr. Ye uses a technique called x-ray crystallography, in combination with the other biochemical and biophysical methods, to understand how a group of proteins called, as a group, Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) maintain the chromosome structure and help repair DNA damage. If chromosomes in cells are not maintained properly, they can die. If the damaged DNA is not repaired properly, cancer can also occur. Dr. Ye’s work will help scientists better understand how this mechanism works and how to correct it when it goes wrong.

Dr. Ye has been awarded an independent researcher grant by the NIH.