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As one of just two NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in Virginia, VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center is at the forefront of the nation’s cancer research efforts. As Massey celebrates 50 years of fueling innovation in cancer research, scientists at Massey continue to conduct cutting-edge, laboratory-based basic, population, and clinical and translational-focused research to advance improved approaches to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer. Continue reading to learn more about publications from Massey researchers in May and June 2024.

PUBLISHED RESEARCH

Scientists hone in on viable antiviral target in HPV life cycle

Massey research member: Iain Morgan, Ph.D.
Journal: mBio
Publication date: May 9, 2024

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) are causative agents in around 5% of all human cancers, and there are currently no antiviral strategies available for the treatment of HPV cancers. A new study further examined the HPV life cycle and uncovered a cellular interaction that activates the DNA damage response in HPV16, representing a novel complex that is essential for the HPV16 life cycle and stands out as a viable antiviral therapeutic target.

VCU collaborators: Apurva Prabhakar, B.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., Molly Bristol, Ph.D., Aanchal Dubey, Ronald Hill, Reafa Hossain, Claire James, Ph.D., Elmira Karimi, Xu Wang and Aya Youssef

Cancer terminator virus combined with innovative delivery strategy could enhance brain cancer treatment

Massey research member: Paul Fisher, M.Ph., Ph.D.
Journal: Journal of Cellular Physiology
Publication date: May 22, 2024

Scientists at Massey and the VCU Institute of Molecular Medicine developed a cancer terminator virus (CTV) for effective application in brain cancer. To overcome certain treatment delivery limitations, they also employed the use of focused ultrasound with a dual microbubble treatment. A new study suggests that this innovative and noninvasive delivery strategy combined with the therapeutic efficacy of the CTV could serve as a new treatment approach in brain cancers.

VCU collaborators: Praveen Bhoopathi, Ph.D., Luni Emdad, Ph.D., Swadesh Das, Ph.D., Rajan Gogna, Ph.D., Timothy Keoprasert, Amit Kumar, Ph.D., Esha Madan, Ph.D., Santanu Maji, Ph.D., Padmanabhan Mannangatti, Ph.D., Anjan K. Pradhan, Ph.D., and Dong Sun, M.D., Ph.D.

Tobacco exposures associated with health care costs and usage among pregnant people and their babies

Massey research members: Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., M.P.H., David Wheeler, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Bassam Dahman, Ph.D.
Journal: Nicotine and Tobacco Research
Publication date: May 31, 2024

Identifying healthcare utilization and costs associated with active and passive smoking during pregnancy could help improve health management strategies. New study findings reinforce the importance of reducing smoking and secondhand smoke exposure during pregnancy as a means to reduce morbidities and provide cost savings to health care systems, especially those with high delivery numbers.

VCU collaborator: Jeremy Barsell, M.S.

Researchers study microRNA profiles to identify risk factors in patients undergoing stem cell transplants

Massey research members: Lathika Mohanraj, Ph.D., R.N., Theresa Swift-Scanlan, Ph.D., R.N., and Jinze Liu, Ph.D.
Journal: Biological Research for Nursing
Publication date: May 31, 2024

A stem cell transplant is a potentially curative treatment for hematologic cancers, including multiple myeloma. A pilot study aimed to examine microRNA (miRNA) profiles associated with risk factors and outcomes in patients undergoing stem cell transplants. The findings suggest that future studies should examine miRNA signatures in larger cohorts of stem cell transplant patients as a means to identify biomarkers that can classify risk factors in transplant recipients.

VCU collaborator: Christiane Carter, M.S.

Scientists use spatial transcriptomics to unravel AEG-1 regulation in the formation of liver disease

Massey research members: Devanand Sarkar, Ph.D., Jinze Liu, Ph.D., and Jolene Windle, Ph.D.
Journal: Journal of Biological Chemistry
Publication date: June 2024

The goal of this project was to gain insight into the spatial organization of the liver and the potential impacts AEG-1 has on gene regulation. These findings expand on the understanding of liver biology and also provide specific insights into the molecular intricacies of liver cancer, perhaps informing the development of targeted therapies and personalized treatment strategies.

VCU collaborators: Alissa Saverino, Ali Gawi Ermi, Debashri Manna, Ph.D., Rachel Mendoza, Xufeng Qu, M.S., Suchismita Raha, and Mark Subler, Ph.D.

Zebrafish could help unlock creation of new drugs for blood cancer

Massey research members: Sarah Rothschild, Ph.D., and Steven Grant, M.D.
Journal: PLOS Genetics
Publication date: June 3, 2024

Acute myeloid leukemia accounts for more than 20,000 new cases of leukemia annually in the U.S., with an average five-year survival rate of approximately 30%. A new study used zebrafish embryos to investigate the effects of different therapies on human genes associated with higher relapse rates in leukemia. These results further support the use of zebrafish as a valuable preclinical model for hematological diseases, including acute myeloid leukemia, and will help contribute to the identification of new targets for drug discovery.

VCU collaborator: Rob Tombes, Ph.D.

Biosocial determinants inform on enduring cancer disparities

Massey research members: Victoria Findlay, Ph.D., David Turner, Ph.D., and Robert A. Winn, M.D.
Journal: Trends in Cancer
Publication date: June 4, 2024

This paper emphasizes that further identification and characterization of biosocial determinants of health — factors that exist at the intersection of biological and social determinants of health — should be prioritized in cancer disparity research, as they represent factors influenced by both health inequity and individual biology and impact cancer outcomes that disproportionately affect high-risk communities.

Study looks at impact of abdominal body fat on heart function in cancer patients

Massey research members: W. Gregory Hundley, M.D., Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., and Jennifer Jordan, Ph.D.
Journal: Cardio-Oncology
Publication date: June 6, 2024

New study findings suggest that factors other than abdominal body fat or traditional cardiovascular risk factors may contribute to three-month declines in heart function among women with elevated body mass index receiving potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy. The results suggest that further investigation should be conducted on psychosocial stress, physical activity, sleep or diet as potential factors.

VCU collaborators: Leila Mabudian, Moriah Bellissimo, Ph.D., R.D., Emily Heiston, Ph.D., Amy Ladd, Ph.D., and Kristine Olson

"One-two punch" may be effective strategy in prostate cancer

Massey research members: David Gewirtz, Ph.D., Anthony Faber, Ph.D., and Hisashi Harada, Ph.D.
Journal: Biochemical Pharmacology
Publication date: June 21, 2024

Previous Massey research has demonstrated that androgen-dependent prostate cancer (PCa) cell lines enter a state of senescence — or biological aging — following exposure to androgen deprivation therapies. Results from a new study suggest that a “one-two” punch strategy — combining the promotion of senescence with a senolytic drug — may effectively impede the development of a lethal phenotype in prostate cancer.

VCU collaborators: Valerie Carpenter, Ph.D., Eesha Chokraborty, So Min Lee, Graeme Murray and Jason Reed, Ph.D.

Scientists develop models to test new targeted drugs for HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer

Massey research members: Iain Morgan, Ph.D., and Brad Windle, Ph.D.
Journal: Tumour Virus Research
Publication date: June 26, 2024

Oropharyngeal cancer is the most common HPV-related cancer in the developed world, and a type of HPV known as HPV16 is in about 90 percent of this form of cancer. A new analysis established models as test platforms for new therapies designed to target the episomal forms of HPV16 that commonly appear in this cancer.

VCU collaborators: Claire James, Ph.D., Christian Fontan, Raymonde Otoa and Aya Youssef

PUBLISHED REVIEWS

The transformative role of 3D culture models in triple-negative breast cancer research

Massey research member: Chuck Harrell, Ph.D.
Journal: Cancers
Publication date: May 13, 2024

This review article delves into the expanding role of 3D culture models in advancing the comprehension of breast cancer biology and enhancing drug response predictions, with an emphasis on triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). The authors underscore the necessity of understanding the clinical translation for optimal model selection in TNBC therapy development, while acknowledging the impact of differences in cell culture models and culture conditions on drug response disparities.

VCU collaborators: Xavier Bittman, Ph.D., and Evelyn Thomas

Community engagement to advance equitable cardio-oncology care: A call to action

Massey research members: Vanessa B. Sheppard, Ph.D., and Arnethea L. Sutton, Ph.D.
Journal: JACC CardioOncology
Publication date: June 18, 2024

Community engagement is important for cardio-oncology populations given the variability in care that cancer survivors receive after active treatment. This call-to-action explains how the TRUST framework provides a guide for expanding opportunities for community engagement in cardio-oncology for multiple constituents across the cancer care continuum. The authors also suggest that community champions can support bidirectional engagement and support for survivors as they transition from active treatment.

VCU collaborators: Alisa Brewer, MSPH, Megan Edmonds, Ph.D., M.P.H., Anika Hines, Ph.D., M.P.H., Shiva Salehian, M.D., Ph.D., and Marcie Wright, Ph.D.

The cytoprotective and cytotoxic functions of autophagy in response to mTOR inhibitors

Massey research member: David Gewirtz, Ph.D.
Journal: FBL
Publication date: June 24, 2024

This review provides an overview of the autophagy induced in response to mTOR inhibitors in different tumor models in an effort to determine whether autophagy targeting could be used in the clinic as adjuvant therapy in association with mTOR inhibition.

VCU collaborator: Ahmed Elshazly

Written by: Blake Belden