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VCU Massey Cancer Center again left its mark as a worldwide leader in cancer care, research and education during the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting 2023 in Orlando, Fla. on April 14-19.

The international conference drew an attendance of more than 21,000 people and is billed by the AACR as “the focal point of the cancer research community, where scientists, clinicians, other health care professionals, survivors, patients and advocates gather to share the latest advances in cancer science and medicine.”

More than 30 representatives affiliated with Massey and VCU put their expertise and scientific discoveries on display over the course of the conference through panel sessions, informative presentations, Q&A seminars, poster abstracts and more.

Massey director inducted into AACR Academy

At a ceremony on April 14, Robert A. Winn, M.D., Massey director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, was inducted into the 2023 class of fellows of the AACR Academy.

Winn is among 23 new fellows inducted this year, who will serve as a global brain trust of top contributors to cancer science and medicine; they help to advance the AACR’s mission to prevent and cure all cancers through research, education, communication, collaboration and cancer research funding, along with science policy and advocacy.

“When I read the list of current and past fellows of the AACR Academy, I am honored to see my name among pioneers in oncology whose careers I have revered for many years,” Winn said. “I thank the AACR peer review committee for nominating me, electing me and allowing me to serve the cancer community in this role.”

Hwang chairs workshop on microfluidic devices

Priscilla Hwang, Ph.D., member of the Cancer Biology research program at Massey and assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at the VCU College of Engineering, chaired a methods workshop titled “Microfluidic devices to track leader cell movement.”

“Cancer cell invasion is a complex, multi-step process that involves cellular interactions with the tumor extracellular matrix environment,” Hwang said during her presentation. “The development of model systems that mimic biologically relevant factors and extracellular matrix cues are essential for a comprehensive understanding of cancer cell invasion and inform therapy design.”

Massey researchers share expertise during professional advancement session

Jose Trevino, M.D., surgeon-in-chief and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at Massey and Walter Lawrence, Jr. Distinguished Professorship in Oncology at the VCU School of Medicine, chaired a professional advancement session titled “How to design a successful career path in cancer research — The do’s and don’ts for early-stage investigators.”

“It’s all about growth, personal and professional. We can offer you mentorship,” Trevino said during the session.

Katherine Tossas, Ph.D., M.S., director of catchment area data access and alignment and Harrison Scholar at Massey, also participated as a panelist during this session.

“Be curious. Allow yourself to change. Allow your heart and your mind to guide your science,” Tossas said.

Massey Ph.D. student investigates gender differences in lung cancer

Lauren May, a Ph.D. student at Massey and the VCU School of Medicine, presented the findings from her research titled “Sex differences in the innate immune response to lung cancer.” The study concluded that the immune system plays an important role in gender differences observed in lung cancer, specifically through macrophages and natural killer cells that signal through the TRAIL genetic pathway.

May collaborated on this research with Massey researchers Joseph Landry, Ph.D., Paula Bos, Ph.D., Howard Li, M.D., and Rebecca Martin, Ph.D.

Massey scientists study lung cancer disparities in African American men

Michelle Van Scoyk (right), lab manager and senior lab technician at Massey, and Pei-Ying (Maggie) Wu (left), senior lab technician at Massey, highlighted their work studying how the cooperation between two large groups of enzymes (PRMT1 and PRMT6) drives lung cancer disparities. Black and African American men in the U.S. experience a disproportionately higher rate of lung cancer incidence and death, and their research determined that targeting the PRMT1/PRMT6/IF2 protein complex in non-small cell lung cancer could help to eliminate these disparities.

Collaborators on this research include Robert A. Winn, M.D., Ching-Yi Chen, Ph.D., Chu-Fang (Herman) Chou, Ph.D., and Stephanie McHale.

Massey surgical resident examines muscle loss in pancreatic cancer

Vignesh Vudatha, M.D., general surgery resident at Massey and the VCU School of Medicine, discussed his research titled “Utilizing epicardial fat thickness as an indicator of cardiac cachexia in resectable pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC).” PDAC is the most common form of pancreatic cancer, which is highly aggressive and often results in a muscle wasting syndrome known as cachexia. Findings from Vudatha’s study indicate that epicardial fat thickness could be an early sign of cardiac cachexia in pancreatic cancer patients.

Collaborators on this research include Jose Trevino, M.D., Devon Freudenberger, M.D., and Christopher Liu.

Massey Ph.D. student earns Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award

Matthew Fernandez, B.S., a Ph.D. student at Massey and the VCU School of Pharmacy, was named as a recipient of the 2023 AACR Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Award. During the annual meeting, Fernandez presented his research in the area of nanomedicine, which is focused on improving chemotherapy efficacy for triple-negative breast cancer with macrophage-targeted immunotherapy.

“This award means a lot to me because it shows that my lab is doing good work and making strides toward improving patient outcomes for those diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer,” Fernandez said. “It feels good to represent the Hispanic community.”

Fernandez is co-mentored by Douglas H. Sweet, Ph.D., chair of Pharmaceutics and E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished Professor at the VCU School of Pharmacy; and Sandro R.P. da Rocha, Ph.D., professor of pharmaceutics and director for Pharmaceutical Engineering at the School of Pharmacy and a member of Massey’s Developmental Therapeutics research program.

Massey director chairs session on cancer disparities

Robert A. Winn, M.D., chaired a session on advances in cancer disparities titled “Structure vs. biology and the impact on our communities.” During this session, he spoke about the structural impacts on cancer disparities that exist within communities.

“Stop playing that it’s all about biology and DNA without considering environment and zip code/neighborhood of association, ZNA. High stress equals poorer outcomes and more cancer,” Winn said. “We need to have a level of humility and consistent vigilance about our science.”

Targeted combination therapy effective in melanoma

Swadesh Das, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Human and Molecular Genetics at the VCU School of Medicine, proudly showed conference attendees the results of research using a VCU-manufactured drug to simultaneously target the PDZ1 and PDZ2 domains of the MDA-9 gene and prevent the spread of melanoma. Findings from his study indicated that the novel drug IVMT-Rx-3 acted synergistically with checkpoint inhibitors to produce prolonged therapeutic responses in melanoma.

Das’ collaborators on this research include Paul Fisher, M.P.H., Ph.D., Anjan Pradhan, Ph.D., Daniel Afosah, Praveen Bhoopathi, Ph.D., Umesh Desai, Ph.D., Luni Emdad, Ph.D., M.B.B.S., Chunqing Guo, Ph.D., John Kirkwood, Amit Kumar, Ph.D., Santanu Maji, Ph.D., Padmanabhan Mannangatti, Ph.D., Mark Mochel, M.D., Jinkal Modi, Nitai Mukopadhyay, Ph.D., Devanand Sarkar, Ph.D., and Shawn Wang, Ph.D.

Scientists discover major implications for colorectal cancer immunotherapy

Pavani Pingali, Ph.D., represented the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs on joint research with Massey titled “Role of natural killer (NK) cells in glycoasminoglycan-mediated anti-cancer immunity.” Immune-modulating therapies have limited efficacy in colorectal cancers. This work highlights the role of novel synthetic glycosaminoglycans mimetics in the activation of NK cells to target cancer stem cells, and it has major implications for the development of novel immunotherapy strategies for the treatment of colorectal cancer.

Collaborators on this study include Bhaumik Patel, M.D., Umesh Desai, Ph.D., Shoja Haneefa and Aditi Nandi.

Inhaled immunotherapy effective in advanced bone cancer

Fatemah Sunbul, Ph.D., presented her research titled “Remodeling the microenvironment of osteosarcoma lung metastases with inhaled CSF-1Ri immunotherapy.” Osteosarcoma is the most common form of primary bone cancer in all ages and almost exclusively spreads to the lungs. This research supports the clinical translation of an inhaled immunotherapy drug to bolster the standard of care for advanced osteosarcoma while mitigating off-target toxicity.

Collaborators on this research include Sandro R. P. da Rocha, Ph.D., Shane Albin, Raneem Aldaqaa, Sulaiman Alhudaithi, Rashed Almuqbil, Paula Bos, Ph.D., Matthew Halquist, Rebecca Heise, Ph.D., Valentina Robila, M.D., Ph.D., and Hanming Zhang.

Massey researcher finds oral medication reduces injury caused by radiation

Vasily Yakovlev, M.D., Ph.D., member of the Cancer Biology research program at Massey and assistant professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology at the VCU School of Medicine, presented the findings from his experiments using an oral medication — sepiapterin — to mitigate radiation-induced colon injuries in mice. The rectum is the primary dose-limiting structure for radiation therapy in prostate cancer treatment, and this study suggests that sepiapterin could be an effective strategy to reduce colon injury caused by radiation.

Yakovlev collaborated on this research with Christopher Rabender, Ph.D., and Ross Mikkelsen, Ph.D.

Massey leaders share insight during panel session on effective mentorship

Robert A. Winn, M.D., and Katherine Tossas, Ph.D., M.S., participated as expert panelists in a conversation on mentorship titled “Building an effective mentorship team — Essential strategies at every stage in your career.”

Winn explained that you need to have “grace for one another and an understanding that you’re both going to advance — both as a mentor and mentee.”

Tossas expanded on the role of a mentee: “Be there in the background to make sure you’re taking the right kinds of risks. Observe and learn from the unspoken.

Tossas investigates the effects of vaginal microbiome on racial disparities in cervical cancer

During a comprehensive session on cancer-related racial health disparities, Katherine Tossas, Ph.D., M.S., presented on the topic of the vaginal microbiome as a mediator in the relationship between Black/white race and high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia.

“Does the vaginal microbiome operate differently by race to influence risk of pre-cervical cancer?” Tossas asked, underlining a major question guiding her research efforts.

VCU scientists uncover genetic mechanism that drives liver cancer

Maria Del Carmen Camarena (left), student at the VCU Wright Center, and Devanand Sarkar, Ph.D. (right), associate director for education and training at Massey who holds the Harrison Foundation Distinguished Professorship in Cancer Research, attended the meeting to discuss a previously unknown mechanism of the cancer-driving AEG-1 gene, which could help inform novel treatment strategies for liver cancer. They collaborated on this study — titled “Cysteine palmitoylation of astrocyte elevated gene 1/metadherin (AEG-1/MTDH) regulates its biological and immunological activity” — with Mikhail Dozmorov, Ph.D., Eric Gelsleichter, Rachel Mendoza, and Mark Subler, Ph.D.

Researchers study genetic causes of racial disparities and treatment resistance in breast cancer

Jennifer Koblinski, Ph.D. (left), director of the Cancer Mouse Models Core and member of the Cancer Biology research program at Massey, and Amy Tang, Ph.D. (right), of Eastern Virginia Medical School, presented joint research findings on the subject of early detection of cancer disparity and treatment resistance in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). TNBC is the most aggressive breast cancer subtype and disproportionately affects BRCA1 mutation carriers and young Black women. The researchers focused on the tumor-driving EGFR-K-RAS-SIAH genetic pathway in an effort to identify the underlying molecular basis of treatment resistance and racial disparity in high-risk TNBC.

Collaborators on this study include Harry Bear, M.D., Ph.D., Michael Idowu, M.P.H., M.B.B.S., and Valentina Robila, M.D., Ph.D.

Combination therapy could inform new treatment strategies for lung cancer

Victoria Neely, a lab technician with Massey and the VCU School of Dentistry, attended the meeting to show off her study about a combination therapy that could open novel avenues for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide, with NSCLC accounting for approximately 80% of all lung cancers. Neely’s research suggests that combining proteasome inhibitors with drugs that limit antioxidant responses and/or sensitize cells to death induced by the protein NOXA should synergistically and selectively kill NSCLC cells expressing the oncogenic mutant p53 gene.

Collaborators on this study include Hisashi Harada, Ph.D., Bin Hu, Ph.D., Jennifer Koblinski, Ph.D., Khanh Nguyen, Eziafa Oduah, M.D., and Bradford Windle, Ph.D.

High dose acetaminophen could help inhibit tumor growth as part of combo treatment

Alexander Neuwelt, M.D., an oncologist with Massey and the Richmond Department of Veterans Affairs, presented his research titled “High dose acetaminophen with n-acetylcysteine rescue inhibits M2 polarization of tumor associated macrophages.” This study is the first to show that, at high doses, acetaminophen in combination with n-acetylcysteine has profound effects on the tumor immune microenvironment that may facilitate immune-mediated inhibition of tumor growth.

Collaborators on this research include Howard Li, M.D., Bhaumik Patel, M.D., and Pavani Pingali.

Targeted therapy enhances efficacy of colorectal cancer treatment

Bhaumik Patel, M.D., oncologist and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at Massey, shared the findings of his research titled "Novel inhibitors of StAR-related lipid transfer protein 5 inhibitors target plasma membrane lipid raft growth signaling." Colorectal cancer is often difficult to treat due to resistance to chemotherapy and disease recurrence, which are attributed to the presence of cancer stem cells. This study determined that a class of small molecule inhibitors called STARD5 inhibitors represent a novel class of targeted therapy that will enhance the efficacy of FDA-approved therapies in colorectal cancer.

Written by: Blake Belden and Amy Lacey