Seven cancer research investigators have been awarded grants this fall through the UCSF Cancer Health Outcomes Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE). This new $12 million SPORE supports three translational research projects that study the biological mechanisms and external factors driving differences in health outcomes for meningioma, prostate cancer, and breast cancer.
In addition to the three main research projects, the SPORE also provides funding for pilot research projects through the Developmental Research Program (DRP) and for early career scientists through the Career Enhancement Program (CEP). These programs supply a pipeline of new ideas, technologies, and talent to support the SPORE’s research mission.
“It’s great to have these talented individuals joining our team,” said Iona Cheng, PhD, MPH, a professor of epidemiology and biostatics and the DRP director. “Bringing together more visionary researchers across UCSF and our collaborating institutions will ultimately help us develop innovative approaches to improve outcomes for patients with these cancers.”
DRP awardees
Stephen Francis, PhD, an associate professor of neurosurgery and a principal investigator at the UCSF Brain Tumor Center, is receiving one of the DRP awards to further his work studying whether antibodies towards specific viruses are associated with the risk of meningioma. By examining the potential role that viruses may play in causing these brain tumors to form, researchers will better understand why meningiomas are more common in some populations.
Stacey Kenfield, ScD, a professor of urology, is using the DRP funding to support her research studying how to help prostate cancer survivors improve their diet and exercise regularly. By tailoring behavioral interventions to patients’ health priorities, their household environment, and their level of food security, this work will help identify evidence-based strategies to reduce the morbidity and mortality of prostate cancer across all populations.
The third DRP awardee, Jane Jih, MD, is evaluating how food insecurity during the treatment for colorectal cancer may negatively affect disease progression and response to chemotherapy through changes in the gut microbiome. Jih, who is also an associate professor of medicine, will use the results from this translational research project to inform the development of personalized colorectal cancer treatment plans that account for patients’ access to nutritious food.
The UCSF Cancer Genetics Prevention Program’s medical director Bethan Powell, MD, is investigating the factors that influence access to germline genetic testing — a powerful clinical tool used to assess a patient’s inherited risk of developing cancer and guide treatment decisions. Her research project aims to create a framework to promote access to this type of genetic testing.
CEP Awardees
Saritha Krishna, PhD, an assistant adjunct professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery, is receiving a CEP award to continue her brain tumor research in the laboratory of UCSF neurosurgeon Shawn Hervey-Jumper, MD. Her project, “Sex-dependent chloride dysregulation as a therapeutic vulnerability in glioma,” focuses on a chloride co-transporter that plays a key role in neuronal signaling called NKCC1. Her work studying this protein —which is more highly expressed in men than women — aims to understand the mechanisms driving the higher incidence of glioblastoma and tumor-associated epilepsy in men.
Mark Youngblood, MD, PhD, a neurosurgery resident at Northwestern University and another CEP awardee, is collaborating with UCSF physician-scientist David Raleigh, MD, PhD. His research is investigating the role that age, sex, and obesity play in shaping the immune microenvironment of meningiomas. With a particular focus on a drug that activates an immune signaling pathway known as the cGAS-STING pathway, this project seeks to identify biomarkers that predict which patients are most likely to respond to immunotherapy.
The third CEP award from this cycle is going to Stephanie Cham, MD, an assistant professor in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Reproductive Sciences at UCSF. Her research mentors include UCSF genitourinary radiation oncologist Julian Hong, MD, Division Director for the UCSG Gynecologic Oncology Program Lee-May Chen, MD, and Chief of the Division of Geriatrics at UCSF Louise Walter, MD. The new funding supports her research project studying how to leverage AI-based approaches to find and validate clinical markers of frailty. Since frailty increases the risk of complications from surgical and medical treatments for cancer, Cham’s work could help guide clinical decision-making.
“Investing in these promising scientists at a critical stage in their careers helps us attract outstanding researchers to this field and strengthen our network of collaborators,” said Hervey-Jumper, who manages the CEP.