AUGUST 2023 HEADLINES

A team of University of Florida medicinal chemists and cancer biologists has created a chemical compound that powerfully and selectively helped cells dispose of proteins that cause cancer cells to grow.

Luisel Ricks-Santi, Ph.D., wrote a personal essay in The Conversation on navigating decisions surrounding active surveillance versus immediate treatment in her father’s prostate cancer diagnosis.

A team led by Jonathan D. Licht, M.D., and Mingyi Xie, Ph.D., has received a five-year $2.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to study gene regulation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The team will explore processes involving microRNAs, which can inhibit gene expression and offer promising targets for cancer treatment.

A team of UF Health Cancer Center researchers has received a grant from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society to study how implementing a new training curriculum can enhance oncology fellows’ skills in communicating about cancer clinical trials.

Bently Doonan, M.D., shared his expertise on disparities in melanoma diagnosis in an article in Cancer Today magazine.

Chengguo Xing, Ph.D., and Ramzi Salloum, Ph.D., received a three-year $1.5 million grant from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health to conduct a clinical trial on the use of kava as a tobacco cessation aid.

The laboratory of Xin Tang, Ph.D., published a new review article in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences on theoretical frameworks that explain how mechanical signals can be leveraged in next-generation cancer therapies to diminish drug-resistant cancer cells.

Matthew Sarkisian, Ph.D., has received a two-year $419,375 grant from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke to study how to advance immunotherapy approaches to treat glioblastoma, the most aggressive malignant brain tumor in humans.

Shilpi Mistry, a second-year Master of Public Health student with a concentration in epidemiology in the University of Florida College of Public Health and Health Professions, has been selected for the UF Health Cancer Center’s Cancer Policy Internship. She will intern this fall in the office of Rep. Darren Soto.

The article explores contamination concerns in Clay County. “One of the reasons a cancer cluster is difficult to prove is because clinical and laboratory studies are often needed to confirm causation,” she said. 

Jason Butler, Ph.D., received a $2.6 million four-year grant from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute to study strategies to restore the function of aging blood vessels and stem cells, with the long-term goal of improving treatments for diseases such as blood cancers.

Bently Doonan, M.D., was interviewed by WMFE/WMFV, NPR affiliates for North Central Florida, about rising rates of early-onset cancer among younger patients.

A team of University of Florida researchers led by Yi Guo, Ph.D., an associate professor in the department of health outcomes and biomedical informatics in the UF College of Medicine, has received a two-year $200,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to identify geographic hotspots of low adherence to lung cancer screening in veterans.

The Lyrics for Life Foundation, a nonprofit organization founded by the platinum-selling band Sister Hazel, and Stop Children’s Cancer Inc. recently presented a $100,000 check to Paul Castillo Caro, M.D. He also received a $400,000 grant from Hyundai Hope on Wheels earlier this month.

Brian Law, Ph.D., received a two-year $400,000 grant from the National Cancer Institute to evaluate a new class of anti-cancer drugs to treat aggressive types of breast cancer.

The National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC), a program administered by the American College of Surgeons, has granted accredited status to the UF Health Breast Center – Jacksonville. The accreditation signifies UF Health’s compliance with NAPBC standards that recognize a breast center’s leadership, clinical services, research, community outreach, professional education, and quality improvement for patients.