Enhanced communication between mothers and adolescent-young adult daughters is helpful while coping with a breast cancer diagnosis
Helping diagnosed mothers and their adolescent-young adult daughters approach challenging cancer conversations is critical not just because it promotes healthier adjustment, but also because how they talk about breast cancer and disease risk impacts short-and long-term health outcomes. Those findings emerged from a new study led by Carla Fisher, Ph.D., a member of the UF Health Center’s Cancer Population Sciences research program.

Researchers develop new method for exosome-based cancer biomarker discovery
A group of researchers led by UF Health Cancer Center member Mei He, Ph.D., has developed a new exosome isolation approach that could have important implications for discovering and detecting cancer biomarkers. The group, which involved researchers from the University of Kansas, used tissue from patients with bladder cancer for the study, which was published in July in the journal Communications Biology.

Martina Murphy, M.D., discusses advanced cervical cancer treatment
Dr. Murphy was interviewed by MedPage Today about the epidemiology, treatment and survivorship issues related to locally advanced and advanced cervical cancer. She recently coauthored a review, published in JCO Oncology Practice, with Shiyi Sarah Pang, M.D., a hematology & oncology fellow, and Merry Jennifer Markham, M.D., FACP, FASCO.

UF pediatric oncologist awarded V Foundation grant for pediatric osteosarcoma study
UF Health pediatric oncologist John A. Ligon, M.D., has been awarded a $600,000 grant from the V Foundation for Cancer Research to study a personalized immunotherapy vaccine to treat relapsed pediatric osteosarcoma.

New mentorship program, boot camp help researchers with grant proposal process
The College of Medicine’s new R01 Boot Camp teams up early-career investigators with senior researchers at the college, as well as other UF and external subject matter experts, to assist researchers who are applying for grants through all steps of the process.

UF Health Cancer Center receives four American Cancer Society grants
The UF Health Cancer Center recently received four grants from the American Cancer Society that will help early-stage investigators involved in cancer research, further basic science efforts and ease the burdens of patients undergoing cancer treatment.

Opioid use among people with disabilities has declined, but rates of misuse remain constant, study finds
As awareness of the potential risks of prescribing opioids has increased, use of the narcotic pain medicine among people with disabilities has declined. Yet, the prevalence of prescription opioid misuse has remained the same in this population, according to new research led by UF Health Cancer Center member Young-Rock Hong, Ph.D., M.P.H.

Arts programs enrich lives of patients, providers and students
The UF Health Shands Arts in Medicine program was cofounded by Bill Slayton, M.D., division chief of pediatric hematology and oncology. The program has grown into an international leader in the field of arts in health care and was recently featured on PBS NewsHour for its innovative approach.

Hendrik Luesch and team awarded $8.8 million NIGMS grant to unlock limitations in natural product drug discovery research
Hendrik Luesch, Ph.D., and a team of investigators have been awarded an $8.8 million grant to address limitations in natural product drug discovery. The five-year award from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences will establish a multi-investigator team with researchers at UF, Princeton University and the Smithsonian Marine Station.
