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Cancer is a complex disease, and scientists at The University of Georgia Cancer Center take a broad, multidisciplinary approach to fighting it. Our scientists are gaining insights on the basic mechanisms that underlie cancer and developing new diagnostics and therapeutics. They’re also uncovering ways to design more effective health education campaigns and to improve the quality of life of patients and survivors.
Robert D. Arnold
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar
Optimal cancer chemotherapy requires exposing tumors to enough of the drug to eradicate them while limiting toxic side effects to other cells. Arnold is using nanotechnology to encapsulate drugs in carriers that deliver them precisely to tumors.
http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/faculty/
Michael Bartlett
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Understanding how the body absorbs, metabolizes and excretes environmental toxins as well as anti-cancer drugs is vital to assessing their risks and benefits. Bartlett is looking for new and precise ways to detect and measure carcinogens in the body and working to better understand how the body processes drugs.
http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/faculty/
Carl W. Bergmann
Complex Carbohydrate Research Center
Director, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory
Cells are embedded in an extracellular matrix made up of proteins and negatively charged carbohydrate chains. Bergman is exploring how these charged carbohydrates and proteins interact with cells to influence tumor growth and metastasis.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=117
Geert-Jan Boons
Franklin Professor of Chemistry
When cells become cancerous, the sugars on their surfaces undergo distinct changes that set them apart from healthy cells. Boons has synthesized a vaccine that, in mice, has successfully triggered a strong immune response to cancer cells. His group is currently testing and refining the vaccine, and hopes to start clinical trials in humans soon.
http://cell.ccrc.uga.edu/~gjboons/boons/Home.htm
Stephanie Burwell
Child and Family Development
Younger women (aged 18-50) diagnosed with breast cancer often must balance competing health, work and family demands. Burwell is studying the psychological and relational impact of breast cancer on younger women and their families to develop interventions to help them cope and maximize social support during treatment.
http://www.fcs.uga.edu/newfacs/cfd/faculty.php?id=222
David Chu
Distinguished Research Professor of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
In addition to his developing new antiviral agents to treat diseases such as HIV and hepatitis B virus, Chu has discovered an experimental drug for the treatment of leukemia as well as solid tumors that's currently being tested in humans.
http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/faculty/
Brian Cummings
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar
Components of cell membranes known as lipids can play critical roles in the processes that turn normal cells into cancerous cells. By understanding the changes these lipids undergo and the key molecules involved, Cummings aims to find new targets for drugs that inhibit the growth of tumors.
http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/faculty/
Steve Dalton
Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Cell Biology
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scientist
Stem cells have the ability to turn into any type of tissue in the body, and may one day be used to treat degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. But when stem cells go awry, they share distinct similarities to tumors. Dalton is working to better understand these similarities in hopes that they may be exploited to halt the growth of tumors.
http://www.caes.uga.edu/Applications/Personnel/profile.cfm?ID=9656
http://www.gra.org/eminentscholardetail.asp?ID=24
Scott Dougan
Cellular biology
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scientist
The process by which a fertilized egg becomes a functioning organism is coordinated through a complex series of interactions among cells. Dougan is exploring these basic mechanisms and how miscommunication among cells sets the stage for cancer and birth defects.
http://www.uga.edu/cellbio/dougan.html
Vicki S. Freimuth
Director, Center for Health and Risk Communication
Speech Communication and Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
The National Cancer Institute predicts that nearly 50% of cancer deaths could be prevented with better application of existing knowledge and technology. Freimuth is working to better understand the way people seek and process cancer information and make decisions about prevention, detection and treatment.
Yan Geng
Chemistry
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar
Working at the interface of chemistry and biology, Geng is working to develop targeted and controlled-release delivery systems for chemotherapy drugs. Geng is also focused on developing safe and efficient methods to correct defective genes that are involved in the formation of cancer.
http://www.chem.uga.edu/DoC/ResFacYAG.html
Stephen Hajduk
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Cellular blueprints start as DNA but are then translated into RNA and then into proteins that do the work of cells. Hajduk is exploring how variations in the normal cellular process of RNA editing influence tumor formation and contribute to other diseases. In addition, a human blood protein he discovered in 1996 has been correlated with certain cancers, and he’s now working to understand why.
http://www.bmb.uga.edu/hajduk/
Shelley B. Hooks
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Like most cancers, ovarian cancer is the result of improper growth signals that drive cancerous cells to multiply and spread to other tissues. The predominant growth signal in ovarian cancer cells is a molecule known as lysophosphatidic acid (LPA). Hooks and her team are investigating mechanisms for turning off LPA signaling that may lead to new treatments for ovarian cancer.
http://www.biomed.uga.edu/membership/directory/mem_hooks_pence_shelley.html
Su-I Hou
Health Promotion and Behavior
Early detection of cancers can save lives, but many people still don’t get regular screenings. Hou is studying the psychosocial and cultural factors that influence screening behaviors and working to develop theory- and evidence-based interventions to encourage screening. She has focused on using community and worksite strategies to encourage cancer screenings, particularly among minorities.
http://www.publichealth.uga.edu/hpb/about_hpb/directory/faculty/hou.html
Edward Kipreos
Cellular Biology
The degradation of proteins plays key roles in the normal process by which cells grow and divide. Kipreos and his team are working to better understand these degradation mechanisms, which also act on proteins that promote or inhibit cancer formation.
http://www.uga.edu/cellbio/kipreos.html
Bruce LeRoy
Veterinary Pathology
Aside from humans, dogs are the only large mammals that are prone to prostate cancer, which often metastasizes to the bones. LeRoy uses lab tests and animal studies to better understand how the cancer develops and spreads. He’s also evaluating new treatments for prostate cancer in dogs that may be relevant to humans.
http://www.vet.uga.edu/VPP/leroy/index.php
Robert Maier
GRA Ramsey Eminent Scholar of Microbial Physiology
The bacterium Helicobacter pylori colonizes the stomach and liver of humans and can persist for years, potentially resulting in cancer. Maier is studying the proteins that allow the bacterium to survive with the ultimate goal of finding its Achilles’ heel.
http://www.uga.edu/mib/people/maier.htm
Michael McEachern
Genetics
By limiting the number of times a cell can divide, structures on the ends of chromosomes known as telomeres play an important role in keeping cells healthy and non-cancerous. McEachern uses yeast as a model system to explore how telomeres are maintained, both by the normal mechanism involving the enzyme telomerase and by an alternative mechanism involving the DNA repair pathway known as recombination.
http://www.genetics.uga.edu/people_bio_mceachern.html
Debra Mohnen
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mohnen was the first scientist to show that pectin, a natural fiber found in fruits and vegetables, kills prostate cancer cells. She is now working to better understand the mechanisms by which pectin kills cancer cells and to identify the specific pectin structure responsible for its anti-cancer activity. The ultimate goal is to develop pectin-based pharmaceuticals or foods with enhanced health benefits.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=25
Kelley Moremen
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Specific changes in the carbohydrates attached to the surfaces of cells play roles in their adhesion and migration. Moremen’s lab is focused on generating inhibitors to block these changes with the goal of creating new targets for drugs that prevent the metastasis of cancer cells.
Vasu Nair
William Henry Terry, Sr. Professor-GRA Eminent Scholar in Drug Discovery
Director, UGA Center for Drug Discovery
In addition to developing antiviral drugs that fight HIV, Nair is also working to create drugs that inhibit an enzyme known as IMPDH that, in one of its two forms, is found in tumors and other rapidly proliferating cells.
http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/faculty/
Nicole Northrup
Small Animal Medicine and Surgery
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Medicine Specialty of Oncology
Dogs and cats develop the same cancers as people. In the College of Veterinary Medicine's Teaching Hospital, Dr. Northrup and her colleagues provide the highest quality care for veterinary cancer patients. Through clinical studies, they improve diagnostic and therapeutic options for companion animals and people.
http://www.vet.uga.edu/hospital/index.php
Ron Orlando
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Mass spectrometry is a critical tool that scientists use to study cells. Orlando is working to refine the technique so that scientists can better understand the complex cellular structures that play important roles in diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=27
Michael Pierce
UGA Cancer Center Director
Mudter Professor in Cancer Research
Pierce and his team have isolated a specific enzyme that is elevated in colorectal and breast cancer cells, as well as other types of cancer. The team is now looking for ways to inhibit the enzyme to slow the growth of tumors and prevent metastasis. His team is also working to find biomarkers that would allow doctors to diagnose pancreatic cancer early, when it’s more easily treated. MORE»
Vladimir Popik
Chemistry
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar
Getting chemotherapy drugs to the right part of the body is crucial to making them work effectively and minimizing their side effects. Popik is working to create new chemotherapy drugs that are inactive in the dark but become active when irradiated by light of a specific wavelength. The goal is to use light to localize treatment to the tissue containing the malignant tumor while sparing the rest of the body from the drug’s toxic side-effects.
http://www.chem.uga.edu/vpopik
James Prestegard
Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of NMR Spectroscopy
Determining the structural characteristics of protein-carbohydrate interactions is vital to understanding protein functions as they bind to carbohydrates at cell surfaces. Using a technique known as NMR spectroscopy, Prestegard is studying proteins involved in the proliferation of cancer cells and revealing targets for the design of drugs that can block their action.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=29
J. David Puett
Regents Professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Hormones interact with receptors on cells that recognize them, and Puett is studying a specific hormone receptor whose malfunction is linked to ovarian cancer as well as other cancers.
http://www.bmb.uga.edu/puettlab/
Claire Robb
Health Administration, Biostatistics & Epidemiology
Breast cancer is more common in women over age 70, yet most of the research into quality of life issues focuses on younger women. Robb is studying the physical and emotional impact of breast cancer on older women in hopes of guiding interventions that help patients and survivors lead fuller lives.
http://www.publichealth.uga.edu/geron/about_geron/directory/affiliated/clairerobb.html
Walter K. Schmidt
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scientist
Schmidt is studying an enzyme that modifies and activates proteins, including those commonly associated with cancer development. By understanding the biochemical properties of the enzyme, known as the Ras Converting Enzyme, he hopes to eventually interfere with the ability of those proteins to cause cancer.
http://www.bmb.uga.edu/wschmidt/
Jeff Springston
Advertising and Public Relations
Core director, Southern Center for Communication, Health and Poverty
Health education campaigns have traditionally relied on print and broadcast materials that use a one-size-fits-all approach. Springston is exploring how new media technologies such as interactive DVDs, kiosks, cell phones and personal digital assistants (PDAs) can be used to encourage cancer screenings and tailor messages to specific at-risk populations.
William Spruill
Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy
The close relationships and repeated contacts that pharmacists have with patients makes them ideal conduits for delivering personalized information on cancer prevention and screening. Spruill and colleague William Wade have developed a Web-based program that teaches practicing pharmacists, pharmacy students and other health professionals how to educate their patients on cancer prevention and early detection.
http://cap.rx.uga.edu/facultystaff/facultydetail.php?id=49
Michael Terns
American Cancer Society Scholar
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Genetics
Telomerase is an enzyme that is inactive in most normal cells of the body but active in nearly all types of cancers, where it is required for the uncontrolled growth of tumors. Terns is studying how cells control telomerase activity in hopes that the knowledge will lead to the development of telomerase inhibitors that combat the growth and spread of various cancers.
http://www.bmb.uga.edu/rterns/index.html
Rebecca Terns
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
An effective inhibitor of the enzyme telomerase has the potential to treat all major forms of cancer without detrimental effects to most normal cells. Terns and her team are working to identify factors that are essential for the function of telomerase and to provide new routes for pharmaceutical inhibition of the enzyme in cancer.
http://www.bmb.uga.edu/rterns/
Michael Tiemeyer
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Many of the basic mechanisms involved in the development of an organism from a single-celled embryo to a multi-cellular adult are the same ones that go awry when cells become cancerous. Tiemeyer is working to better understand the process of development, specifically focusing on the role of cell-surface carbohydrates, in hopes that his findings will reveal new ways to treat cancer.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=30
Jeffrey Urbauer
Chemistry, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Modern therapy for breast cancers relies on drugs known collectively as antiestrogens. Unfortunately, over time, many breast cancers become resistant to these drugs and cease to respond to the therapy. Urbauer's goal is to discover how antiestrogen resistance develops so that more effective drugs can be designed for breast cancer treatment.
http://www.chem.uga.edu/DoC/ResFacJLU.html
Lianchun Wang
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Georgia Cancer Center Distinguished Scholar
A molecule known as heparan sulfate plays critical roles in tumor growth, metastasis and blood vessel development. Wang is exploring the cellular and molecular mechanisms by which the molecule acts in cancer in hopes of revealing new ways to treat the disease.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=462
Lance Wells
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar
Pancreatic cancer has the worst 5-year survival rate (1%) of any cancer, primarily due to a lack of early diagnostic tests. Wells is studying proteins and the sugars that adorn them in pancreatic ductal fluid from patients to find early diagnostic biomarkers. These biomarkers also have the potential to be targets for new therapeutic drugs.
http://www.ccrc.uga.edu/world/personnel/templateperson.php?uid=31
Lyndon West
Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Sciences
Humans have long exploited natural compounds in the treatment of diseases. The anti-cancer drug Taxol, for example, was isolated from the bark of the Pacific yew tree. West is exploring the seas for new compounds, examining marine invertebrates such as sponges and soft corals to determine whether they contain anti-cancer compounds.
http://pbs.rx.uga.edu/faculty/
Ying Xu
Director of UGA Bioinformatics Institute
Regents-Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and Professor
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar
Xu and his research team are analyzing thousands of tissue samples - both cancerous and non-cancerous - and comparing patterns of gene and protein expression and then using computational methods to predict protein secretion. The hope is to find differences that can be used to revolutionize early diagnostics by creating a blood test that accurately predicts whether a person has cancer.
Shaying Zhao
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar
Colorectal cancer is known to have a strong genetic component, and Zhao is working to pinpoint the exact genes that play a role in the development and progression of the disease. Her work may ultimately help patients better understand their risk for colon cancer and may play a role in early detection.
http://www.bmb.uga.edu/home/people/shayingzhao.htm
