The National Cancer Institute today announced the second cohort of Cancer Moonshot Scholars, a program launched by the Biden-Harris Administration to “support early-career researchers and help build a cancer research workforce that better represents the diversity of America.”
Ramon Barajas, Jr., M.D., an associate professor of diagnostic radiology in the OHSU School of Medicine, and Haijiao Zhang, M.D., an assistant professor in the Division of Oncological Sciences in the OHSU School of Medicine, are two of just 11 recipients across the country to receive the coveted award.
The National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health, says emerging leaders in this program will use their funding to “increase prevention and early detection efforts for patients from underrepresented populations, create new cancer treatments for all Americans, and further the nation’s expertise in addressing hard-to-treat cancers.”
Funding for the investigators’ awards is made possible through the NIH MERIT (Method to Extend Research in Time) R37 grants, which support investigators who are “highly productive and likely to continue to perform at a high level.” Both grants are slated to last seven years, upon continued approval. Barajas secured NIH funding for roughly $4 million, and Zhang’s grant represents nearly $2.5 million in NIH funding.
Thinking outside the box
As a physician-scientist, Barajas is a member of OHSU’s Advanced Imaging Research Center, the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, and OHSU’s neuro-oncology program. He leads a multidisciplinary collaborative team of pre-clinical and clinical brain tumor researchers with the goal of improving techniques to measure brain tumors.
His newly funded R37 award will address one of the most pressing challenges in treating glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, by developing leading-edge imaging and therapeutic techniques to improve patient outcomes.
This imaging is specifically designed to help study the area around a glioblastoma, called the tumor environment. Barajas says the glioblastoma tumor environment is often characterized by low oxygen levels and the presence of immune cells known as tumor-associated macrophages, or TAMs, which work to suppress the body’s ability to fight cancer. Current treatment strategies don’t account for these critical biological factors, limiting their effectiveness.
With this new funding, Barajas and team will refine the imaging approach in patients with glioblastoma to reliably monitor changes in the tumor environment and explore whether modulating TAM activity can enhance the effectiveness of current therapies in animal models.
“Our ultimate goal is to accelerate the development of advanced imaging methods that can transform the therapeutic landscape for patients with brain cancer,” he says.
Barajas says he feels incredibly grateful to receive this important funding, and he appreciates that this program is “giving people opportunities to focus on the science they are passionate about.”
“More than anything, I hope this research provides hope for people with glioblastoma,” he says. “Our goal is to advance our imaging techniques so that people understand better what’s happening with their treatment and have certainty about their treatment choices.”
Barajas lost a close cousin to glioblastoma, and says he remembers feeling helpless to understand the tumor’s progression and a profound sense of loss.
“We’re trying to think outside the box to improve the lives of our patients,” he says.
Chromosomes and cancer cells
Cancers occurring in the blood often involve missing pieces of chromosomes, which can cause problems with blood cell production. Interestingly, these missing pieces can also create weaknesses in the cancer cells.
Zhang’s lab is studying how those missing chromosome pieces can lead to blood disorders. Her goal is to develop new drugs that attack the vulnerabilities of these cancer cells.
With her R37 grant, Zhang and her team will be studying specific gene dosage changes in a particular chromosome called chromosome 7. In leukemia and pre-leukemias, chromosome 7 loss or deletion can cause the most frequent abnormalities and is often associated with poor patient prognosis and resistance to therapy, including chemotherapy. Zhang says her research aims to eventually serve as a prototype for identifying novel therapeutic vulnerabilities in hematological malignancies — meaning types of blood cancers — carrying chromosome deletion.
“Ultimately, our goal is that this effort will provide a basis for further translational work and the development of promising inhibitors for clinical testing,” she says. “We hope this will eventually bring new hope to leukemia patients with these chromosomal abnormalities, who currently have limited treatment options.”
Zhang says she is very grateful to receive this funding, and she feels it will “facilitate the growth of her lab and her research.” A hematologist by training, Zhang is a researcher in the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
“I’m a woman of science from another country; I received a lot of training, support, and career development opportunities to get to where I am,” she says. “I am very grateful for all the mentorship and opportunities I’ve received from OHSU, and the NIH. I feel this grant is opening a new door for me and my lab.”
Tom Sellers, Ph.D., director of the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute, applauds Zhang and Barajas for their achievements: “The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute follows the evidence that a diverse workforce and diversity of thought enhances science. That makes it especially thrilling to learn that our own Drs. Barajas and Zhang have successfully competed for this prestigious grant.”
All research involving animal subjects at OHSU must be reviewed and approved by the university’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC). The IACUC’s priority is to ensure the health and safety of animal research subjects. The IACUC also reviews procedures to ensure the health and safety of the people who work with the animals. No live animal work may be conducted at OHSU without IACUC approval.