My time in VECR was filled with interesting lessons and amazing speakers. One of the most memorable guests to visit us was Dr. Keith Eaton, an oncologist that had his own experience with a cancer diagnosis. One of the main reasons I applied for VECR was to learn more about possible career paths, and Dr. Eaton’s presentation has made me consider a new career path: an oncologist. He showed me that being an oncologist wasn’t just being in a doctor’s office all day. You can lead clinical trials or do research as well. It immediately sounded like a job I would be interested in because I could both have personal connections with patients and do research. I also found Dr. Eaton’s story to be inspiring. He became a cancer patient in 2012, and against the odds, he survived. He then went right back to helping others. His multiple published papers and Ph.D add to his achievements. Dr. Eaton’s accomplishments and perseverance made him an admirable guest speaker and an inspiration.
A news story published on July 16, 2020 on the Fred Hutch News caught my eye. Titled, “New study shows cancer-causing ‘Frankengene’ mutation could be target for new drugs”, it details an interesting and promising study into the cause of some cancers. The study was done on the YAP protein, which promotes cell growth. The YAP protein, fused with other genes, were found in a few different cancers, so researchers tested out whether or not the YAP gene fusions caused the tumors. If this was the case, then they might also be able to use an anti-YAP treatment to help cure the cancers. Dr. Frank Szulzewsky, a researcher, concluded that these YAP gene fusions are indeed a cause of some cancers. The gene fusions each resulted in a fusion protein that was able to turn the growth-promoting genes on, and couldn’t turn them off, resulting in unregulated growth. Researchers then began experimenting with anti-YAP therapies as a way of treating cancer. Currently, one of the drugs experimented with, called verteporfin, is being tested against breast cancer in a phase II clinical trial. Anti-YAP treatments have the potential to be a viable cure to certain cancers, so this study could be immensely important and save the lives of many cancer patients.
The lab group that completed this study is the Holland Lab, led by Dr. Eric Holland. Dr. Frank Szulzewsky, a researcher in the lab, was often quoted throughout the article as well. This Fred Hutch lab focuses on studying the brain cancer formation in mice, demonstrating that stem-like cells are more sensitive to changes that can lead to cancer, demonstrating that the activity of the Akt signaling pathway is elevated in human glioblastomas, and understanding the biology of therapeutic response to radiation and chemotherapy (https://research.fhcrc.org/holland/en/research.html). This study was very intriguing to me because it was something I have never heard of before. I always find it interesting that cancer can be caused in so many different ways, and how researchers, such as the people at Fred Hutch, work tirelessly to find a treatment for each new cause.
A group photo from the Marvel Puppies, my breakout room group throughout the Zoom meetings.
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