One in four deaths in the United States is caused by cancer. This devastating group of diseases has affected nearly every family in different ways. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, breast and prostate cancers are the most common in the United States and bronchus cancers have the highest death rate.
Cancers all have one thing in common: mutated cells from one’s own body begin to grow uncontrollably. This dangerous growth can be triggered for many different reasons. Cancer can be caused by inherited genetic mutations, such as the BRCA gene involved in some breast and ovarian cancers. Others come from random genetic mutations, sometimes caused by environmental contaminants, or consumption of alcohol or tobacco. Many cases of cancer come hand-in-hand with other diseases. For example, the intestinal tissue damage caused by Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis can also lead to colorectal cancer. Viruses such as human papillomavirus infection (HPV) can also lead to cancer-causing mutations.
The huge range of cancer causes and organs affected means that there cannot be a single cancer cure. Some cancers can be controlled or killed through surgery, radiation or chemotherapy. More recently, antibody therapies have shown promise in stopping breast cancer growth and lymphomas.
However, immune system research can open the door to better detecting and treating all types of cancer.
In 2013, Dr. Vijayanand teamed up with Professor Christian Ottensmeier at the Cancer Center, University of Southampton, UK, to
Preliminary data from our lab shows that vascular endothelial cells (vECs) mount remarkably potent innate responses to cell-free DNA, which
Cell-free, immuno-stimulatory DNA is recognized in the cytoplasm of cells as a universal danger signal by the innate immune system.
Immunotherapies for head and neck cancer: To develop new cancer therapies by studying how the immune system, by way of
MHC class-II restricted CD4+ T cytotoxic cells (CD4 CTL) are among the best examples of extreme measures the immune system
Now we can see what they see — and help
New LJI research could keep cancer-fighting T cells from burning out before the job is done
LJI scientists develop new tool for understanding enzymatic activity linked to blood cancers and heart disease
Pandurangan Vijayanand, M.D., Ph.D., and his lab members employ genomics tools to understand, diagnose and treat pulmonary disease such as asthma, lung cancer and infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus.
Sonia Sharma, Ph.D., and her lab members lead unbiased, genome-scale approaches to unravel innate immunity, the body’s early immune response to microbial pathogens and neoplastic cells.
Stephen Schoenberger, Ph.D., is focused on achieving a mechanistic understanding of the generation and regulation of T cell responses in the context of in vivo infection and tumor development.
Patrick Hogan, Ph.D., studies cells at the nano level – seeking to understand how protein-protein interactions on the submicroscopic scale can have gargantuan impacts on human health and disease.
Catherine "Lynn" Hedrick, Ph.D., and her lab members study and target monocytes to aid in the prevention of cancer. The lab also investigates neutrophil heterogeneity in cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Hilde Cheroutre, Ph.D., and her team study the development, function, and regulation of T lymphocytes, a type of white blood cells.
