RESEARCH PROJECTS

During the 2009-2010 fiscal year, Gabriel Nuñez, M.D., the Paul H. De Kruif Professor of Pathology was awarded funding from the Jeffery A. Colby Colon Cancer Research Fund. Dr. Nuñez’ research proposal studies the “Role of Nod-like Receptors in inflammation-related colon carcinogenesis”. The aims are to determine the mechanism by which these innate immune receptors exert its tumor promotion or suppression and whether the effect is primarily through the epithelial versus the hematopoietic compartment.  

Dr. Nuñez received his medical degree from the University of Seville Medical School in Seville, Spain.  His residency training in Anatomic Pathology was completed at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. He then completed post-doctoral fellowships in Immunology (University of Texas Health Science Center) and Molecular Biology (Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, Missouri) and joined the University of Michigan’s Pathology Department as an Assistant Professor in 1991.  He was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor in 1996 and to Professor in 2001.  In addition, Dr. Nuñez was named the first Paul H. De Kruif Endowed Professor of Pathology in 2001.

Grace Yi Chen, M.D., Ph.D. who initiated the project while she was a postdoctoral Fellow in Dr. Nuñez’ laboratory, has conducted all the experiments supported by this award.  Dr. Chen is now an Assistant Professor and has her own laboratory at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.  She submitted applications as a Principal Investigator to the NIH and American Cancer Society this past October using research supported in part by this award.

Philip Schoenfeld, M.D., M.Ed., M.Sc. was awarded funding from the Jeffery A. Colby Colon Cancer Research Fund for his research titled “Prevalence of advance adenomas in 40-49 year old patients with a family history of colon cancer or adenoma” for the period March 1, 2009 to April 30, 2010.  At the conclusion of this time period, Dr. Schoenfeld requested and was awarded a research extension until August 31, 2011.

The University of Michigan Cancer Genetics Registry
PI: Elena M. Stoffel, MD, MPH

The University of Michigan Cancer Genetics Clinical Program has missions of clinical care, education, and research.  Genetic testing has been associated with reductions in morbidity and mortality in families with hereditary cancer syndromes.  With advances in genetic and genomic medicine, national experts predict more patients and providers will seek individualized cancer risk assessment and clinical management. Given the University of Michigan Health System’s (UMHS) expertise in oncology, surgery, gastrointestinal endoscopy and cancer prevention, we offer coordinated medical management for individuals with hereditary cancer syndromes.

The University of Michigan Cancer Genetics Registry was started by Dr. Stephen Gruber in 2002 and is comprised of a clinical database and biorepository of samples from over 5,000 patients who have consented to research.  This registry constitutes an invaluable resource for both clinical care and research.  With the recent discovery of new gene mutations, queries of our cancer genetics registry database allowed us to identify and re-contact patients when new clinical genetic testing became available.  We have used data from the registry to better quantify cancer risks associated with Lynch Syndrome, the most common type of hereditary colon cancer. We are currently working with collaborators in the U of M department of human genetics to identify alterations responsible for development of colon cancer in young individuals.  We are also engaged in two multicenter clinical trials enrolling adult and pediatric patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, another hereditary cancer syndrome associated with a >90% risk for Colorectal Cancer, to evaluate the effectiveness of novel study medications for reducing polyps.

Removal of colorectal polyps, specifically adenomas, during colonoscopy exams is very effective in preventing CRC.  Current screening intervals are based on the assumption that progression from premalignant polyp to cancer takes >10 years; however we know this can occur more quickly in patients with hereditary cancer syndromes.  Emerging data suggest that different biologic pathways may affect tumor behavior. There are approximately 140 candidate “driver” genes which can be implicated in the development of CRC tumors and different gene mutations can influence patient prognosis and response to treatment.  We are interested in studying how specific genetic mutations, whether inherited or acquired, can affect patient outcomes and whether factors associated with high risk lesions can be detected in pre-malignant polyps.

Studying families affected with cancer can help us identify individuals with high cancer risk.  In conjunction with the UMCCC Cancer Informatics core, we are working to develop a new tool which incorporates information about family history to identify individuals with increased cancer risk, which will provide the opportunity to intervene before the tumor develops.

 

The Jeffery A. Colby Colon Cancer Research Fund is making a significant impact on colon cancer research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center.