Amid the crisp, refreshing spring air of Lake Arrowhead, Calif., came heady discussions of biomedical research: discussions that one day could lead to cures for cancer, diabetes and myriad human diseases.
Researchers at the 30th annual City of Hope Research Staff Organization (RSO) Advance — a three-day meeting beginning April 25 — learned how their colleagues are investigating what makes stem cells tick, why epigenetics is shedding new light on disease processes and how to use that information to treat diseases like cancer and HIV/AIDS.
 Researchers gathered at the University of California, Los Angeles, Conference Center in Lake Arrowhead. (Photo by Josip Najbauer) |
Ching-Cheng Chen, Ph.D., who recently joined the Division of Hematopoietic Stem Cell and Leukemia Research as an assistant professor, explained how slight changes in the bone marrow environment where blood stem cells develop can lead to leukemia and other blood diseases. His work could lead to new therapies and preventive measures.
Attendees also gained a better understanding of the role epigenetics plays in normal development as well as in diseases such as diabetes. Epigenetics refers to certain cell processes that turn genes on and off. Rama Natarajan, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, explained how epigenetics may cause the damaging effects of diabetes to linger even after a patient regains control of blood sugar levels. The work also adds to growing evidence that diabetes and other metabolic diseases are closely linked to cancer.
This link was further solidified by Lily Lai, M.D., clinical associate professor of surgery, who showed the clear link between obesity — a major risk factor for diabetes — and colon cancer.
Lai, Natarajan and Cheng were three of 20 faculty, postdoctoral fellows and students to speak about their work. In addition, Steven Novak, Ph.D., director of graduate and professional studies, gave a nostalgic look back at the history of the RSO Advance, so named to remind attendees of the forward-looking goals of the event. More than 40 posters gave attendees an added chance to learn about their colleagues’ work.
The event kicked off with an update from Richard Jove, Ph.D., Morgan and Helen Chu Director’s Chair of Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope, and culminated with an award ceremony honoring top presentations from three Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences students. Students Krist Azizian, Nicole Bennardo and Zhipeng Meng each received a $500 Rachmiel Levine Scientific Communication Award.
