AREA II CANCER AND AGING

本子项目是利用由NIH/NCRR资助的中心赠款提供的资源的众多研究子项目之一。子项目和研究者（PI）可能已经从另一个NIH来源获得了主要资金，因此可以在其他CRISP条目中表示。列出的机构是中心的，不一定是研究者的机构。区域二，基因表达和调控，最初的目标是了解控制基因表达的机制，从而控制细胞分化和生物体发育的分子事件可以阐明。第二区有12个成员，他们的利益各不相同，但相互重叠，形成共同利益集群。这些研究人员中只有一人是在过去十年内被聘用的。多年来，由于这些领域的许多最新进展，各个领域的研究重点发生了很大变化，这些进展反过来又刺激了物理，生物和化学部门的教师招聘。由于基因表达的研究已经分化成几个不同的焦点，区域II已经成为一个大而混乱的亚群（正如我们上次NIH实地考察所述）。我们把教员参与者分成两个新的区域。原来的艾滋病小组的成员被重新组织成一个免疫学小组，由dr。Guyden, Balogh-Nair, Boto, Coico， Moore以及最近的新员工：dr。Gottleib， Spatz和Pezzano（这将成为一个新的领域IV）。第四领域的目标，免疫学，是了解细胞间的相互作用和分子机制，控制免疫系统的发育和功能。在这一组中，一个较小的亚组专注于在发育和调节水平上调节自身免疫的机制。第四区有六名成员，包括两名来自纽约市立大学医学院微生物和免疫学系的研究活跃教员和四名来自生物系的研究活跃教员。William Boto， Shubha Govind和Jerry Guyden是通过RCMI的资助直接聘用的。Mark Pezzano在担任RCMI项目副主任并与Guyden博士合作研究项目多年后，被招募为生物系的教职员工。Paul Gottlieb和Linda Spatz被纽约市立大学医学院聘用，并被招募加入RCMI项目，因为他们在我们上次提案中启动免疫学亚组时积极合作研究自身免疫。所有这些研究人员目前都有外部资助他们的研究项目，许多人在小组内部和与外部研究人员合作项目。该小组的研究兴趣广泛，从果蝇的先天免疫系统发育和功能研究到人类KSHV的传播和进化。我们有几位研究人员，他们研究免疫细胞在B细胞和T细胞中的发育以及免疫系统的调节，这些研究集中在免疫学的一个关键问题上，即免疫系统如何区分自我和非自我。这些研究与自身免疫性疾病的发展直接相关。旧区域II的剩余成员将成为一个新的子小组的成员，其研究重点是癌症和衰老的发展（区域II）。在RCMI中形成一个新的癌症亚组的理由有两个：1。癌症发病率和治疗的差异是一个特别影响少数民族人口的问题。以下来自NCI网站的统计数据清楚地说明了这一点[超链接http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/healthdisparities%5D] http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/healthdisparities]: -非洲裔美国人的癌症发病率总体上比白种人高8.7%，死于癌症的可能性比白种人高29.1%。非裔美国女性被诊断为结肠癌和直肠癌的可能性比白人女性高21.6%，被诊断为肺癌和支气管癌的可能性比白人女性高5.6%。非裔美国女性的乳腺癌发病率比白人女性高86.4%，死于乳腺癌的可能性比白人女性高32.0%。非裔美国男性患结肠癌和直肠癌的可能性比白人男性高12.9%，患肺癌和支气管癌的可能性比白人男性高51.6%。这些癌症的死亡率在非裔美国男性中也更高——这类癌症的死亡率分别比白人男性高37.0%和36.8%。非裔美国男性被诊断患有前列腺癌的可能性也比白人高65.6%，死于前列腺癌的可能性也比白人高141.7%。-西班牙裔妇女被诊断为子宫颈癌的可能性比白人妇女高82.8%，死于子宫颈癌的可能性比白人妇女高37.0%。亚洲/太平洋岛民、美洲印第安人/阿拉斯加原住民、西班牙裔和非洲裔美国人的肝癌发病率（分别为187.5%、22.9%、89.6%、43.8%）和胃癌发病率（分别为124.7%、42.9%、72.7%、81.8%）均高于白种人。2. 在II区已经有了重要的科学专业知识和一个癌症小组的核心。Drs。哈伯德和斯坦伯格目前正在进行癌症研究项目，并与纪念斯隆凯特琳癌症中心的艾琳·奥洛博士合作进行了美国国立卫生研究院资助的试点项目。此外，Hubbard博士希望将她正在进行的关于细胞衰老的研究扩展到作为衰老过程功能的癌症发展。由于癌症发病率和年龄之间有明确的直接关系(总结如下：Ukraintseva， S.和Yashin， a .：个体衰老和癌症风险：它们是否相关？我们希望聘请一名对癌症和衰老感兴趣的新研究员，以补充他们的研究，以及其他在相关领域（如细胞周期控制和信号传导途径）进行研究的第二领域教员的研究——即戈文德博士和最近聘请的吉莉安·斯莫尔。此外，通过哈伯德博士的努力，生物系从加州大学洛杉矶分校招募了玛丽·阿尔波。她被邀请加入RCMI项目是因为她在肿瘤生物学方面的令人兴奋的项目。

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. The original goal of Area II, Gene Expression and Regulation, was to understand the mechanisms that control gene expression, so that the molecular events that govern cell differentiation and organism development can be elucidated. There are twelve members of Area II whose interests are diverse, but overlap to form clusters of common interest. All but one of these researchers have been hired within the past ten years. Over the years, the research foci of the various areas has undergone much change due to the many recent advances in these fields that have, in turn, spurred faculty recruitment in the departments of physics, biology and chemistry. Because research in gene expression has diverged into several different foci, Area II has become a somewhat large and disorganized subgroup (as stated in our last NIH site visit). We separated the faculty participants into two new Areas. Members of the old AIDS subgroup were re- organized into an Immunology Subgroup, comprised of Drs. Guyden, Balogh-Nair, Boto, Coico, Moore together with the more recent hires: Drs. Gottleib, Spatz, and Pezzano (this will become a new area IV). The goal of Area IV, Immunology, is to understand the cell- to-cell interactions and molecular mechanisms that control the development and function of the immune system. Within the group, a smaller subgroup is focused on the mechanisms that regulate autoimmunity, both at the developmental and regulatory levels. There are six members of Area IV, consisting of 2 research active faculty from the CUNY Medical School department of Microbiology and Immunology and 4 from the department of Biology. William Boto, Shubha Govind and Jerry Guyden were hired through the RCMI grant directly. Mark Pezzano was recruited for a faculty position in the Biology department, after serving as Deputy Director of the RCMI program and collaborating on research projects with Dr. Guyden for several years. Paul Gottlieb and Linda Spatz were hired by the CUNY Medical School and recruited to join the RCMI program because of their active research collaboration focused on autoimmunity when the immunology subgroup was initiated in our last proposal. All of these researchers currently have outside funding for their research projects and many have collaborative projects both within the group and with outside investigators. The research interests of the group are diverse, ranging from studies of innate immune system development and function in Drosophila to KSHV transmission and evolution in humans. We have several investigators who study aspects of immune cell development in both B and T cells and immune system regulation, which are focused on a key question in Immunology as to how the immune system distinguishes self from non-self. These studies are directly relevant to the development of autoimmune diseases. The remaining members of the old Area II will become members of a new subgroup with a research focus on the development of cancer and aging (Area II). The rationale for forming a new cancer subgroup within the RCMI is twofold: 1. Disparities in Cancer incidence and treatment is an issue that particularly impacts minority populations. This point is clearly illustrated by the following statistics taken from the NCI website [ HYPERLINK "http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/healthdisparities%5D" http://www.nci.nih.gov/newscenter/healthdisparities] : -African-Americans have an 8.7% greater incidence of cancer overall, and are 29.1% more likely to die from it than caucasians. - African-American women are 21.6% more likely to be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancers and 5.6% more likely to be diagnosed with lung and bronchial cancers than white women. African-American women also have an 86.4% higher incidence of breast cancer than white women and are 32.0% more likely to die from it. -African-American men are 12.9% more likely to be diagnosed with colon and rectal cancers than white men and are 51.6% more likely to be diagnosed with lung and bronchial cancers. Death rates from these cancers are also higher in African-american men - 37.0% and 36.8% greater death rates than white men for these types of cancers, respectively. - African-American men are also 65.6% more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer and 141.7% more likely to die from it than their white counterparts. - Hispanic women are 82.8% more likely to be diagnosed with cervical cancer and 37.0% more likely to die from it than caucasian females. Asian/Pacific islanders, American indians/Alaskan natives, Hispanics and African Americans all have a higher incidence of liver cancer (187.5%, 22.9%, 89.6%, 43.8% respectively) and stomach cancer (124.7%, 42.9%, 72.7%, 81.8% respectively) than caucasians. 2. There is already significant scientific expertise, and the nucleus for, a cancer group within area II. Drs. Hubbard and Steinberg currently have ongoing research programs in cancer research and are collaborators on an NIH-funded pilot project with Dr. Irene Orlow at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In addition, Dr. Hubbard wishes to extend her ongoing research on cell senescence to cancer development as a function of the aging process. As there is a well established direct relationship between cancer incidence and aging (summarized in: Ukraintseva, S. and Yashin, A.: Individual Aging and Cancer Risk: Are They Related? Demographic Research 9:164-195, 2003) it is our desire to hire a new researcher with interests in cancer and aging that will complement their research as well as that of other area II faculty with research in related areas such as cell cycle control and signaling pathways - namely Dr. Govind and the recent hire, Gillian Small. In addition, through the efforts of Dr. Hubbard, department of biology recruited Mary Alpaugh from UCLA. She was asked to join the RCMI program because of her exciting project in tumor biology.