Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust Funds Awarded to ISU Faculty Jing Wang
November 19, 2024 – Ames, Iowa – Jing Wang, Assistant Professor in Chemical and Biological Engineering at Iowa State University, was recently awarded a grant from the Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust to study a novel diagnostic tool and therapeutic strategy to combat breast cancer metastasis.
Breast cancer is only second to lung cancer as a leading cancer threat to the lives of Iowa women. According to the State of Iowa Health & Human Services, approximately 2,700 women were diagnosed with breast cancer in 2020, with almost 390 deaths among this population in the same year. On a national level, breast cancer is the most common and the second most lethal cancer among women and represents about 30% of new diagnoses and about 15% of cancer-related deaths in women on an annual basis, according to the American Cancer Society in 2024.
This project, led by Dr. Wang, is focused on developing an innovative diagnosis tool and a novel therapeutic approach for breast cancer patients to measure and reduce immunosuppression, addressing the urgent needs for early metastasis diagnosis and efficient anti-metastasis therapy, respectively. A suppressed immune system is a major culprit for patient’s resistance to cancer therapy, including immunotherapy. Additionally, immunosuppression can increase the risk of cancer spread, or metastasis, leading to the formation of secondary tumors. Metastasis is the primary cause of cancer-related deaths. Current diagnostic tools, such as CT scans, detect metastatic tumors only after they reach a significant size.
To enable earlier detection, Dr. Wang’s group will develop a non-invasive immunosuppression gauge to assess the risk of metastasis in this project. This gauge can signal the risk when the immune environment in major organs becomes sufficiently suppressed to allow a single breast cancer cell to start dividing and growing. This early detection aims to facilitate timely medical intervention before the single breast cancer cell develops into a tumor mass “visible” on CT scans. Additionally, the project will explore a novel immunosuppression-reversing therapy to efficiently halt the growth of metastatic breast cancer tumors in major organs, overcoming the limitation of currently available cancer therapies.
“We believe only innovation will help us win the war against cancer.” said Dr. Wang. “My lab is excited to be a recipient of the Carver Charitable Trust, and we value their support in advancing research in an area that can have a significant impact on communities.”
The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust, based in Iowa, supports biomedical and scientific research, scholarships, and programs to address educational and recreational needs for youth. Their medical and scientific research program area provides support for innovative investigation that holds great promise to advance scientific knowledge and improve human health.
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Written by Hanna Bates, Research Administrator III, Nanovaccine Institute.