Annual Scientific Retreat 2023 Digital Program

ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC RETREAT 2023 TEAM SCIENCE

Cancer and the Environment Novel Theraputics and Preventative Interventions

Cancer Imaging and Bioengineering

Quick Links Agenda Poster Abstracts pgs. 15-20 Upcoming Events pgs. 8-9 Program Member Lists pgs. 10-14 Welcome + Keynote (8:30-9:55) Session 1 Speakers (9:55-10:50) Session 2 Speakers (11a-12:15p) Session 3 Speakers (1:30-2:05) Session 4 Speakers (2:05-3:20)

Agenda

8:00-8:30 8:30-8:45 8:45-9:45 KEYNOTE:

Check-in and continental breakfast Welcome and Introductions

Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD; UA Interim Cancer Center Director Rachna Shroff, MD; UA Interim Cancer Center Clinical Affairs Director The Evolving Landscape for Precision Oncology: Multidisciplinary Integration, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and New Collaboration Networks

Dr. George Poste

Chief Scientist, Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative; Arizona State University 9:45-9:55

Break

SESSION 1: NOVEL THERAPEUTICS 9:55-10:05 10:05-10:10 Q and A

What’s driving early onset GI cancers?

Junaid Arshad, MD; Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

10:10-10:25 10:25-10:30 Q and A

What to Know About NAFLD and Its Link to GI Cancers David Garcia, PhD, FACSM; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

10:30-10:45 10:45-10:50 Q and A

Targeting Mismatch Repair Protein MLH1: A Strategy to Sensitize Cancer for Immunotherapy Rui Xiong, PhD; Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

10:50-11:00

Break

SESSION 2: CANCER IMAGING AND BIOENGINEERING 11:00-11:10 11:10-11:15 Q and A

What are cutting edge technologies for interventional treatment?

Greg Woodhead, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor, Medical Imaging

11:15-11:30 11:30-11:35 Q and A

Low field MRI: An emerging technology for cancer imaging Maria Altbach, PhD; Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

11:35-11:50 11:50-11:55 Q and A

Targeting Mismatch Repair Protein MLH1: A Strategy to Sensitize Cancer for Immunotherapy Rongguang Liang, PhD; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

11:55-12:10 12:10-12:15 Q and A

Bridging the gap to accessible gastrointestinal cancer early detection with optical imaging Travis Sawyer, PhD; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

12:15-1:30

Lunch and Poster Session (abstracts on pages 15-20) SESSION 3: CANCER AND THE NATURAL ENVIRONMENT

1:30-1:40 1:40-1:45 Q and A

What are the environmental challenges in our catchment area?

Monica Yellowhair, PhD; Interim Associate Director of COE and Tribal Relations

1:45-2:00 2:00-2:05 Q and A

University of Arizona Superfund Research Center Xinxin Ding, PhD; Cancer Biology Program Raina Maier, PhD; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

SESSION 4: PREVENTIVE INTERVENTIONS 2:05-2:15 2:15-2:20 Q and A

Adapting prevention strategies for success across the cancer research continuum Rina Fox, PhD, MPH; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

2:20-2:35 2:35-2:40 Q and A

Improving lung cancer survivorship via integrated clinical and behavioral partnerships Heidi Hamann, PhD; Cancer Prevention and Control Program Charles Hsu, MD, PhD; Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

2:40-2:55 2:55-3:00 Q and A

Interventions to reduce development of interval colorectal cancer in colonoscopy screening programs Josh Melson, MD; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

3:00-3:15 3:15-3:20 Q and A

Effectiveness and Optimal Sequencing of Symptom Management Interventions for Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Terry Badger, PhD, RN, FAPOS, FAAN; Cancer Prevention and Control Program

3:20-3:25

Closing Remarks Juanita Merchant, MD, PhD; UA Interim Cancer Center Director

3:25-4:45

Reception

Annual Retreat 2023

Welcome and Introductions

Dr. Juanita Merchant and Dr. Rachna Shroff • • • •

Cancer Center Year in Review UACC Development Focus Areas Publications Leadership Updates

• • • •

8:30-8:45

Clinical Trial Accrual 2023 Publications Current IITs Screening and Enrollment

Learn More About Dr. Merchant

Learn More About Dr. Shroff

Keynote Speaker Dr. George Poste

8:45-9:45

Chief Scientist, Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative; Arizona State University

The Evolving Landscape for Precision Oncology: Multidisciplinary Integration, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence and New Collaboration Networks Dr. George Poste is the Del E. Webb Professor of Health Innovation and Chief Scientist at The Complex Adaptive Systems Initiative (CASI) at Arizona State University (ASU) (http://www.casi.asu.edu). This program integrates research in genomics, synthetic biology and high-performance computing to study the altered regulation of molecular networks in human diseases to develop new diagnostic tests for precision medicine and the remote monitoring of health status using miniaturized body sensors and mobile devices. He assumed this post in 2009. From 2003 to 2009 he directed and built The Biodesign Institute at ASU (https://biodesign.asu.edu/).

From 1992 to 1999, he was Chief Science and Technology Officer and President, R&D, of SmithKline Beecham (SB) (now GlaxoSmithKline). During his tenure at SB, he was associated with the successful registration of multiple drug, vaccine and diagnostic products. In 2004 he was named “R&D Scientist of the Year” by R&D Magazine, he received the Einstein award from the Global Business Leadership Council (2006), the Scrip Lifetime Achievement award voted by the leadership of the global pharmaceutical industry (2009) and the Arizona Bioindustry Association Pioneer Award (2016).

He is a Fellow of the U.K. Royal Society, the Royal College of Pathologists, the U.K. Academy of Medicine and The American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE), the Council for Foreign Relations and the US Academy of Medicine Forum on Global Health. He served as a member of the Defense Science Board of the U.S. Department of Defense and currently serves on advisory committees for several U.S. government agencies in defense, intelligence, national security and healthcare and is an Ex-Officio Member of the Bipartisan Commission on Biodefense. His areas of expertise in biosecurity focus on zoonotic emerging infectious diseases, dual-use research in biotechnology and synthetic biology and new diagnostic systems for global biosurveillance.

Learn More About Dr. Poste

Break 9:45-9:55 Back to Home Page

Novel Theraputics and Preventative Interventions

Junaid Arshad, MD

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

9:55-10:05

What’s driving early onset GI cancers?

Dr. Junaid Arshad is an Assistant Professor of Medicine and faculty in GI Medical Oncology at the University of Arizona College of Medicine. He received his medical degree from King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakistan. He completed his Internal medicine residency at St. Mary’s Hospital, Waterbury, CT. He joined the Cancer Center after his Hematology and Medical Oncology Fellowship with the University of Miami, Florida. Dr. Arshad is a Clinical and Translational Scientist focusing on novel therapeutics for upper GI oncology.

Learn More About Dr. Arshad

David Garcia, PhD, FACSM

Cancer Prevention and Control Program

10:10-10:25

What to Know About NAFLD and Its Link to GI Cancers Dr. Garcia is an Assistant Professor in the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health at the University of Arizona.

He has extensive experience in short and long-term intervention trials in the areas of physical activity, diet, and weight management. He received his training from leading institutions and mentors in the field. Since 2006, Dr. Garcia has worked on numerous funded research projects, including research funded by industry, National Institutes of Health (NIH) and foundations.

Learn More About Dr. Garcia

Rui Xiong, PhD

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

10:30-10:45

Targeting Mismatch Repair Protein MLH1: A Strategy to Sensitize Cancer for Immunotherapy Dr. Xiong is an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the R. Ken Coit College of Pharmacy at the University of Arizona. The Xiong lab researches Identification of small molecules that can sensitize cold tumors to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and developing new chemical technology to address undruggable oncogenic targets, such as the KRAS G12D mutation. He received his PhD in medicinal chemistry from the University of Illinois Chicago in 2016 and completed postdoctoral training at UI Centre for Drug Discovery in 2019.

Learn More About Dr. Xiong

Break 10:50-11:00

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Cancer Imaging and Bioengineering

11:00-11:10 Greg Woodhead, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor, Medical Imaging

What are cutting edge technologies for interventional treatment?

Dr. Woodhead is an Assistant Professor of Medical Imaging on a tenure track at the University of Arizona College of Medicine where he’s also Program Director of Interventional Radiology. He completed the dual degree M.D., Ph.D. Medical Scientist Training Program at Northwestern University School of Medicine. He is currently focusing on targeted tissue thermal ablation, intracellular delivery of chemotherapy, and developing novel treatment strategies for cancer.

Learn More About Dr. Woodhead

11:15-11:30

Maria Altbach, PhD

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

Cancer Prevention and Control Program Dr. Altbach obtained her PhD in Chemistry from Louisiana State University working on solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance of small molecules. Her work transitioned to the field of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) during postdoctoral training focusing on technology development with an emphasis on improving the diagnosis of disease. She is Professor and Vice-chair for Research in the Department of Medical Imaging at the University of Arizona with a joint appointment in Biomedical Engineering.

Learn More About Dr. Altbach

11:35-11:50

Rongguang Liang, PhD

Cancer Prevention and Control Program

Targeting Mismatch Repair Protein MLH1: A Strategy to Sensitize Cancer for Immunotherapy Dr. Rongguang Liang is a Professor at James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences at University of Arizona where he earned his PhD in 2001. Before his move to academia in 2011, he was a Senior Principal Research Scientist at Carestream Health Inc and Principal Research Scientist at Eastman Kodak Co. Dr. Liang’s current research focuses on advanced imaging technologies and optical engineering. Dr. Liang is an SPIE Fellow, OSA Fellow.

Learn More About Dr. Liang

11:55-12:10

Travis Sawyer, PhD

Cancer Prevention and Control Program

Bridging the gap to accessible gastrointestinal cancer early detection with optical imaging Dr. Travis Sawyer received his Bachelor’s degree in Optical Sciences and Engineering from the University of Arizona before pursuing an MPhil in Physics at the University of Cambridge supported by a Churchill Scholarship. He returned to the University of Arizona as a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow to complete his PhD in Optical Sciences, focused on ovarian cancer screening. His laboratory team focuses on developing optical imaging technologies to inform diagnosis and management of cancer.

Learn More About Dr. Sawyer

Lunch and Poster Session 12:15-1:30 Back to Home Page

Cancer and the Environment

Monica Yellowhair, PhD

Interim Associate Director of COE and Tribal Relations

1:30-1:40

What are the environmental challenges in our catchment area?

After earning her PhD in pharmacology and toxicology from the University of Arizona, Dr. Yellowhair completed a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer biology at the Cancer Center from 2011 to 2016. Monica served the center as an assistant research scientist before joining COE in 2018 and assuming the role of director of Outreach and Tribal Relations in June of 2020. She is currently interim associate director of COE at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

Learn More About Dr. Yellowhair

Raina Maier, PhD, Xinxin Ding, PhD

1:45-2:00

Cancer Prevention and Control Program,Cancer Biology Program

University of Arizona Superfund Research Center Raina M. Maier, PhD, is a Professor of Environmental Microbiology in the Department of Environmental Science and Director of the University of Arizona NIEHS Superfund Research Center which is focused on understanding the health impacts and advancing innovative solutions for remediation of mine waste sites. She leads a team investigating how best to establish vegetative caps on mine waste and the research results are changing the way we think about and evaluate the revegetation process.

Dr. Ding is department head of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the University of Arizona College of Pharmacy. Dr. Ding studies enzyme function, regulation and genetics as applied to translational research for drug safety and efficacy and genetic and environmental risks for chemical toxicity. He is author of nearly 200 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and articles and serves as associate editor for “Drug Metabolism and Disposition” and “Acta Pharmaeutica Sinica B.”

Learn More About Dr. Maier

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Learn More About Dr. Ding

Preventative Interventions

Rina Fox, PhD, MPH

2:05-2:15

Cancer Prevention and Control Program

Adapting prevention strategies for success across the cancer research continuum Dr. Fox is a clinical health psychologist and an Assistant Professor at the University of Arizona College of Nursing. She received an MPH in Epidemiology from the San Diego State University Graduate School of Public Health, and a PhD in Clinical Psychology from San Diego State University in Clinical Psychology. She is a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

Learn More About Dr. Fox

Heidi Hamann, PhD, Charles Hsu, MD, PhD

2:20-2:35

Cancer Prevention and Control Program, Clinical and Translational Oncology Program

Improving lung cancer survivorship via integrated clinical and behavioral partnerships Dr. Hamann received her MS in Human Genetics from Stanford University and her PhD in Psychology from the University of Michigan. Her Post-doctoral Fellowship in Psychosocial and Behavioral Oncology was done at the University of Pittsburgh.

Dr. Hamann is Co-Leader of the University of Arizona Cancer Center’s Cancer Prevention and Control Program.

Dr. Hsu earned his MD and PhD in epidemiology from the Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine in Baltimore, MD and also completed a post-doctoral fellowship in cancer epidemiology with the World Health Organization. He completed his internship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York followed by residency at the University of California-San Francisco, where he also served as Chief Resident. Dr. Hsu is Medical Director of the University of Arizona Cancer Center Clinical Trials Office.

Learn More About Dr. Hamann

Learn More About Dr. Hsu

Josh Melson, MD

Cancer Prevention and Control Program

2:40-2:55

Interventions to reduce development of interval colorectal cancer in colonoscopy screening programs Dr. Melson is the Director of High-Risk Clinic for Gastrointestinal Cancers at the University of Arizona Cancer Center.

His focus is on managing patients at elevated risk for gastrointestinal cancers and utilizing clinical expertise for cancer prevention. He specializes in colorectal cancer screening, surveillance, and endoscopic removal of precancerous lesions during colonoscopy. His research enhances colorectal cancer prevention through optimized colonoscopy.

Learn More About Dr. Melson

Terry Badger, PhD, RN, FAPOS, FAAN Cancer Prevention and Control Program

3:00-3:15

Effectiveness and Optimal Sequencing of Symptom Management Interventions for Cancer Survivors and Caregivers Dr. Badger earned an MSN from Arizona State University and PhD from University of Texas at Austin. She is a board certified psychiatric mental health advanced practice nurse. She is the Eleanor Bauwens Endowed Chair, Professor and Chair of the Community and Systems Science Division in the College of Nursing and a Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the College of Medicine.

Learn More About Dr. Badger

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Upcoming Events

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Upcoming Events

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Cancer Research Programs

Cancer Biology Program Deepta Bhattacharya PhD Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

James Bibb PhD Professor COM Phx Translational Neurosci College of Medicine - Phoenix

Timothy Bolger PhD Associate Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Alfred Bothwell PhD Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

John Buchan PhD Associate Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Andrew Capaldi PhD Associate Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Carlos Caulin PhD Associate Professor Otolaryngology College of Medicine - Tucson

Setsuko Chambers MD Professor Obstetrics and Gynecology College of Medicine - Tucson

Eli Chapman PhD Associate Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Pascale Charest PhD Associate Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Qin Chen PhD Professor Pharmacy Practice and Science R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Nathan Cherrington PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Elizabeth Connick MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Zelieann Craig PhD Associate Professor Animal&Biomedical Sciences-Res College of Agric and Life Sci

Anne Cress PhD Professor Medicine Administration College of Medicine - Tucson

Darren Cusanovich PhD Assistant Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Xinxin Ding PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Frank Duca PhD Assistant Professor Animal&Biomedical Sciences-Res College of Agric and Life Sci

Nathan Ellis PhD Associate Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Janet Funk MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Felicia Goodrum Sterling PhD Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Geoffrey Gurtner MD, FACS Professor Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering

Nancy Horton PhD Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Pawel Kiela PhD,DVM Professor Pediatrics College of Medicine - Tucson

Suwon Kim PhD Associate Professor COM Phx Basic Medical Sci College of Medicine - Phoenix

Marwan Krunz PhD Professor Electrical and Computer Engr College of Engineering

Nam Lee PhD Associate Professor Pharmacology College of Medicine - Tucson

Kirsten Limesand PhD Professor Nutritional Sci Wellness - RES College of Agric and Life Sci

Keith Maggert PhD Associate Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Juanita Merchant MD, PhD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Cynthia Miranti PhD Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Ghassan Mouneimne PhD Associate Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Janko Nikolich-Zugich MD Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Megha Padi PhD Assistant Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Andrew Paek PhD Assistant Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Frank Porreca PhD Professor Pharmacology College of Medicine - Tucson

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Cancer Research Programs

Cancer Biology Program John Purdy PhD Associate Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Gregory Rogers PhD Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Donato Romagnolo PhD, MSc Professor Nutritional Sci Wellness - RES College of Agric and Life Sci

Casey Romanoski PhD Associate Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Monika Schmelz PhD Professor Pathology College of Medicine - Tucson

Joyce Schroeder PhD Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Matthew Salanga PhD Assistant Professor Biological Sciences (NAU) College of the Environment, Forestry, and Natural Sciences (NAU) Jacob Schwartz PhD Associate Professor Pharmacology College of Medicine - Tucson

Catharine Smith PhD Associate Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Ashley Snider PhD Associate Professor Nutritional Sci Wellness - RES College of Agric and Life Sci

Jennifer Stern PhD Assistant Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

George Sutphin PhD Assistant Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Curtis Thorne PhD Assistant Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Koenraad Van Doorslaer PhD Assistant Professor Animal & Biomedical Sciences-Res College of Agric and Life Sci

Todd Vanderah PhD Professor Pharmacology College of Medicine - Tucson

Noel Warfel PhD Associate Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Jean Wilson PhD Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Justin Wilson PhD Assistant Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Guang Yao PhD Associate Professor Molecular and Cellular Biology College of Science

Yana Zavros PhD Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Shalini Sharma PhD Associate Professor COM Phx Basic Medical Sci College of Medicine - Phoenix

Cancer Prevention and Control Program Ivo Abraham PhD, RN Professor Pharmacy Practice and Science R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Alicia Allen PhD, MPH Associate Professor Family and Community Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Terry Badger PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAPOS

Jennifer Barton PhD Professor BIO5 Institute RII Centers & Institutes

Jennifer Bea PhD Associate Professor Health Promotion Sciences College of Public Health

Paloma Beamer PhD Professor Community Environment & Policy College of Public Health

Ali Bilgin PhD Associate Professor Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering

Heidi Brown PhD, MPH Associate Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Public Health

Jefferey Burgess MD, MPH, MS Professor Community Environment & Policy College of Public Health

Samuel Campos PhD Associate Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Sara Centuori PhD Assistant Professor AEGIS Consortium AZ Health Sci Ctrs & Divisions

Floyd Chilton PhD Professor Nutritional Sci Wellness - RES College of Agric and Life Sci

Hsiao-Hui Chow PhD Professor Cancer Center Division AZ Health Sci Ctrs & Divisions

Clara Curiel MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Leslie Dennis PhD Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Public Health

Sally Dickinson PhD Associate Professor Pharmacology College of Medicine - Tucson

Jennifer Erdrich MD, MPH, MFA, FACS, FSSO Leslie Farland ScD

Assistant Professor Surgery College of Medicine - Tucson

Assistant Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Public Health

Rina Fox PhD, MPH Assistant Professor College of Nursing

Francine Gachupin PhD Associate Professor Family and Community Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

David Garcia PhD Associate Professor Health Promotion Sciences College of Public Health

Professor College of Nursing

Cancer Research Programs

Cancer Prevention and Control Program Linda Garland MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Judith Gordon PhD Professor College of Nursing College of Nursing

Heidi Hamann PhD Associate Professor Psychology College of Science

Robin Harris PhD Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Public Health

Karen Hastings MD Professor COM Phx Basic Medical Sci College of Medicine - Phoenix

Jennifer Hatcher PhD, MPH, MSN Professor Public Hlth Prac & Trans Rsch College of Public Health

Melissa Herbst-Kralovetz PhD Associate Professor COM Phx Basic Medical Sci College of Medicine - Phoenix

Melanie Hingle PhD, MPH, RDN Associate Professor Nutritional Sci Wellness - RES College of Agric and Life Sci

Elizabeth Jacobs PhD Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Public Health

Dongkyun Kang PhD Assistant Professor James C Wyant Coll Optical Sci James C Wyant Coll Optical Sci

Andrew Karellas PhD, DABR, FAAPM, FACR Karl Krupp PhD Professor Assistant Professor Medical Imaging Public Hlth Prac & Trans Rsch College of Medicine - Tucson College of Public Health

Michael Lance MD Research Scientist, Cancer Center Division AZ Health Sci Ctrs & Divisions

Rongguang Liang PhD Professor James C Wyant Coll Optical Sci James C Wyant Coll Optical Sci

Chris Lim PhD Assistant Professor Community Environment & Policy College of Public Health

Lois Loescher PhD, RN, FAAN Professor College of Nursing College of Nursing

Purnima Madhivanan PhD,MBBS, MPH Associate Professor Health Promotion Sciences College of Public Health

Raina Maier PhD Professor Environmental Science-Res College of Agric and Life Sci

Joshua Melson MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Thaddeus Pace PhD Associate Professor College of Nursing College of Nursing

Kelly Palmer PhD, MHS Assistant Professor Health Promotion Sciences College of Public Health

Taylor Riall MD Professor Surgery College of Medicine - Tucson

Denise Roe DrPH Professor Epidemiology and Biostatistics College of Public Health

John Ruiz PhD Professor Psychology College of Science

Travis Sawyer PhD Assistant Professor James C Wyant Coll Optical Sci James C Wyant Coll Optical Sci

Meghan Skiba PhD, MPH Assistant Professor College of Nursing College of Nursing

Teshia Solomon PhD Associate Professor Family and Community Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Jeffrey Stone PhD Professor Psychology College of Science

Cynthia Thomson PhD, RDN Professor Health Promotion Sciences College of Public Health

Srinivasan Vedantham PhD Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Karen Weihs MD Professor Psychiatry College of Medicine - Tucson

Marlys Witte MD Professor Surgery College of Medicine - Tucson

Donna Zhang PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program Maria Altbach PhD Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Junaid Arshad MD Assistant Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Craig Aspinwall PhD Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry - Sci College of Science

Bhaskar Banerjee MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Martha Bhattacharya PhD Assistant Professor Neuroscience College of Science

Margaret Briehl PhD Professor Pathology College of Medicine - Tucson

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Cancer Research Programs

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program Minying Cai PhD Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry - Sci College of Science

Jennifer Carew PhD Associate Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Rui Chang PhD Associate Professor UAHS Brain Science AZ Health Sci Ctrs & Divisions

Kellen Chen PhD Assistant Professor Surgery College of Medicine - Tucson

Juan Chipollini MD Associate Professor Urology College of Medicine - Tucson

Abhijit Date PhD Assistant Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Sima Ehsani MD Assistant Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Lars Furenlid PhD Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Edward Gelmann MD Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Fayez Ghishan MD Professor Pediatrics College of Medicine - Tucson

Krisstina Gowin DO Assistant Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Matthew Greer MD Assistant Professor Radiation Oncology College of Medicine - Tucson

Melissa Halpern PhD Associate Professor Pediatrics College of Medicine - Tucson

Charles Hsu MD, PhD Associate Professor Radiation Oncology College of Medicine - Tucson

Christopher Hulme PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Laurence Hurley PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Mohab Ibrahim MD,PhD Professor Anesthesiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Emmanuel Katsanis MD Professor Pediatrics College of Medicine - Tucson

Sharad Khurana MD Assistant Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Michael Kuhns PhD Associate Professor Immunobiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Robert Lantz PhD Professor Cellular & Molecular Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Benjamin Lee MD Professor Urology College of Medicine - Tucson

Won Hee Lee PhD Assistant Professor COM Phx Basic Medical Sci College of Medicine - Phoenix

Zhonglin Liu MD Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Jianqin Lu Bpharm,PhD Assistant Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Carrie Luu MD, FACS Assistant Professor Surgery College of Medicine - Tucson

Ronald Lynch PhD Professor Physiology College of Medicine - Tucson

Timothy Marlowe PhD Assistant Professor COM Phx Internal Medicine College of Medicine - Phoenix

Michael Marty PhD Associate Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry - Sci College of Science

Terry Matsunaga PhD Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

William Montfort PhD Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry - Sci College of Science

Christopher Morrison MD,PHD Assistant Professor Radiation Oncology College of Medicine - Tucson

Steffan Nawrocki PhD Associate Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Aikseng Ooi PhD Associate Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Benjamin Renquist PhD Associate Professor Animal&Biomedical Sciences-Res College of Agric and Life Sci

Bital Savir-Baruch MD, FACNM Associate Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Aaron Scott MD Associate Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

Timothy Secomb PhD Professor BIO5 Institute RII Centers & Institutes

Rachna Shroff MD Associate Professor Medicine College of Medicine - Tucson

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Cancer Research Programs

Clinical and Translational Oncology Program Richard Simpson PhD Professor Nutritional Sci Wellness - RES College of Agric and Life Sci

Baldassarre Stea MD, PhD, FASTRO Professor Radiation Oncology College of Medicine - Tucson

Tsu-Te Su PhD Assistant Professor Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering

Gregory Thatcher PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Elisa Tomat PhD Professor Chemistry & Biochemistry - Sci College of Science

Josef Vagner PhD Professor BIO5 Institute RII Centers & Institutes

Wei Wang PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Russell Witte PhD Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Georg Wondrak PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Gregory Woodhead MD,PhD Assistant Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Stephanie Worrell MD Associate Professor Surgery College of Medicine - Tucson

Rui Xiong PhD Assistant Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

Shamar Young MD Associate Professor Medical Imaging College of Medicine - Tucson

Chi Zhou PhD Assistant Professor Animal&Biomedical Sciences-Res College of Agric and Life Sci

Haining Zhu PhD Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology R Ken Coit College of Pharmacy

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Poster Abstracts

Carina Magdaleno #1 Determining The Role of TWIST1 and GATA2 in Prostate Cancer Differentiation Differentiation dysregulation in prostate cancer Shelby Ziller #2 Associations between DXA-derived visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue and obesity-related cancer incidence in postmenopausal women We examined the relationships between first incident obesity-related cancer (n=1273) and dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) derived abdominal adipose tissue depots, specifically total (TAT), visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT), over 27 years of follow-up in postmenopausal women of the Women’s Health Initiative DXA Cohort (n=9950). We found that measures of abdominal adiposity were associated with an increased risk of first incident obesity-related cancer in postmenopausal women and risk was twice as elevated for VAT as for SAT. Heyu Song #3 A Single Nucleotide Polymorphism in HNF1A Induces NAFLD and Hepatocellular Carcinoma The role of the SNP(A98V) of HNF1A in NAFLD and HCC Kyndall Kleinman #4 Novel Targets for Perinatal Smoking Cessation in People with Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) While breastfeeding in the general population is a well-known protective factor against cigarette smoking relapse, little is known about smoking relapse prevention among postpartum individuals with opioid use disorder (OUD). That being said, we explored the role of subjective bonding and oxytocin in order to understand potential targets for perinatal smoking cessation.

Lauren Reyes #5 Direct comparison of focal adhesion kinase (FAK) therapeutic modalities for the treatment of various cancer types genetically dependent on FAK for survival FAK has emerged as a promising target for the treatment of various cancer types as it is overexpressed in ~80% of all solid tumors and has been proven to play a major role in the progression of multiple cancers including skin, lung, breast, brain, and pancreatic cancers. Current FAK-kinase inhibitors that block the catalytic site have shown limited efficacy in multiple Phase I/II clinical trials and displayed incomplete efficacy in inducing apoptosis and inhibiting cancer cell growth.

The recent development of FAK degrading PROTACs have also shown inadequate induction of antiproliferative effects despite successful degradation of the protein. However, FAK-related non-kinase (FRNK) is an alternative transcript of FAK consisting only of the C-terminus and acts as an endogenous inhibitor of FAK through the FAT domain, effectively displacing FAK from focal adhesions. We have shown promising results in the use of novel FAK-FAT inhibitors which target the scaffolding function of FAK to induce anoikis and inhibit proliferation in melanoma cells. A direct comparison of these different modes of FAK modulation in various cancer types has yet to be performed creating a significant gap in understanding the best approach toward targeted FAK inhibition for the treatment of cancer.

Jennifer Bea #6 Behavioral Measurement and Intervention Shared Resource The services, equipment, and expertise available through the BMISR will be shared.

Poster Abstracts

Geetanjali Gupta #7 Mutant p53 promotes an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in squamous cell carcinoma The genetic background of tumors can influence both tumorigenesis and the immune response. Multiple immune cell types can infiltrate tumors and promote progression and metastasis through different mechanisms, including immunosuppression. In combinatorial immunotherapy, integrated genotypic–immunophenotypic analyses are needed.

Recent whole-exome sequencing of cutaneous SCCs (cSCCs) and head and neck SCCs (HNSCCs) identified p53 mutations in over 70% of cases. The role of the activation of an endogenous p53(R172H) gain of function (GOF) mutation in squamous cell cancers affecting the composition of the immune landscape in the tumor microenvironment is currently unclear and warrants further investigation, which can provide a basis for the design of new potent and tumorspecific immunotherapy. Methods: p53 (R172H) mutated and KO cell lines were treated with drug PRIMA to induce p53 reactivation, and βactin, p53, and p21 protein levels were compared in the control versus treated group by western blot analysis. Immunocompetent mice were subcutaneously injected with p53 mutated and KO cell lines to establish in vivo SCC tumors. Mice were randomly selected for control versus drug treated groups. Tumor size were recorded every other day. At the end of the study, mice were sacrificed and tumors were dissected for [a] to prepare paraffinembedded sections for immunohistochemical analysis, and [b] tumors, as well as spleen and lymph node [LN], were collected, digested, and prepared single cell suspension for flow cytometry analysis to assess immune cell populations (CD8 and CD4 T cells, Treg, M1/M2 macrophages, DC and Mo/G- MDSC; cell suspension were stained in 3 groups with 8-10 antibodies panel and were acquired on LSR2. Leukocytes were gated according to morphology (SSC-A vs.

FSC-A), doublets were excluded (FSC-H vs. FSC-A), and live immune cells were selected using zombie yellow and CD45+ antibodies. Data was analyzed by FlowJo software. Immunohistochemistry analysis was performed to determine the expression of p53, Ki67, and caspase 3 in treatment groups vs control groups. Statistically significant results were assessed for all experimental groups with at least three technical and biological replicates. Results: Western blot analysis showed that after treatment with drug PRIMA, expression of p53 protein was significantly reduced, and p21 was significantly increased in a dose-dependent manner in p53 mutated cell lines after normalization with β-actin in all the samples. Tumors regressed robustly in drug-treated groups. The Dot-plot showed that in the tumor; CD3+ cells were increased while Treg and G-MDSC cells fractions were reduced; in drug-treated group as compared to the control group. However, LN and spleen immune cell populations had unremarkable changes in control versus treatment. Q path analysis of the tumor section after IHC showed that Ki67, p53, Treg, Arginase, Vista, OXP, and M2/CD206+ were reduced significantly [p<0.0001] in the treated group. At the same time, cleaved caspase, CD3+ and CD8+ [in Peri-tumoral space] were significantly increased [p<0.0001] in the treated group. Conclusion: p53 GOF mutation in squamous cell cancers causes immuno-suppressive TME that can be reversed by the drug PRIMA through p53 reactivation. This study would be especially relevant for tailoring immunological therapies and stratifying a responsive patient population.

Wei Wang #8 Bioorthogonal PROTAC Prodrugs Enabled by On-Target Activation Although proteolysis targeting chimeras (PROTACs) have become promising therapeutic modalities, important concerns exist about the potential toxicity of the approach owning to uncontrolled degradation of proteins and undesirable ligase-mediated off-target effects. Precision manipulation of degradation activity of PROTACs could minimize potential toxicity and side effects. As a result, extensive efforts have been devoted to developing cancer biomarker activating prodrugs of PROTACs. In this investigation, we developed a bioorthogonal on-demand prodrug strategy (termed click-release ?crPROTACs?) that enables on-target activation of PROTAC prodrugs and release of PROTACs in cancer cells selectively. Inactive PROTAC prodrugs TCO-ARV-771 and TCO-DT2216 are rationally designed by conjugating a bioorthogonal trans-cyclooctenes (TCO) group into the ligand of the VHL E3 ubiquitin ligase. The tetrazine (Tz) modified RGD peptide, c(RGDyK)-Tz, which targets integrin ?v?3 biomarker in cancer cells, serves as the activation component for click-release of the PROTAC prodrugs to achieve targeted degradation of proteins of interest (POIs) in cancer cells versus noncancerous normal cells. The results of studies accessing the viability of this strategy show that the PROTAC prodrugs are selectively activated in an integrin ?v?3-dependent manner to produce PROTACs, which degrade POIs in cancer cells. The crPROTAC strategy might be a general, abiotic approach to in-duce selective cancer cell death through the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

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Poster Abstracts

Noelle Daigle #9 Machine learning algorithm to classify multiphoton microscopy images of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors Surgery is the preferred method of treatment for most pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs), however existing techniques such as intraoperative ultrasound and manual palpation have low resolution and contrast for these neoplasms. Improving surgical localization methods, and therefore reducing the amount of unnecessarily resected tissue, could greatly improve patient outcome and quality of life. Multiphoton microscopy (MPM) is an optical imaging technique capable of visualizing endogenous fluorophores as well as second harmonic generation (SHG), a light scattering event indicative of connective tissue. In this work we image formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded samples of PNET (n=27) and normal pancreatic tissue (n=21) using MPM at five excitation and emission wavelengths corresponding to four fluorophores (NADH, FAD, lipofuscin, and porphyrin) and SHG. We then develop a novel machine learning algorithm using texture features extracted by Haralick’s method and linear discriminant analysis, and train the model to distinguish between tumor and normal tissue. We find that as we increase the number of features used to train the model to n=6 we achieve a classification accuracy of 91.7%. This indicates that MPM could be used to distinguish between PNET and normal pancreatic tissue to high success, and supports continued research into both the integration of MPM in clinical imaging tools and the use of machine learning methods in real time imaging.

Suzann Duan #10 Spatial profiling of neuro-immune interactions in gastroenteropancreatic NETs Gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (GEP-NETs) are heterogeneous malignancies that arise from complex cellular interactions within the tissue microenvironment. Until recently, the absence of reliable methods to unmix tumorand stroma-derived signals has precluded a comprehensive understanding of how GEP-NETs arise in different tissues.

Here, we sought to decipher tumor-derived signals from the surrounding microenvironment by applying Nanostring Digital Spatial Profiling (DSP) to hormone-secreting and non-functional GEP-NETs. By combining this approach with in vitro studies in human-derived organoids, we demonstrate the convergence of cell autonomous immune and pro-inflammatory signals that suggests their role in neuroendocrine differentiation and tumorigenesis.

Priyanka Ravi #11 Using photovoice to understand the experiences and challenges faced by the women tobacco (beedi) workers in Karnataka, India Tobacco is the leading cause of cancer in the world. Beedi, known as the poor man’s cigarette, is manufactured in many states of India, and Bangladesh, and its use is associated with various health risks. However, there is scant evidence on the potential health effects of tobacco on industry workers. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and challenges faced by the women beedi workers handling unburnt tobacco using Photovoice, a community-based participatory method. We recruited 20 women who were involved in beedi rolling for at least a year. A one-day training was conducted and training topics included an introduction to Photovoice, principles, and ethics of photography, photo consent and safety, field practice using digital cameras, and group discussion and reflection about the photovoice process and outcomes. Participants were then asked to take pictures of what best represents occupational health challenges in their workplace. Photos were taken for four weeks, and after every seven days, the participants discussed the pictures with the research team. The major themes were health problems, other occupations in the community, occupational constraints, household responsibilities along with work, interpersonal relations among spouses, children’s health, social inequality, and economic burden. Empowerment measures include thinking about the problem, leadership within each group, facilitation skills, photographic skills, and presentation skills. A photovoice exhibition was arranged within the community. The community leaders, community members, and policymakers were invited to view the photos taken by the participants. The findings from this study provide a better understanding of health and social challenges faced by women beedi workers. This will help in making better tobacco control policies in lower-middle-income countries by identifying better and sustainable employment opportunities for small-scale tobacco workers.

TARGHETS #12 Tissue Acquisition and Repository for Gastrointestinal and Hepatic Systems The TARGHETS biorepository works with various gastrointestinal clinical trials and research studies within Arizona. The primary focus is to discover more effective treatments as well as diagnostics for gastrointestinal diseases. We approach a variety of donors, including normal or healthy volunteers, for consent and collection of biospecimens (urine, stool, saliva, blood, and gastrointestinal tissue) from the Banner Medical Center facilities (Main, South, and North campuses).

Specimens are then aliquoted and stored for current and future research.

Poster Abstracts

Dylan Decker #13 Research Tech Research about the association of abdominal body composition of visceral and subcutaneous adipose tissue and breast cancer mortality in post-menopausal women.

Timothy Chavez #14 Evaluation of Small Molecule Kinase Inhibitors (SMKIs) as a Multi-targeted Therapeutic for the Treatment of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM) Drug Discovery for Glioblastoma Multiforme

Riley O’Neill #15 Addressing the psychosocial needs of cancer patients: A training-focused collaboration between the UA Department of Psychology and the Banner/UA Cancer Center Approximately 30% of individuals diagnosed with cancer report clinically significant depressive and/or anxious symptoms. Current guidelines from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) prioritize stepped care management, with evidence-based psychotherapy modalities as the first-line treatment for moderate-severe depression and/or anxiety. This poster describes the collaboration between a licensed psychologist with specialized psychosocial oncology training, advanced-level clinical health psychology graduate (PhD) students, and the Supportive Care team at Banner/UA Cancer Center to provide evidence-based psychotherapy services for cancer patients with depression and anxiety. Data include outcomes from this two-year partnership with discussion of service demand and needs to increase service and supervision capacity.

Chris Castillo #16 Assessing contemporary cancer prevention infrastructure in neighborhoods of historical residential segregation to better understand patterns of breast cancer disparities Breast cancer remains the leading cancer burden among women in the United States (U.S.) with a growing incidence rate in the U.S. occurring over the last decade. Despite extensive research, sophisticated methods for screening and surveillance, and advanced treatment technologies, breast cancer disparities across the cancer continuum, pre-diagnosis through mortality, persist among low socioeconomic status (SES) and minoritized women. An emerging area of research on structural racism centers the influence of segregation, particularly practices of redlining, implicated in these disparities. This study focuses on Tucson, Arizona, a unique site to consider the complexities and contemporary remnants of historical residential segregation. Arizona segregation laws were among some of the most stringent for Black and Hispanics prior to the Fair Housing Act (FHA) of 1968.

Dante Bellomo #17 Molecular drivers of tumor progression in microsatellite stable APC mutation-negative colorectal cancers We applied bioinformatic analysis pipelines including differential gene expression, inferred immune cell infiltration, and gene regulatory networks to identify unique molecular drivers of APC mutation negative Colorectal cancers compared to APC mutation positive Colorectal cancers.

Francis Morales-Lozada #18 FALCON: Families and Lung Cancer Outcomes Network Hispanics tend to experience lower disease mortality compared to non-Hispanic Whites including in the context of lung cancer. Cultural differences in social bonds are hypothesized to contribute to these survival differences, however no prior work as tested this hypothesis. For the first time, the Families and Lung Cancer Outcomes Network (FALCON) study will test this sociocultural hypothesis of Hispanic resilience through a multisite, longitudinal study of ethnicity, social integration, and lung cancer survival. FALCON is an NCI-funded five-year multisite longitudinal study examining Hispanic and Non-Hispanic (NH) White non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to address two central aims: (1) evaluate the degree to which social integration mediates ethnic differences in survival outcomes for lung cancer patients in a multisite, longitudinal sample; and (2) examine whether acculturation moderates survival through its effects on social integration among Hispanic lung cancer patients. This poster will describe the FALCON study methods and collaboration with University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) clinician teams.

Poster Abstracts

Tara Torres #19 Cancer Research: Past and Future 2024 Conference Led by the office of Cancer Research Training & Education Coordination (CRTEC), a student and trainee-led planning committee organizes a cancer-focused research conference each year. The Cancer Research: Past and Future 2024 conference is an interdisciplinary, trainee-focused conference for cancer research students and postdoctoral researchers. This year’s conference theme, Beyond the Bench/Bedside, emphasizes the varied cancer research conducted by students and trainees from different departments at University of Arizona. This poster will describe aspects of the conference taking place on April 19, 2024, including the purpose of the conference, outcomes for UA cancer trainees, and conference events (e.g., workshops, keynote speakers, poster presentations, etc.).

Tanjia Clarkson #20 Bioengineered Prostate-on-Chip Single Channel Device Fabrication and Experiments The interactions between cancer tumors and their underlining stroma, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs), contribute to the development of an anti- or pro-tumorigenic microenvironment. Microfluid-based bioengineered organ-on-chips have emerged as a useful tool for studying cancer biology and related treatments. With the development of the first in vitro microfluidic human Prostate-on-Chip (PoC) model. Organ-on-a-Chip are structures containing bioengineered miniature models of organs and tissue growth within the microfluidic chip. To attain human physiology, the device models mimic the complex structures and cellular interactions within the human body. Being able to analyze the prostate epithelia cells is the focus of ongoing experiments.

Pawel Laniewski #21 Viewing Native American cervical cancer disparities through the lens of the vaginal microbiome: A pilot study This research is a part of the Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) and aims at elucidating the interplay between the vaginal microbiome, HPV and genital inflammation, which may contribute to cervical cancer health disparity among Native American women.

Nicole Jimenez #22 Newly Identified Fannyhessea species Contributions in HPV Infection, Cervical Dysplasia, and Cancer in two Arizonan Cohorts The vaginal microbiome can impact gynecologic health and disease. It is still unclear the extent to which the microbiome plays in the progression and development of gynecologic cancers. Fannyhessea vaginae is a key vaginal bacterium linked to bacterial vaginosis, HPV acquisition, and cervical cancer. F. vaginae was recently proposed for reclassification as three species: F.vaginae, Fannyhessea massiliense, and Fannyhessea species type 2. We hypothesize that these Fannyhessea species vary in terms of their host-microbe interactions which contribute to cancer progression/severity. We investigated the prevalence of Fannyhessea species in two of our Arizona-based HPV and cervical cancer cohorts recruited in Phoenix or Flagstaff area. The Phoenix (Phx) cohort included: women diagnosed with invasive cervical cancer (ICC=9), high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (HSIL=27), and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL=11), as well as controls who were either HPV-positive=20 or HPV-negative without dysplasia=31. While the Flagstaff cohort (Flg) consisted of 31 women that were HPV-positive=7 or HPV-negative=24. The 16S rDNA sequencing information was analyzed with DADA2 and QIIME2 to identify the microbial composition of the cervicovaginal profiles of these patients.

Statistical analyses are ongoing, utilizing survey data on these species to decipher their clinical associations with factors such as HPV status and genotype. The cohorts had a prevalence of 59.2% of Atopobiaceae bacteria in Phx and 38.7% prevalence in Flg cohort. We observed F. vaginae (50% and 38.7%, respectively), Fannyhessea species type 2 (16.4% and 25.0%, respectively), F. massiliense (21.0% and 18.8%, respectively) in these cohorts. Interestingly, in both dysplasia groups of the Phx cohort these species had an increased abundance, but it did not reach significance. Other clinical and demographic factors in both cohorts, vaginal pH (p = 0.0005 and 0.47, respectively), Native American race (p=0.002) and Hispanic ethnicity (p= 0.013 and 0.63, respectively), indicated significant species-specific differences in the prevalence of Atopobiaceae. Additionally, genital inflammation scores were higher in profiles that contained Atopobiaceae species (p= 0.05) in Phoenix cohort. In addition, microbial co-occurrence analysis identified that Fannyhessea species highly co-occurred with one another. Sneathia amnii, Sneathia sanguinegens, and other BV-associated bacteria also co-occurred with Fannyhessea species, indicating an association between multiple Fannyhessea species and a potential link to cancer that requires further investigation. This research highlights potential associations of BV-associated bacteria and their role in HPV infection and cervical cancer and investigates the relationship of underexplored Fannyhessea species in historically understudied populations that have the highest disease burden. The overall data from our study provide foundational knowledge on putative oncogenic bacteria that could be exploited to modulate the microbiome and improve cancer outcomes.

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Poster Abstracts

Sukirti Shivpuri #23 Tumor initiation model of Prostate Cancer via Cumate regulated overexpression of c-Myc The aim of this research is to model the attributes of Prostate cancer initiation and development via dysregulation of Myc, Pten and Erg genes in the Prostate Human on a Chip model. This project is aimed at creating a system to overexpress Myc oncogene expression under the tight control of the Cumate inducible vector system in Prostate epithelial cells.

Juan Contreras II #24 Research Outreach for Southern Arizona (ROSA): Perspectives of Cancer Biology Research among Southern Arizona?s Hispanic/Latino Community This abstract describes the first analysis of a community-based survey (ROSA) that looks at community perceptions on interest, involvement, and previous experience in cancer research among the Hispanic/Latino population of Southern AZ. By doing so, Cancer Center researchers can learn more about the community within the catchment area. This data can potentially lead to improving the design of research projects to be more accessible and relevant to community priorities and concerns.

Maria Prevatt #25 The Partnership For Native American Cancer Prevention The Partnership for Native American Cancer Prevention (NACP) is a partnership between Northern Arizona University (NAU) and the University of Arizona Cancer Center (UACC) funded by NCI’s Comprehensive Partnerships to Advance Cancer Health Equity (CPACHE) through a U54 mechanism. The overarching goals of NACP are to reduce the cancer burden within the Arizona Native American population through research and community engagement; increase the number of Native American investigators working in cancer research; and increase the total number of investigators focused on cancer health disparities within the Native American communities. Within NACP there are four cores: Administrative, Planning & Evaluation, Research Education and Outreach. NACP includes one Shared Resource, Guiding U54 Investigator Development to Sustainability (GUIDeS) which organizes and facilitates a range of services, and career enhancement opportunities, primarily targeted for ESIs (early stage investigators), JIs (junior investigators), and postdoctoral scholars.

Throughout the grant cycle NACP supports full and pilot research projects focused on cancer health disparities in Native American communities. Currently there are four pilot projects being supported by NACP:1) Optimizing My Health My Choice (MHMC) to Promote Breast and Cervical Cancer Care for Native American Women with Disabilities (Armin & Joseph); 2) Advancing Liver Cancer Prevention for Arizona Indian Communities (Garcia & Sanderson); 3) Addressing Helicobacter pylori health disparities by evaluating the role of the GI microbiome on inflammation & Helicobacter pylori colonization in patients on the Navajo Nation (Merchant, Settles & Cope); 4) Exploring Native American Cervical Cancer Disparities through the Lens of the Vaginal Microbiome (Herbst-Kralovetz, Caporaso, & Lee).

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