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UNC Researchers identify blood test which improves ability to monitor cancer patients after treatment

June 16, 2020
Dr. Gaorav Gupta and Dr. Bhisham Chera from UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center led the study which found this blood test to be 99% accurate in detecting HPV-linked oropharyngeal cancer. This blood test provides a  non-invasive option to monitor patients after finishing cancer treatment.

UNC Researcher set to test the first ocular gene therapy to restore sight to MPS 1 patients

June 1, 2020
Dr. Matthew Hirsch, assistant professor in the UNC Department of Ophthalmology and member of UNC’s Gene Therapy Center, leads the pioneering research of utilizing gene therapy to prevent vision loss for patients with MPS I. His new method, which will soon be tested in a clinical trial, brings the potential...

FDA approves first-of-its-kind treatment, Palforzia, for children with peanut allergies

May 4, 2020
Palforzia is a newly approved medication that mitigates the consequences of  accidental exposure to peanuts. Dr. Wesley Burks and Dr. Edwin Kim,  members of  the UNC Children’s Research Institute, were key partners in spearheading the research that led to the development of this groundbreaking treatment.

Researchers at UNC use ‘biological flashlight’ to control living cells

March 20, 2020
Antonio Amelio, PhD, researcher at UNC’s Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, is part of a team that has created a new self-illuminating protein complex which removes the need for an external light source in optogenetics. This new discovery has the potential to give researchers better insight into cancer cell behaviors and...

Dr. Hongwei Du, postdoctoral fellow, has been awarded The Vicky Amidon Innovation in Lung Cancer Research Award

March 9, 2020
Hongwei Du, PhD has been awarded $30,000 by The Lung Cancer Initiative of North Carolina (LCI) to research novel treatment targeting brain metastasis of non-small cell lung cancer. His research focuses on developing a new CAR-T immunotherapy which could transform the future of lung cancer treatment.

UNC Lineberger’s Dr. Emily Ray has been awarded the Young Investigator Award to support her work in breast cancer research

February 7, 2020
The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Breast Cancer Research Foundation have awarded Emily Ray, MD, MPH, $50,000 to support her work in developing predictive models to determine late stage breast cancer patient’s prognosis. This tool will assist with better treatment planning, which can...

UNC’s Lineberger’s Dr. Catherine C. Coombs is awarded $225,000 by the Prostate Cancer Foundation

January 24, 2020
Dr. Coombs, winner of the Young Investigator Award, is receiving $225,000 over three years to study the relationship between prostate cancer and clonal hematopoiesis, a condition where genetic mutations accumulate in groups of blood cells. Her research may potentially uncover new methods of treatment that improve prostate cancer outcomes.

UNC Scientists visualize competition between healthy and dysfunctional platelets for space in an injured blood vessel

January 17, 2020
A UNC School of Medicine research team, led by Dr. Wolfgang Bergmeier, studied why platelet transfusion therapy does not work for some patients with platelet function disorders. Using real-time imaging allows researchers to understand the interaction between healthy and dysfunctional platelets, which is critical to improve the use of platelet...

Dr. Weiss is named Principal Investigator for the Phase 2 study focused expanding immunotherapy treatment

January 10, 2020
Dr. Jared Weiss, associate professor of medicine in the division of hematology and oncology and researcher with UNC Lineberger Cancer Center, will lead a phase two study evaluating a new combination of drugs as a first-line treatment for patients with recurrent or metastatic HPV positive head and neck cancer. This study’s...

UNC Cancer Center receives funding to research new form of cancer care using gene therapy

January 3, 2020
UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Dr. Chad Pecot was awarded $100,000 by the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to research a new treatment that selectively silences mutated KRAS genes, which are commonly associated with cancer. Pecot’s lab is also studying how to deliver the treatment specifically to cancer cells.