Sep 19, 2023

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UCI awarded $2.4 million grant to study potential treatment for cancer-related cognitive impairment

UCI has been awarded a five-year, $2.4 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to evaluate the augmentation of brain-derived neurotropic factor to alleviate cancer-related cognitive impairment. This multi-PI project translates findings from past human studies conducted by Alexandre Chan, Pharm.D., M.P.H., principal investigator and chair and professor of clinical pharmacy practice, into the laboratory, with the goal of evaluating the feasibility of enhancing the BDNF protein as a potential strategy for mitigating chemobrain. The study is being conducted in partnership with Munjal Acharya, M.S., Ph.D., associate professor of anatomy and neurobiology.

Sep 14, 2023

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UC Irvine’s Dr. Shawn Griffin and CSU Fullerton Student Gloria Castañón Researching Health Disparities in Hispanic Populations; Connected Through Cancer Health Equity Research Partnership (CHERP)

Two Orange County universities have partnered to explore cancer disparities in the area, and for Castañón and University of California, Irvine’s Dr. Shawn Griffin, the program has provided a chance to conduct research they feel passionately about.

Sep 05, 2023

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Beating lung cancer at the genetic root

Michelle Helm’s lung cancer journey began as a frustrating, frightening ride through multiple misdiagnoses. Then she found UCI Health specialists who wouldn’t accept the worst-case scenario other doctors had painted for her. Today, the Mission Viejo parenting coach says she is thriving because she was referred to the lung cancer specialists at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, where she benefited from their arsenal of advanced therapies and surgical expertise.

Aug 23, 2023

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‘TeamNeush’ mobilizes to fight young woman's cancer

In February 2022, Neusha Raffijandi was diagnosed with advanced bile duct cancer. Her family encouraged her to go to the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, which has experts in all types of disease. There, she met UCI Health medical oncologist Dr. Jennifer B. Valerin, who specializes in gastrointestinal and hepatobiliary cancers.

Aug 16, 2023

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UC Irvine-led study links low-dose radiation to higher cancer risk

“We wanted to strengthen the scientific basis for radiation protection by directly studying settings where low-dose exposures occur,” said corresponding author David Richardson, Ph.D., professor of environmental and occupational health with UCI’s Program in Public Health. “Understanding those associations is essential to inform decisions about medical and commercial uses of ionizing radiation, exposure limits for the public, and workers.”

Aug 01, 2023

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Associate Professor Claudia Benavente featured on Chilean TV show

Claudia Benavente, UCI associate professor of pharmaceutical sciences, was recently featured on the Chilean TV show “Pasaporte Ciencia” (“Science Passport”) as one of the Chilean scientists conducting important research in various countries around the world. The host, Cristian Hernandez, and his team traveled to campus for the interview. “The initial challenge for the production was to prove they could create a show with gender parity, and I immediately saw the value in the opportunity to bring science closer to the average person,” Benavente said. “The show touches on our experiences from training to the work we currently do, which, in my case, is searching for cures for childhood cancer.”

Jul 24, 2023

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Bridging the Gap: Latinx Children with Cancer, Culturally Appropriate Support for Families

Fortier’s work has shown that the pain management treatment of Latinx children – and their outcomes – are too often inadequate when compared to non-Latinx white children. Besides the immediate impact of not assisting a child in need, researchers have found that there are long term consequences to poorly managed pain that amplify health inequities for Latinx patients when they are adults including changes in their physiological responses to pain and avoidance of preventive healthcare to support wellness.

Jun 22, 2023

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Breakthroughs offer hope for vitiligo patients

In 2018, Dr. Anand K. Ganesan (above left) opened a vitiligo specialty practice lab at the UCI Health Beckman Laser Institute & Medical Clinic, hoping to find new therapies to reverse the disfiguring skin disorder. Now, the lab has produced a topical cream called ruxolitinib, the first therapy approved by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration that restores pigment in vitiligo patients. The FDA also recently gave breakthrough device approval for RECELL®, a one-time therapy using the patient’s healthy cells to stimulate lasting repigmentation in stable vitiligo.

Jun 08, 2023

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UC Irvine study finds that lesbian, gay and bisexual cancer survivors experience more health-related challenges compared to heterosexual counterparts

Public health researchers from the University of California, Irvine have determined that lesbian, gay and bisexual cancer survivors experience a lower quality of life compared to their heterosexual counterparts, specifically in the mental and social aspects of their overall health. Corresponding author Michael Hoyt, PhD, associate professor of population health and disease prevention from UCI’s Program in Public Health, and his collaborators published their findings in the Journal of Psychosocial Oncology.

May 30, 2023

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Courageous Corazones

A pilot intervention is helping Latinx families care for their children with cancer. Corazones Unidos Por Una Vida (Hearts United for Life) is a prototype program of support for Latinx families with children who are undergoing cancer treatment at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. It is designed and driven by Associate Professor Michelle Fortier, a clinical psychologist and pediatric pain expert at the Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing and UCI Center on Stress and Health. Fortier is also a CFCCC member.