Keck School researchers awarded grant to study Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

By Jon Nalick

Principal investigator Jae Jung received a $7.5 million grant to help discover how to short circuit development of Kaposi’s sarcoma. (Photo/Phil Channing) Principal investigator Jae Jung received a $7.5 million grant to help discover how to short circuit development of Kaposi’s sarcoma.
(Photo/Phil Channing)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) have awarded Keck School of Medicine of USC researchers a five-year, $7.5 million grant to investigate how Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) evades the immune system and triggers certain cancers.

Principal investigator Jae Jung, PhD, the Fletcher Jones Foundation Chair and Hastings Foundation Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology at the Keck School, said the research aims to find ways to short circuit the development of Kaposi’s sarcoma. This malignant tumor, often caused by KSHV, is more prevalent among people with compromised immune systems, such as patients with AIDS. … Read More »

November 5th, 2013|Announcements|

Cancer-killing cells controlled by epigenetic process, new study shows

By Alison Trinidad

Natural killer (NK) cells in the human body can kill and contain viruses and cancerous tumors. A new study from the Keck School of Medicine of USC describes for the first time how those cells can be manipulated by epigenetics. The discovery, detailed in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, paves the way for developing more effective cancer drugs. … Read More »

October 18th, 2013|Announcements|

USC scientists ID protein that regulates cellular trafficking, potential for anti-cancer therapy

By Alison Trinidad

Chengyu Liang, MD, PhD, was the principal investigator on a new study that discovered two intracellular processes that could lead to novel therapeutics for cancer treatment. Chengyu Liang, MD, PhD, was the principal investigator on a new study that discovered two intracellular processes that could lead to novel therapeutics for cancer treatment.

Molecular microbiologists at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have uncovered intricate regulatory mechanisms within the cell that could lead to novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Their findings, which have long-standing significance in the basic understanding of cell biology, appear in the journal Nature Cell Biology.

“Our research reveals a new regulatory mechanism that coordinates two distinct intracellular processes that are critical to cellular homeostasis and disease development,” said Chengyu Liang, MD, PhD, assistant professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Keck School and principal investigator of the study. … Read More »

October 18th, 2013|Announcements|