Jefferson researchers score Cancer "Moonshot" grant from President Biden to focus on liver cancer
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A team of researchers at Jefferson has received a grant from President Biden's Cancer Moonshot initiative that's supporting scientists from diverse backgrounds. This could lead to a big breakthrough in treating liver cancer that's become increasingly deadly.
Researcher Hien Dang was ecstatic to learn her team at Jefferson received the grant of $1.3 million.
"It was one of those things [where] we worked so hard," Dang said.
Dang and her team are working on a treatment for liver cancer -- a protein that would be deployed in microbubbles, circulated to the liver with an IV and then popped with ultrasound activation. The protein targets cells found in many different kinds of cancer.
"It could be a game changer if the technology and the science actually works," she said.
The Moonshot award specifically aims to fund researchers from diverse backgrounds who are working on cancers that impact disadvantaged communities.
"I came from one of those backgrounds," she said,
In Vietnam, where she comes from, liver cancer is widespread.
"It just fits nicely because Moonshot is giving back to that population that's disadvantaged and I came from that, so I understand it," Dang said. "It's a way of giving back to society."
In the United States, liver cancer, usually caused by hepatitis, disproportionately affects minorities.
Marilou Orgasan was among the first to test the microbubble treatment here in May of 2018.
"I call it bubble therapy," Orgasan said. "I'm happy to know there that it has been helping to kill the tumor," she said.
Five years later she's doing well. Now Dang is working on a protein that could improve the microbubble therapy.
"One of the cool things we discovered was this protein actually has a mutation," Dang said.
One of the many discoveries that come with relentless work and innovation.
"It's literally called the belly dancer cause it just does this movement," she said.
That belly dancer machine is used to make sure the testing material is well mixed. The Moonshot grant covers five years of the research.