UTSA researchers are tackling cancer in many different ways
Illustration of cells in mitosis
Illustration of cells in mitosis
Share this Story(Mar. 3, 2015) -- Few may realize that there is a significant undercurrent of research and innovation taking place across UTSA to combat the second leading cause of death worldwide –- cancer.
In fact, just in the last few months, UTSA researchers received two significant grants totaling more than $3 million to support projects furthering our understanding of cancer and our quest for new treatments.
In December 2014, UTSA and the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UTHSCA) were jointly awarded $1.9 million in funding from the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) to support unique research in the discovery of novel breast cancer therapies. UTSA chemistry professor Stanton McHardy has been conducting ongoing research with UTHSCSA’s Rong Li to activate an estrogen receptor called ER beta, which could inhibit tumor growth.
Also in December, UTSA electrical and computer engineering professors Yufei Huang and Jianqiu Zhang along with RNA biologist Manjeet K. Rao and bioinformatics expert Yidong Chen of UTHSCSA were awarded $1.08 million from the National Institutes of Health to combine computational modeling with biological information to advance our understanding of what may cause breast cells to become cancerous.
In cancer patients, infections are the leading immediate cause of death. With funding from the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute, UTSA biology professor Floyd Wormley and UTHSCSA’s Carolos Orihuela are leading research to understand why cancer patients are more susceptible to infection.
Infertility is an unfortunate side effect of undergoing chemotherapy and radiation treatments to combat cancer. While men can preserve their fertility by storing their sperm before harsh treatments and later using those sperm for assisted reproductive technologies, prepubescent boys don't have that option. UTSA biology professor Brian Hermann and collaborators are developing a promising technique to give these patients hope for their future fertility.
Sos Agaian, UTSA Peter T. Flawn Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, specializes in signal and image processing and conducts ongoing research to improve image enhancement for use in computer-aided cancer detection.
Mechanical and biomedical engineering professor Yusheng Feng is the university’s computational modeling and visualization king. Overseeing UTSA’s Advanced Visualization Laboratory, Feng’s primary research is in simulating cancer treatments and predicting outcomes, modeling tumor growth and developing image-guided real-time surgical simulations.
Within the social sciences, UTSA demography professor Corey Sparks is in the process of analyzing U.S. Census and cancer incidence data to identify cancer “hot spots” in the South Texas region, which can signal that something unusual may have happened in a community.
Christopher Ellison, professor of sociology who studies the implications of religiousness and spirituality for mental and physical health and mortality risk, has conducted research on whether a cancer diagnosis influences a person’s religiosity or not.
Communications professor Kimberly Kline focuses on cultural sensitivity in health promotion, assessing breast cancer education pamphlets designed for African American women.
On the service side, UTSA student organization For The Kids (FTK) fundraises year-round to support the families of local children battling cancer. To date, FTK has raised more than $130,000. In addition to raising money, FTK students regularly spend time with the children at the hospital and hold events to raise awareness of the emotional and financial struggles of San Antonio families who are fighting pediatric cancer.
As an emerging Tier One research institution, UTSA faculty and student scholars are finding new perspectives and innovating new discoveries in health.
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Events
The UTSA Office of Undergraduate is proud to celebrate National Undergraduate Research with an annual event sponsored by the (OUR) featuring students will showcase undergraduate student research and creative endeavors from all disciplines across campus.
Various LocationsDía en la Sombrilla, formerly Fiesta UTSA, is a festival hosted each spring as a part of Fiesta® San Antonio events. Sponsored by Roadrunner Productions, the event features music, food, confetti, games, event t-shirts, and more.
Sombrilla Plaza and Central Plaza, Main CampusFiesta Arts Fair features contemporary art from more than 100 artists from across the U.S., Fiesta favorite foods, drinks, live music by local and regional performers, and a Young Artists Garden providing opportunities for budding artists to learn, explore and express their creativity.
UTSA Southwest CampusJoin the PEACE Center and Wellbeing Services for Denim Day, a day of learning about the importance of consent and why we wear denim on the last Wednesday of the month each April during Sexual Assault Awareness Month. Stop by our Denim Day display to take a photo in front of our Denim Wall, spin the "Is It Consent?" Wheel, and get a Concha or goodie.
Student Union Window Lounge, Main CampusLearn to use Zotero®, a citation manager that can help you store and organize citations you find during your research. Zotero can generate bibliographies in various styles, insert in-text citations and allow you to share sources with collaborators.
Virtual EventThis event is to achnowlege the graduating seniors and induct the new cohart of scholars to our program.
North Paseo Building (NPB 5.140,) Main CampusCelebrate the accomplishments of College of Education and Human Development, College for Health, Community and Policy, College of Sciences and University College.
Alamodome
