Foundation Seed Grant for Study of Novel Target in H. Pylori-Driven Gastric Cancer
Scientists have long been aware that the gut bacterial infection Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) raises the risk of gastric cancer, but the molecular mechanisms behind this phenomenon are still a mystery. University of Miami researcher Zheng Chen, MD, PhD, is zeroing in on a specific protein signaling axis – WEE1-STAT3 – that’s known to be particularly active in H. pylori-driven gastric cancer, in the hopes of developing a novel therapeutic approach.
The Gastric Cancer Foundation awarded a $100,000 seed grant to Chen, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Miami’s Miller School of Medicine, to advance his research in WEE1-STAT3. It was one of two seed grants awarded by the foundation this year, with the other going to Yale researcher Raghav Sundar, who is studying early-onset gastric cancer.
An important part of the Gastric Cancer Foundation’s mission is to bridge the funding gap for researchers in the early and mid-stages of their careers. These grants are designed to support the early development of novel diagnostics and treatments, allowing researchers to gather valuable data they can use to apply for larger grants.
Chen’s project centers on the hypothesis that WEE1-STAT3 signaling creates an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment that promotes the growth of gastric cancer cells. During the first phase of his project, his team aims to define how H. pylori infection induces WEE1 to drive stomach cancer.
Drugs that inhibit WEE1 have already been developed and are in clinical trials in other cancers. In the second phase of the study, Chen’s team will test one of those drugs in mouse models of gastric cancer. The medicine will be tested alone and in combination with immune-boosting therapies.
“Our ultimate goal is to determine if the WEE1 inhibitor can help reverse immune suppression in gastric cancer,” Chen said. The WEE1 inhibitor alone directly kills cancer cells by blocking the cell cycle and inducing “apoptosis,” or programmed cell death, Chen said. He hopes his study shows that combining WEE1 inhibition with immunotherapy will be a powerful one-two punch for patients with H. pylori-driven gastric cancer.
Chen earned his MD and PhD in China, where he treated gastric cancer patients while also researching potential new therapies. He believes that experience gave him a unique perspective on the need for new therapies to treat the disease. “In China, I took care of patients every day. I treated them with medicine and surgery during their stay in the hospital. I felt their pain,” he said. “That motivates me in my research, because I know how important it is to find more efficient and personalized ways to treat future patients.”
Chen moved to the U.S. in 2011 to work at Vanderbilt University. His lab moved to the University of Miami in 2017. He says that the Gastric Cancer Foundation’s support will help him continue to build his lab and research presence at the University of Miami.
“This grant is supporting my research in WEE1 and giving me the opportunity to apply for more grants in future,” Chen said. “I’m really thankful to the foundation for this opportunity.”
