Though these numbers seem grim, each day researchers around the world are developing innovative approaches for treating and understanding cancer — and women are often at the forefront of such work.<\/p>\n
In this article, we highlight nine women who are killin\u2019 it in cancer research.<\/p>\n
[divider]<\/p>\n
Orit Katarina Sirka<\/b><\/h2>\n
Doctoral Student, Johns Hopkins University<\/i><\/p>\n
In a groundbreaking new discovery, Orit Katarina Sirka<\/a> and a team of researchers at Johns Hopkins found that the cell layer surrounding breast milk ducts, called the myoepithelium, works as an active defense against breast cancer metastasis<\/a>.<\/p>\n This is significant because scientists previously believed this cell layer only acted as a stationary barrier to prevent cancer invasion.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were seeing in real time that the myoepithelium was a dynamic barrier to epithelial invasion,\u201d said Andrew Ewald<\/a>, a professor of cell biology at the university\u2019s School of Medicine and a member of the Johns Hopkins Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center.<\/p>\n \u201cWe could literally see myoepithelial cells reach out and grab escaping cancer cells and pull them back into the tumor, thereby preventing their spread.\u201d<\/p>\n Through 114 observations, the researchers found that this happened 92 percent of the time.<\/p>\n \u201cThese findings establish the novel concept of the myoepithelium as a dynamic barrier to cell escape, rather than acting as a stone wall as it was speculated before,\u201d Sirka said in a statement.<\/p>\n Understanding how the myoepithelium contains cancer cells could ultimately help researchers develop ways to predict an individual\u2019s risk of metastasis.<\/p>\n The team plans to study the cellular mechanisms and molecular requirements that prompt the myoepithelial layer to react so dynamically.<\/p>\n [divider]<\/p>\n Associate Professor, Harvard Medical School & Harvard T. Chan School of Public Health; <\/i>Associate Epidemiologist at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital<\/i><\/p>\n &<\/p>\n Research Scientist, Department of Nutrition, Harvard Chan School <\/i><\/p>\n Breast cancer<\/a> is the most common type of cancer in the U.S., with 268,670 new cases expected in 2018.<\/p>\n In the study, Heather Eliassen<\/a> and Maryam Farvid<\/a>, alongside researchers from the Harvard Chan School, concluded that eating high amounts of fruits and vegetables — particularly yellow, orange and cruciferous vegetables — can lower the risk of breast cancer and aggressive tumors in women<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThis research provides the most complete picture of the importance of consuming high amounts of fruit and vegetables for breast cancer prevention,\u201d Farvid said in a statement.<\/p>\n The researchers found that women who ate more than 5.5 servings of fruits or vegetables a day had an 11 percent lower risk of breast cancer than women who ate 2.5 or fewer servings.<\/p>\n They also found that higher fruit and vegetable consumption was associated with lowering the risk of aggressive tumors that are more difficult to treat.<\/p>\n \u201cWe know that intake of fruits and vegetables is beneficial for the prevention of several chronic diseases, as well as maintaining a healthy weight,\u201d said Eliassen.<\/p>\n \u201cThe possibility of a reduction in the risk of breast cancer with higher intake of fruits and vegetables is an additional reason for women to increase their intake of fruits and vegetables.\u201d<\/p>\n Eliassen plans to research how phytochemicals in fruits and vegetables act to reduce risk.<\/p>\n [divider]<\/p>\n Assistant Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Lowell<\/i><\/p>\n Inspired by the Japanese paper art of origami, Gulden Camci-Unal<\/a> and a team of researchers at UMass Lowell are using paper to develop biomaterials<\/a> that could be used to repair, replace or regenerate human body tissues and organs.<\/p>\n Often, cancer patients are in need of organ or tissue transplants, but a shortage of donors in the U.S. is a major problem with devastating consequences.<\/p>\n The research team used plain paper as a three-dimensional biomaterial to create centimeter-scale scaffoldings where the cells can grow. Using microfabrication techniques, they developed biomimetic scaffolds, three-dimensional template materials that resemble native tissues.<\/p>\n \u201cThese materials can be combined with cells that are obtained from the patient, cultured, expanded, grown, allowed to mature in a tissue incubator at physiological conditions and then implanted into the patient for tissue repair,\u201d Camci-Unal said.<\/p>\n Because they use specific cells from the patient, they expect their method to be free from immune-rejection problems.<\/p>\n \u201cWe anticipate that this approach will greatly help to generate new personalized treatment methods,\u201d said Camci-Unal.<\/p>\n In tests, the researchers have grown a number of different cell-types, such as immortalized cell lines, human stem cells and plant cells.<\/p>\n Moving forward, Camci-Unal and her team will continue testing the origami-inspired tissue scaffolds for regenerative applications.<\/p>\n Assistant Professor of Chemistry, University of Texas at Austin <\/i><\/p>\n Livia Schiavinato Eberlin<\/a> and a team of researchers at UT Austin have invented a hand-held pen device<\/a> capable of accurately identifying cancerous tissue in just 10 seconds.<\/p>\n Dubbed the MasSpec pen<\/a>, the device will help surgeons pinpoint cancerous tissue during surgery, so they know where to cut or preserve.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the real problems in cancer surgery is establishing the margins of where to cut,\u201d said Thomas Milner<\/a>, a project collaborator and professor of biomedical engineering at UT Austin.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t want to remove too much tissue, but they want to make sure to get the cancer out. So, the implication of technology is that it can better establish the tumor margins for removal of cancer tissue.\u201d<\/p>\n In 253 tests on human cancer patients, the pen quickly identified cancer with 96 percent accuracy. The MasSpec pen is also noninvasive, and works by simply touching the tip to the questioned tissue and pressing a foot pedal to send the molecular information gathered by the pen to be evaluated by software called a statistical classifier.<\/p>\nHeather Eliassen <\/b><\/h2>\n
Maryam Farvid <\/b><\/h2>\n
Gulden Camci-Unal<\/b><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.tun.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/UMass-Lowell-models-for-tissue.jpg\")
[divider]<\/h2>\n
Livia Schiavinato Eberlin <\/b><\/h2>\n