The last five years have been a time of considerable growth and accomplishment for the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. We have recruited many high quality investigators to our Cancer Center and have strengthened the integration of science and patient care. The USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center is situated in a large multi-ethnic region, an advantage we have exploited to develop our prowess in population-based research. Our Cancer Center has taken full advantage of these opportunities and has developed extensive population-based resources which have provided the backbone of our research in epidemiology and cancer control research. We have also made major inroads in the development of molecular epidemiology, giving us the opportunity to inject molecular science into this exciting research arena. Additionally, our Cancer Center has always had great strength in translating epidemiological findings into cancer control and prevention, and we have conducted pioneering studies on behavior and hormonal modification with the goal of reducing cancer risk. Members of our Cancer Center have also revolutionized cancer research with their leading work in the field of epigenetics.
The last five years have been particularly gratifying in terms of scientific accomplishments. We have defined the molecular mechanisms for common breakpoints in lymphoma, established new susceptibility loci for prostate and other cancers and shown through GWAS studies that these are located in enhancers, seen the adoption of epigenetic therapy for myeloid dysplastic syndrome, completed a Phase I trial for fenretinide, completed a Phase I clinical trial on bisphosphonates in children with neuroblastoma, are pursuing a Phase I/II using anti-lL-6 mAb, and are currently actively pursuing the development of a new Wnt inhibitor which seems particularly promising in the treatment of colorectal and other cancers. Our future plans are to continue our participation in major national and international efforts in epigenetics and in molecular epidemiology, to pursue the development of molecularly targeted drugs and to continue the momentum we have established in the recruitment of physician-scientists and the expansion of our clinical programs to further strengthen our translational efforts.
Harlyne J. Norris
Research Tower
Harlyne J. Norris Cancer Research Tower
Completed in April 2007, the Harlyne J. Norris Research Tower is a 10-story, 172,000-square-foot building adjacent to the existing USC Norris facilities. This new structure joins the original USC Norris building, Ezralow Family Research Tower, and the Norman Topping Research Tower to complete a trio of structures that combine world-class research and leading-edge clinical trials with high-caliber, compassionate patient care.
The new tower provides five floors devoted to basic research, two floors for preventive medicine research, an atrium with attached lobby, a conference center and a landscaped courtyard. The building is dedicated to the vision of the late Kenneth Norris Jr. - husband of the building's namesake - "to make cancer a disease of the past."
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
New Hospital at CHLA
Childrens Hospital Los Angeles has recently constructed a 460,000 square-foot, seven-floor, 317-bed building. Some say it is the finest medical and surgical environment for seriously ill and injured children anywhere in the United States.
The new hospital at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles includes an Emergency Department; imaging facilities; a Cancer Day Hospital, with a 48-bed acute care Hematology/Oncology unit and a 14-bed Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) unit; a 24-bed Cardiothoracic Intensive Care Unit (CTICU) and a 21-bed acute inpatient medical heart unit; a 24-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU); and a 58-bed Center for Newborn and Infant Critical Care (CNICC). There are 128 additional medical and surgical acute care beds.
New Faculty Members
In addition to expanding its facilities, USC Norris also is adding to its faculty. USC Norris recently welcomed these new members:
Graham Casey, Ph.D., is a Professor of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine. His research focus is the molecular genetic analysis of common malignancies, specializing in breast, colon and prostate cancers. He has a particular interest in studying genetic risk factors, and is conducting a genome-wide association study in colon cancer. He also has a research program focused on studying molecular mechanisms underlying the risk and development of cancer metastasis.
Preet M. Chaudhary, M.D., Ph.D., is Chief of the Jane Anne Nohl Division of Hematology and Center for the Study of Blood Diseases in the Department of Medicine and Associate Director for Translational Research and Co-Leader of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Program at the USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center and Hospital. Dr. Chaudhary comes to USC from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, where he was professor of medicine, director for translational research, leader of the hematologic malignancies program and Co-Leader of the cancer stem cell program. As a physician-scientist dedicated to hematologic oncology, Dr. Chaudhary has research interests in several areas of cancer, including AIDS-associated cancers, cancer drug resistance, biology of normal and leukemic hematopoietic stem cells, programmed cell death and cellular signaling. Dr. Chaudhary holds six U.S. patents and has published in some of the top scientific journals, including Cell, Immunity, JNCI, PNAS and Blood. He has served as a peer-reviewer for several national and international cancer research funding agencies and has been elected to the prestigious American Society for Clinical Investigations, an honor society of the top physician-scientists in the country.
Si-Yi Chen, M.D., Ph.D., Professor of Molecular Microbiology & Immunology at the Keck School of Medicine. His research interests include studies on regulation of innate and adaptive immunity, immune and gene therapy against cancer, and immune and gene therapy against HIV infection.
While her main research focus is prostate cancer, Tanya Dorff, M.D., has worked on projects in testicular and bladder cancers as well. Her interest is in translational research, utilizing molecular correlative studies and novel approaches to advance understanding of cancer therapy effectiveness and resistance mechanisms. She has a strong interest in hormone therapy and complementary therapy, and has obtained an IND to study a combination herbal supplement for biochemically recurrent prostate cancer. And most importantly, Dr. Dorff enjoys patient care and education, helping patients and their loved ones navigate the complex information about cancer treatment.
Jane Figueiredo, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Preventive Medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine. Her research is focused on applying epidemiologic methods to understand how genetic factors and environmental exposures affect the full continuum of carcinogenesis, from primary prevention through to treatment response and survival. Her current research projects include: the study of diet (particularly B-vitamins) and gene-nutrient interactions in colorectal and prostate cancer risk; the study of the joint role of common genetic variation and environmental exposures in colorectal cancer using candidate-gene and genome-wide approaches; the study of the effect of exogenous hormones on breast cancer outcomes in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers; and the study of the pharmacogenetics of selected chemotherapies and hormonal treatments on breast cancer outcomes.
Agustin Garcia, M.D., is originally from Mexico and earned his Medical Degree from Universidad Anahuac in Mexico City. He completed his internship and residency training in Internal Medicine at the University of Illinois and a Fellowship in Medical Oncology at the University of Southern California. He is board certified in Medical Oncology. Dr. Garcia currently serves as Associate Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Garcia's primary clinical and research interests focus on women’s cancers (particularly breast and ovarian cancer) and drug development. He served as Associate Editor for the Women’s Oncology Review. Dr. Garcia is the principal investigator of several trials in the Gynecologic Oncology Group and he is conducting studies in breast and ovarian cancer evaluating new agents with novel mechanisms of action. Dr. Garcia is a member of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, American Society of Breast Disease, European Society of Medical Oncology, Southern California Academy of Clinical Oncology, the Gynecologic Oncology Group and the South West Oncology Group.
Amir Goldkorn, M.D., Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, is an oncologist who specializes in genitourinary (GU) malignancies. Clinically, Dr. Goldkorn treats patients with advanced cancers of the prostate, bladder, kidney, and testis, and he participates as an investigator in several of the ongoing GU clinical trials at USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center. Dr. Goldkorn’s research interests lie in the area of experimental therapeutics, and his laboratory focuses on targeting telomerase, an enzyme that is critical for cancer cell proliferation and tumor growth. Dr. Goldkorn’s lab also studies novel therapeutic approaches to cancer stem cells, a unique sub-population of tumor cells with the capacity to self-renew and to differentiate into additional tumors while remaining unscathed by available treatments. Successful targeting of cancer stem cells, by telomerase interference or by other strategies, may be the key to eliminating the source of deadly cancer recurrences and metastases.
Agnieszka Kobielak, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology at Keck School of Medicine studies alterations that enable epithelial tumor cells to acquire invasive and metastatic characteristic, with the focus on basic cellular machinery that links cell adhesion, signal transduction and cytoskeletal regulation to ultimately recognize targets for invasion and metastasis prevention.
Yvonne Lin, M.D., M.S., Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Keck School of Medicine, completed her research and clinical fellowship in gynecologic oncology at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston following obstetrics-gynecology residency at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. She also completed her Master of Science in epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health. Her research interests are in potential therapeutic targets along metastatic and angiogenic pathways relevant to advanced and chemoresistant ovarian cancer, utilizing novel molecular and biochemical approaches as well as in vivo models of advanced ovarian cancer. As a member of the Women’s Cancers Program, Dr. Lin will participate in the gynecologic oncology research curriculum. Her long-term research interests encompass translating laboratory findings into clinical trials and fostering peer collaborations both domestic and international. Dr. Lin’s clinical interests encompass providing care for women with cancer utilizing advanced minimally-invasive and robotic surgical technologies as well as an integrated team-based approach to chemotherapy/radiation.
Fredrick Schumacher, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventive Medicine at the Keck School of Medicine, is a molecular and genetic epidemiologist primarily focusing on deciphering the genetic contribution in complex phenotypes utilizing population-based samples. His research primarily focuses on discovering genetic determinants of cancer, particularly prostate cancer, by way of genome-wide association scans, candidate-gene approaches and DNA expression. Important aspects of his research are determining whether germline genetic risk factors differ for indolent and aggressive prostate cancers and the role of obesity in cancer initiation and progression.
Debashish Tripathy, M.D. is Professor of Medicine and Co-Leader of the Women’s Cancers Program and he holds the Priscilla and Art Chair in Women’s Cancer. He received his medical degree and internal medicine residency at Duke University and Hematology/Oncology Fellowship at the University of California at San Francisco. His area of clinical research interest is novel therapeutics in breast cancer, specifically, growth factor receptor pathway targeting as well as biomarkers that predict sensitivity and resistance. Elucidation of specific mechanisms of resistance and synthetic lethal combinatorial strategies from the laboratory are being applied for early phase therapeutic applications. Similarly, human tissue studies from patients receiving conventional and targeted therapies are being analyzed toward the discovery of novel targets. Dr. Tripathy is also part of a trans disciplinary team of breast cancer specialists dedicated to patient-centered state-of-the-art and personalized approaches to care, with an emphasis on clinical trials that interface with the basic scientific strengths at USC. Dr. Tripathy has published numerous original laboratory and clinical research articles in the area of breast cancer and serves on several editorial boards, study sections and societies. He has served as the President of the American Society of Breast Disease and the Society of Integrative Oncology.
