About the Projects
Our Partnership continues to build on the numerous unique existing resources at SDSU and UC San Diego’s Moores Cancer Center and the School of Medicine which make up key elements of the Partnership, supporting research, education, and outreach. Among these are joint multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary research projects that include faculty members from both institutions.
The projects have a high degree of novelty and are aimed at enhancing research capacity at SDSU and increasing cancer disparities research at UCSD. These projects are:
The projects have a high degree of novelty and are aimed at enhancing research capacity at SDSU and increasing cancer disparities research at UCSD. These projects are:
Project 1:
Title: Defining Mechanisms of MICAL2-dependent Pancreatic Cancer Cell Migration
This project proposes to identify novel therapeutic strategies to improve outcomes for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) patients, especially Black and Hispanic patients, who have lower rates of PDAC resection and experience higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared to Non-Hispanic White patients. Investigators will be testing the overarching hypothesis that expression of the microtubule associated monooxygenase, calponin and LIM domain containing 2 (MICAL2) gene promotes pancreatic cancer invasion and metastasis by cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous mechanisms.
Timeline: September 2023 – August 2026
Research Team at UCSD:
Andrew Lowy, MD, FACS (Co-Leader); Adam Engler, PhD (Co-Investigator); Ponmathi Panneerpandian (Postdoctoral Fellow),
Research Team at SDSU:
Parag Katira, PhD (Co-Leader); Carrie House, PhD (Co-Investigator); Esra Tiftik Karabay, MS (Doctoral Student); Megan Keene, BS (Doctoral Student)
Project 2:
Title: The intersection of telehealth and health disparities in at-risk older patients with cancer
This project proposes to delineate the full extent of disparities and inequities in access to telehealth among cancer patients that cut across racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic lines. This includes unaddressed questions related to safety and efficacy of telehealth delivery in the real-world, particularly among vulnerable cancer populations who already suffer disproportionately high rates of adverse outcomes.
Timeline: September 2023 – August 2026
Research Team at UCSD
Juan Javier-DesLoges, MD, MS (Co-Leader); Brett Meyer, MD (Co-Investigator); Ronghui Xu, PhD (Co-Investigator); Leah Deshler (Research Data Analyst)
Research Team at SDSU
Humberto Parada, PhD (Co-Leader); Myunhee Lee, MPH (Doctoral Student)
Pilot Project:
Title: Creating Bridges to Reproductive Health Care in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Survivors
This community-engaged project will assess implementation of reproductive health care for Hispanic female adolescent and young adult cancer (AYA) survivors in the Imperial County catchment-area population, a severely medically underserved region with no local resources for control of reproductive health’s late effects related to cancer treatments. The project will develop and conduct feasibility testing of a multicomponent intervention to increase screening and management of reproductive health needs and improve physical and psychological outcomes in rural AYA cancer survivors.
Timeline: September 2023 – August 2025
Research Team at UCSD
H. Irene Su, MD (Co-Leader); Jesse Nodora, DrPH (Co-Investigator); Sheri Hartman, PhD (Co-Investigator); Sally Romero, PhD (Project Manager); Blanca Equihua (Program Coordinator)
Research Team at SDSU
Shiloh Williams, PhD (Co-Leader)
CREATE also offers competitive pilot and pre-pilot funding opportunities to support early-stage activities and partnership building between SDSU and UCSD cancer researchers. Awards are for 1-2 years.