Melissa Schwenk

Michigan State University Survey on Meso

Michigan State University researchers are looking for study participants to
better understand the experiences and challenges unique to caregivers of
mesothelioma patients, so we can better support this group. The study
is currently enrolling health professionals for key informant
interviews.

If you are a health professional (physician, nurse, social worker, intake
specialist, counselors, hospice workers, etc.) who works with
mesothelioma patients and their families at any point along the
mesothelioma journey from diagnosis through bereavement, the researchers
would like to hear from you at this time.

The focus of these interviews will be to learn about your experience
working with patients and families and gain a health care perspective on
what we have learned to date from patients, caregivers, and bereaved.

If you are interested in participating, complete the screening survey available here Health professional screening survey or email info@curemeso.org if you have questions.

Melissa Schwenk

New Publication by Dr. Testa and Dr. Kadariya: Spontaneous mesotheliomas in germline Bap1 heterozygous mice from different genetic backgrounds

Individuals carrying a germline BAP1 mutation are at increased risk of developing mesothelioma. In mice, there is limited information and controversy regarding whether germline Bap1 heterozygous mutations alone cause mesothelioma, despite these mice being highly susceptible to even minimal asbestos exposure. To address this issue, we evaluated spontaneous mesothelioma development over the lifetime of a large cohort of Bap1-mutant mice and non-mutant, wild-type littermates across several genetic backgrounds.

Read More Here

Melissa Schwenk

Haining Yang

Dr. Haining Yang is a tenured professor and researcher at the University of Hawai‘i Cancer Center, recognized for her pioneering research on mesothelioma, a malignancy primarily associated with exposure to asbestos or other carcinogenic mineral fibers. Her work is dedicated to identifying novel strategies for early detection, prevention, and treatment of mesothelioma to improve patients’ outcomes.

Over the course of her career, Dr. Yang has made key contributions to understanding the mechanisms underlying asbestos-induced mesothelioma. She identified High Mobility Group Box Protein-1 (HMGB1) as a crucial inflammatory mediator released by mesothelial cells and macrophages following asbestos exposure. Dr. Yang’s studies demonstrated that HMGB1 drives chronic inflammation induced by carcinogenic mineral fibers, a key process that promotes tumor growth. These findings revealed that targeting HMGB1 and associated pathways could suppress tumor progression and improve therapeutic outcomes, offering new opportunities for more effective treatments.

In addition, Dr. Yang has collaborated with Dr. Michele Carbone to investigate genetic factors contributing to mesothelioma. They discovered that germline BAP1 mutations increase susceptibility to mesothelioma and other cancers, establishing the “BAP1 cancer syndrome”, providing key insights into the interplay between genetic mutations and environmental carcinogens like asbestos. This work has illuminated the mechanisms of mesothelioma susceptibility, disease progression, and survival outcomes in affected individuals.

Dr. Yang’s research has obtained substantial support from prestigious organizations, including the National Cancer Institute (NCI), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the Department of Defense (DoD), the V Foundation, etc. She has received numerous honors for her work, including the AACR Landon Award for International Collaboration in Cancer Research (2008) and the iMig Research Award (2018), reflecting her impactful contributions to the field.

Melissa Schwenk

Siena Martin

Siena Martin is a research specialist at the University of Pennsylvania Tumor Tissue and Biospecimen Bank (TTAB) and serves as a liaison and member of the NMVB working group. TTAB works closely with the NMVB to facilitate access to high-quality, well-documented human-derived samples for basic, clinical, and translational research, along with associated clinical and pathologic data. TTAB has collected and managed specimens and data from nearly 500 unique mesothelioma cases, with malignant tissue and often paired normal tissue available. These specimens encompass a variety of histological types, cancer stages, and anatomic sites, and are distributed upon request to researchers.

Siena collects fresh mesothelioma tissue from surgical pathology for processing, freezing, fixation, and banking, and documents associated demographic, clinical, and pathologic data in a centralized database (RedCap). She also works under pathologist guidance with retrospective collections, allowing TTAB to create de-identified research blocks from past clinical cases while maintaining the diagnostic integrity of the original clinical blocks.

Siena graduated from Bryn Mawr College with a degree in biology with departmental honors and a minor in psychology. Her previous experience includes a role as a neurobiology research specialist in the Betley lab at the University of Pennsylvania.

Melissa Schwenk

Check out the MARF 2024 Symposium Livestream!

If you missed the MARF 2024 Symposium, you can catch a livestream of it here!

https://www.curemeso.org/learn/attend-conferences-and-events/symposium/watch-conference-live-stream-and-chat/