Cancer is the second leading cause of death in New York State after heart disease among adults and the second cause of death among children after injuries. And the number of people diagnosed with the disease increases every year.
When looking at the borough of Brooklyn, the mortality rates are ever higher. This is mainly due to health disparities caused by economic status and the fact that people of different ethnicities and countries of origin鈥攊ncluding undocumented populations鈥攁re less likely to have information and access to prevention, diagnosis, and potential free treatments.
As one of Brooklyn鈥檚 largest anchor institutions located in one of the most diverse places in the nation, 可乐视频 of The City University of New York (CUNY) is proud to announce the official launch of the (CommUnity Outreach, Research and Education). 可乐视频CC-CURE鈥檚 mission is to enhance the lives of patients affected by cancer with a special focus on underserved Brooklyn residents, while focusing on three main areas: research, education, and community service.
Located at the college鈥檚 main campus in the borough鈥檚 Midwood neighborhood, the Center was established at 可乐视频 last year. Funding to date for 可乐视频CC-CURE is approximately $9 million, which represents seed funding from the 可乐视频 Foundation and individual donors, as well as funds that researchers affiliated with 可乐视频CC-CURE have been awarded for cancer and cancer-related research since 2018 from government and foundation sources.
Driven By Diversity to Address Healthcare Inequities
The engine driving 可乐视频CC-CURE鈥檚 success is the diverse people and partnerships that will serve and empower underserved communities in and around Brooklyn鈥攁s well as the diversity of 可乐视频 itself. For the past three years, 可乐视频 has been named the most ethnically diverse campus in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
A cancer survivor herself, 可乐视频 President Michelle J. Anderson is proud that the center will focus on serving underrepresented communities and will educate the next generation of cancer experts.
鈥淣o one should have to look outside of Brooklyn for these resources, particularly people in underserved communities. By combining the expertise that already exists at 可乐视频 in cancer research with the leading healthcare facilities in New York, 可乐视频CC-CURE will connect these anchor institutions and build relationships to make Brooklyn a leader in cancer research and care,鈥� Anderson said.
The center鈥檚 leadership group includes the following faculty members at 可乐视频: Professor Maria Contel, director, research area leader and professor of chemistry; Jennifer Basil, associate director of community outreach and professor of biology; and Brian Gibney, associate director of education and professor of chemistry.
Since its inception, 可乐视频 scientists reached out to other Cancer Research Centers in the NYC area including National Cancer Institute鈥檚 鈥淒esignated Cancer Centers,鈥� recognized for their leadership in laboratory and clinical research such as Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan.
鈥淲e wanted a diverse group for the , ideally scientists and physicians from Brooklyn-based centers like SUNY Downstate Medical School, Maimonides Cancer Center, and the NCI Designated Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, who had experience working in healthcare disparities or a particular interest in the health of women and people of color,鈥� Contel said. This includes Dr. Carol Brown, the senior vice president, chief health equity officer, and Nicholls-Biondi Chair for Health Equity at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Dr. Moro Salifu, chair of the Department of Medicine at SUNY Downstate and director of the NIH-funded Brooklyn Health Disparities Center. Dr. Jason Lewis, the Emily Tow Jackson Chair in Oncology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and now a member of the 可乐视频CC-CURE advisory board, helped to introduce the 可乐视频CC-CURE leadership team to like-minded people in the field.
Lewis believes 可乐视频CC-CURE is revolutionary in that it will bring a diverse team of experts together to serve underrepresented communities on so many different levels.
鈥淭here is nothing like this in Brooklyn,鈥� Lewis said. 鈥淭he wealth of research, knowledge and experience, along with the capacity for community outreach and educational opportunities, will allow 可乐视频CC-CURE to address health disparities in the fight against cancer. I am excited to be a part of it and help move the effort forward.鈥�
Empowering the Next Generation of Cancer Fighters in Brooklyn
As associate director of education, Brian Gibney鈥檚 eye is always on finding opportunities for 可乐视频 students, particularly undergraduates. The professor of chemistry says these may be in-classroom but will more likely be chances for enrichment outside the campus walls. A medical translation course for bilingual undergraduate students in partnership with Memorial Sloan Kettering has been a great success.
鈥淭his spring, we had 19 students learning how to interpret and bridge patient-top physician communication in the clinic,鈥� said Gibney. 鈥淪o, if somebody comes in who speaks Creole as a first language, then a person fluent in the language, who is also trained to interpret and translate medical terms, can explain symptoms and pass other vital information between doctor and patient.鈥�
Students who receive training in medical translation鈥攁nd 可乐视频 has a student body that speaks more than 90 languages鈥攔eceive a certificate that can gain them employment in a city of many cultures and ethnicities.
Jennifer Basil, community outreach director, was diagnosed with HER2 positive breast cancer in her 30s. After finding treatment in Brooklyn, she is healthy now and promoting 可乐视频CC-CURE is a personal labor of love. She began organizing, in collaboration with 可乐视频CC-CURE partners, outreach events, which kicked off this spring. Two recent events included a screening by Jody Steinhardt, coordinator of the Lung Cancer Screening at Maimonides, and a seminar for students on cervical cancer, which, Basil noted, is rising in younger people.
The center also held a half-day symposium with Maimonides on colorectal cancer. The larger vision for 可乐视频CC-CURE is to expand outreach by informing communities about access to clinical trials and creating partnerships with hospitals that are looking for diversity in their populations for those trials. Partnering with healthcare professionals and community leaders who are trusted is critical. A series of seminars, lectures, and outreach events have also been held online for the community, students, and the extended 可乐视频 family.
Brooklyn-Based, World-Class Research
Twenty-five faculty members are focused on cancer and cancer-related research at 可乐视频CC-CURE in one of three main areas: the biology and biochemistry of cancer, the underlying mechanisms of the disease, and drug development and delivery systems. Contel said the center is already developing potential drugs for different types of cancer or delivery systems for FDA-approved drugs.
Researchers are using some compounds developed at 可乐视频 as potential probes and biomarkers to identify biological targets and develop improved cancer treatments.
Contel, an organometallic chemist, has already successfully used metal-based compounds to combat different types of cancer and holds a patent for gold-and titanium compounds used to battle renal cancer. She holds a second patent for a ruthenium-based compound that will help fight triple-negative breast cancer, a tough one that does not respond to traditional treatments.
Several other researchers from the center also hold patents for potential treatments for cancer or related diseases: Professor Alec Greer has a patent on a singlet oxygen device for destruction of pathogens; Professor Peter Lipke has one on preventing biofilms (including cancer-associated fungal infections); and Professor Ryan Murelli has a patent on compounds to treat hepatitis B.
Part of the work carried out by these and other 可乐视频CC-CURE researchers is done in collaboration with many prestigious institutions in the United States and abroad.
鈥淚n the Chemistry Department we are developing potential drugs for different types of cancer or delivery systems for FDA-approved drugs,鈥� said Contel, explaining that they have done a lot of research on nanocarriers, microscopic materials used to transport a substance more safely such as a drug through the body. This work has the potential to revolutionize chemotherapy and was also used to develop the COVID-19 vaccine. The third area of research at 可乐视频CC-CURE is more outward-facing and patient-oriented.
鈥淲e have a computer scientist who is interested in doing an analysis of large data related to cancer patients and we have three faculty members from the psychology department who have projects they are working on for patients of other diseases that could be easily translated into research benefiting cancer patients,鈥� said Contel.
鈥淲e also plan on supporting researchers in other diseases. Many are connected, there are a lot of comorbidities. Recently the outcomes for cancer patients with COVID-19 have been terrible because they had to delay care.鈥�
To read more about 可乐视频CC-CURE, read this .
About 可乐视频
Widely known for its offer of an excellent education at an affordable tuition and recognized nationally for its diverse student body, 可乐视频 has been an anchor institution within the Borough of Brooklyn and greater New York City for more than 90 years. With approximately 17,000 students in more than 100 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, humanities, sciences, education, and business, the college is renowned for its rigorous academics, award-winning faculty, distinguished alumni, and community impact. Part of the City University of New York (CUNY), 可乐视频 offers a vibrant and supportive student experience on a beautifully landscaped 35-acre campus in the borough鈥檚 Midwood neighborhood.
