Fatemeh Momen-Heravi, PhD, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University, aims to characterize the molecular features of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) and identify transcriptomic changes associated with HNSCC in patients with African ancestry. Pathway analysis and integration of omics data will be used to uncover tumor vulnerabilities in Black patients for therapeutic intervention with the ultimate goal of developing personalized therapies and reducing health disparities.
“This grant supports the important mission of reducing health disparities in head and neck cancer,” said Momen-Heravi. “Our research will transform the lives of many minority patients by understanding their specific risk factors and developing new personalized treatment.”
Content courtesy of AACR.
PUBLISHED RESEARCH
Wu X, Cheng YL, Matthen M, Yoon A, Schwartz GK, Bala S, Taylor AM, Momen-Heravi F. Down-regulation of the tumor suppressor miR-34a contributes to head and neck cancer by up-regulating the MET oncogene and modulating tumor immune evasion. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2021.
Li J, Momen-Heravi F, Wu X, He K. Mechanism of METTL14 and m6A modification of lncRNA MALAT1 in the proliferation of oral squamous cell carcinoma cells. Oral Dis. 2022.
Tanagala KKK, Morin-Baxter J, Carvajal R, Cheema M, Dubey S, Nakagawa H, Yoon A, Cheng YL, Taylor A, Nickerson J, Mintz A, Momen-Heravi F. SP140 inhibits STAT1 signaling, induces IFN-γ in tumor-associated macrophages, and is a predictive biomarker of immunotherapy response. J Immunother Cancer. 2022.
Mezghani N, Yao A, Vasilyeva D, Kaplan N, Shackelford A, Yoon A, Philipone E, Dubey S, Schwartz GK, Taylor AM, Momen-Heravi F. Molecular Subtypes of Head and Neck Cancer in Patients of African Ancestry. Clin Cancer Res. 2023.
Wu YC, Kissner M, Momen-Heravi F. A comprehensive multiparameter flow cytometry panel for immune profiling and functional studies of frozen tissue, bone marrow, and spleen. J Immunol Methods. 2023.