News

Photo above: SARS-CoV-2 vaccine currently in the testing phase

When the SARS-CoV-2 virus began a global pandemic, lives changed and were left in uncertainty. How can people combat a novel virus? Vaccines provide an answer.

Dr. Gayathri Devi, Associate Professor in Surgery, Division of Surgical Sciences, was recently appointed to the editorial board for the journal Cancers. Published by MDPI, Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694) is an international, peer-reviewed open access journal on oncology and includes articles in basic, translational, and clinical studies on all tumor types. Dr. Devi is a member of the Duke Cancer Institute and leads the Duke Inflammatory Breast Cancer Consortium efforts at DCI.

In the wake of a pandemic, the one question that many people have is how to protect themselves from something they cannot physically see. The solution to it is simple to understand, yet complex in its creation­—vaccines. Dr. Guido Ferrari, associate professor of surgery, Dr. David Montefiori, professor of surgery, and Dr.

The Duke Department of Surgery now ranks third among surgery departments nationwide in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding received in 2019 according to the newly released Blue Ridge rankings. Duke Surgery has continued to rank in the top five nationally over the past 30 years, demonstrating the department’s long-standing commitment to investigate the impact of disease on patient health. With a diverse portfolio, including 78.7% of funding from the NIH, Duke Surgery faculty and staff perform a wide variety of research to improve the human condition.

Zachary Hartman, PhD, Assistant Professor of Surgery, Division of Surgical Sciences, has received an R01 award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his proposal "Enabling effective anti-tumor immunity from targeted antibodies through dual innate and adaptive immune checkpoint blockade in non-immunogenic cancers."

Georgia Beasley, MD, MHS, Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Surgical Oncology, has received a 2019 award from the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI) for her pilot research project, “Oncolytic Poliovirus in Melanoma.”

Using an oncolytic poliovirus has already been tested at Duke as a treatment for recurrent glioblastoma, and in Dr. Beasley’s current research, the therapy will be used for treatment refractory melanoma, or melanoma that has not responded to other treatments. 

The Duke Transplant Center (DTC) of the Duke University School of Medicine aims to promote cross-disciplinary clinical, translational, and basic research with the ultimate goal of optimizing transplant organ longevity and improving quality of life of transplant recipients. This is the inaugural annual call from the DTC for proposals for pilot and feasibility studies.

Even before cancer is detectable, glow-in-the-dark cells show mutations driving malignancy
 

Duke Cancer Institute researchers have observed how stem cell mutations quietly arise and spread throughout a widening field of the colon until they eventually predominate and become a malignancy. 

Members of Dr. Gayathri Devi’s Cell Death Laboratory in the Division of Surgical Sciences presented four studies at the 12th AACR Conference on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved, held September 20-23, 2019 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square in San Francisco, California.

The Department of Surgery held its 4th Annual Research Day April 17. The department holds this event annually to advance its mission of improving patient care through research and training the next generation of surgeon–scientists. The event recognizes the accomplishments of fellows, residents, and students engaged in clinical or basic and translational research through the department.