In honor of Blossom Damania
How do certain viruses cause perfectly good cells to become cancerous? That’s the question Dr. Blossom Damania wants to answer, as her lab strives to investigate novel therapeutics to hold such viruses at bay. Dr. Damania is currently a Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Research Scholar and a Burroughs Wellcome Investigator in Infectious Disease.
Dr. Damania began studying viruses in graduate school and was instantly hooked. “I have always been fascinated that a virus can infect a human cell, hijack the cell’s many pathways, and then use the cell’s machinery to its advantage,” she says. “Some viruses do this very effectively and can induce the infected cell to proliferate uncontrollably.”
So far, she’s had success identifying compounds that hinder the growth of some human tumors, which will be used in clinical trials at UNC. For her work, and that of all cancer researchers at UNC, the N.C. Cancer Hospital is a major help.
“This building is a wonderful gift and will do a lot of good for North Carolina,” she says. “In addition to the direct impact on cancer patient care, the new space will allow UNC to conduct many more clinical trials on various cancers, and identify novel therapies to stop cancer in its tracks. This will not only benefit North Carolinians, but have a tremendous impact on cancer therapy and research on a global scale.”
“I am convinced that the discoveries made by the many outstanding cancer researchers at UNC will greatly benefit people afflicted with cancer” she says. “Increasing the number of cancer survivors world-wide, is what drives and inspires me to do cancer research.”