Convergent Science Virtual Cancer Center — Supporting Military Health Video (Text Version)

NARRATOR: In fiscal year 2020, the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program established the Convergent Science Virtual Cancer Center, or CSVCC, focusing on the complex issues associated with cancer research and improving patient outcomes. To meet the intent of congressional language, the CSVCC is dedicated to funding research related to military health and mission readiness, for Service Members, their Families, Veterans, and other military beneficiaries.

PETER KUHN, Ph.D.: So the Convergent Science Virtual Cancer Center has a very straightforward focus on mentoring a group of scholars around the country in their pursuit of using cancer research to benefit cancer patients where the point of convergence is the patient, with a direct relevance to military health.

DAN THEODORESCU, M.D., Ph.D.: One of the advantages of the CSVCC is that it offers mentorship that is complementary to the mentorship that these early career investigators get at their parent institution. The other thing that we do is enhance the knowledge of civilian cancer researchers to the issues that military personnel have when they’re affected by cancer.

KUHN: We have been incredibly fortunate that we have military health experts, Dr. Ken Bertram, as part of the senior membership of the CSVCC.

COL KENNETH BERTRAM, U.S. Army Retired, M.D., Ph.D.: I had some early on discussions with the scholars relating to their backgrounds and their projects. They have very interesting scientific projects that are definitely on the cutting edge. So, we discussed how their projects could be relevant and in addition made some contacts between the individual scholars and people who I thought could bring more militarily relevant aspects to their individual research projects, and by doing so, advance the care for both military, their Families, as well as the American public.

NILAY SETHI, M.D., Ph.D.: My research fits into military relevancy in one primary way, which would be mission readiness. Working in colon cancer, I have become acutely aware of the early onset colon cancer which is when individuals younger than age fifty are now developing colon cancer at increasing incidences and relatively aggressive cancers for that matter. So, by focusing some of our research on early onset colon cancer, we hope to you know make improvements in mission readiness for those younger individuals that will be participating in the military.

GRANT ROWE, M.D., Ph.D.: I’m interested in understanding why children and adults are affected by different blood diseases. We’re learning the way that cancer can broadly impact Veterans and Service Members and their beneficiaries, which I think fits well with our overall approach of considering age and how we dissect disease processes in my lab.

BERTRAM: Some of the critical elements really get to focusing on things like, what might be unique circumstances that involve the military that provide clues actually into what might be happening in the broader American population? What are environmental exposures? What types of cancers occur more frequently in the military? What’s the role of infection in perhaps inciting some cancer?

ABBY GREEN, M.D.: My research is focused on the origins of cancer. The enzymes that I study that cause mutations in cancer genomes, these enzymes are meant to act on viruses and restrict or limit virus infection. And so many Service Members and their families are exposed to viruses through deployments in new parts of the world where they’re encountering new viruses or pathogens for the first time, or through sort of close quarters where a lot of infectious diseases are easily spread. And so, these enzymes that act on viruses may be particularly important for the military and their Families.

HAE LIN JANG, Ph.D.: We are developing therapies that can be useful for treating bone metastases and that is highly relevant for increasing survivor rates and mission readiness of military members. These skillsets and knowledge we also apply for developing other technologies, including treating bone infections, and also stopping massive bleedings, which is really important for increasing the survivor rate of military members.

NILAY: I have met with military experts and one was a leader at Walter Reed Medical Center, and sharing our research, hearing about their colon cancer program, and seeing opportunities for collaboration was one of the things that we discussed and I hope to follow-up and potentially collaborate with people within the military community.

BERTRAM: I think it’s interesting that this program has already developed some extensive plans to expand the scholar base. I think that broadening of the scholar base will contribute not only to helping take better care of military active duty, retirees, Families, Veterans, but I think will also help energize some of the discussions across what might be etiologies and outcomes for the American people.

THEODORESCU: We want to make sure that the scholars do learn about the military issues that are important to the DOD in terms of people being affected by cancer that are in service.

KUHN: Having the ability to work very closely with the Department of Defense has been really incredibly eye opening I think for all the scholars, and even for Dr. Theodorescu and myself, to really learn more about the complexity of military health and the importance for mission readiness, and exposure risks, and to think our way through how can our cancer research really participate in that framework of military health.