Our lab was featured on WILX News 10, the local news broadcast in Lansing, MI.

Researchers from Henry Ford Health + Michigan State University Health Sciences have been awarded a $3 million grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research to study new treatments for patients who have head and neck cancer caused by the human papillomavirus, or HPV.

Michigan State University graduate student Lexi Vu is working to uncover the mechanisms used by cancerous cells in the head and neck that help them hide from the immune system. A comprehensive understanding of this is crucial to carving a path to treatment research.

• Michigan State University microbiologist Dohun Pyeon is the recipient of a three-year, $480,000 Strategic Partnership Grant from the MSU Research Foundation to support his work in the development of a new immunotherapy for HPV-associated cancers.

Virus can cause cancer by driving excessive cellular proleration, as seen with HPV and cervical cancer. A new highlights another strategy: viruses manipulate the human immune system to ensure their survival, which also promotes cancer. This insight could enhance the effectiveness of immune-based cancer therapies.

Infection with human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary cause of cervical cancer and a subset of head and neck cancers worldwide. A University of Colorado Cancer Center paper describes a fascinating mechanism that links these two conditions -- viral infection and cancer.