A new clinic for treating precancerous oral lesions using several treatment options, including the first prospective clinical trial for imiquimod — a medication approved for skin cancer. It could revolutionize oral cancer treatment.
A recent Nature Communications article sheds light on how fluid drainage systems may worsen jaw pain in the 5 to 8 percent of Americans affected by temporomandibular joint disorders. PROBLEMS WITH JAW JOINTS and muscles — also known as temporomandibular disorders (TMD) — cause pain in the jaw, face or ears, as well as clicking, […]
Dechen Lin’s new work focuses on enhancing the effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapy. FOR PEOPLE WITH HEAD AND NECK CANCERS, the treatment can sometimes be as challenging as the disease. Traditional chemo- and radiation therapies can leave patients with long-term disabilities. Because these treatments can create immobility around the face and neck, some patients […]
USC researcher Pinghui Feng’s new paper looks at the way metabolic enzymes can change immune responses. METABOLIC ENZYMES ARE MOSTLY KNOWN for their work in metabolism — the process whereby a cell’s energy guides actions like building up or breaking down molecules. But metabolic enzymes have another biological process — immunity. The tug of war […]
Get to know one of Ostrow’s newest researchers, Lu Wang, who brings to Ostrow her research prowess in role of environmental stress and non-neuronal cells in developing treatments for ailments such as childhood brain tumors.
The work shows the web of interactions within cells as they try to ward off infections UNTANGLING COMPLEX INTERACTIONS THAT GOVERN SICKNESS AND HEALTH, Professor Pinghui Feng studies viral infections and their interaction with cellular metabolic enzymes. These enzymes act on small molecules inside a cell to construct building blocks for cell growth and proliferation. […]
Amy Merrill PhD ’04 has recently received an eight-year grant from the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AMY MERRILL is driven by the desire to impact clinical care outcomes — especially for rare diseases. By studying rare diseases in the face and head, she can learn about the normal process of […]
A new paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows how an amino acid may hold the secrets of oral cancers. UPPER AERODIGESTIVE SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA is a common and aggressive malignancy — it attacks more than half a million people each year, leaving them battling fatal tumors in the […]
Ostrow researchers probe how vasculature impacts stem cell diversity. The new study could lead to better treatments for tissue regeneration. STEM CELLS DON’T exist alone. They are part of a community, and their local environment — neighboring cells, extracellular matrix, blood vessels and nerves — all provide instructions that tell the stem cells when to […]
A new NIDCR grant will give Assistant Professor Dechen Lin the opportunity to test diet and medication’s efficacy on head and neck cancer. AROUND THE WORLD, head and neck cancers are increasing in prevalence — mostly associated with a rise in disease associated with human papilloma virus. When a patient’s head or neck is damaged, […]
