Donghua Hu
Instructor of Radiation Oncology, Division of Cancer Biology
- Email: hudonghua@nospam.wustl.edu
Research Interest
Metabolic Regulation
Category of Research
Basic
Descriptor of Research
Women who are moderately to severely obese are more than three times as likely to die from cervical cancer than women with a normal body weight. However, the reasons why obesity is linked to cervical cancer are not well understood. Given the essential role of mitochondria in energy metabolism, mitochondrial dysfunction acts as a key regulator in the pathophysiology of obesity and diabetes. An imbalance in mitochondrial dynamics can disrupt
mitochondrial function, leading to abnormal cellular fate, and a range of diseases, including metabolic diseases, cardiovascular diseases and cancers. The PTEN-PI3KCA pathway plays a central role in cervical cancer and is involved in regulating cell growth, survival, and proliferation. However, PI3KCA pathway is also a major signaling network activated in response to insulin; PTEN dysregulation has been implicated in the regula-tion of insulin signaling and glucose homeostasis. My long-term goal is to understand the influence of PTEN-PI3KCA pathway in regulating the response to cancer therapies including RT and to develop novel personalized combination therapies to improve outcomes for cervical cancer patients.