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Introduction

“As our understanding of cancer risk factors grows, more innovative approaches and interventions will be adopted to prevent cancer, including drugs to treat viral infections, diabetes, and obesity. Second, AI-assisted cancer screening and diagnosis, especially in high-risk and underserved populations, will improve the detection of cancer at an early stage, which may lead to successful eradication. Third, the mechanisms of response or resistance to immunotherapy will continue to be elucidated to provide a basis for innovative combinations of new or repurposed treatment modalities.”——Professor Sun Luzhe from the University of Texas said.

          

As a guest of the 28th International Conference on Molecular Medicine, Professor Sun Luzhe was invited to give a speech on topics related to liver cancer research.

Recently, Deep Science had a brief conversation with Professor Sun Luzhe, who shared his in-depth understanding and forward-looking views on cancer research such as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Deep Science | Source

Deep Science: Can you briefly describe what made you choose to study hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)?  

Sun Luzhe:My university colleague Professor Amelie Ramirez and her research team report that HCC is particularly high in the Hispanic population in South Texas, USA, with an incidence rate that is two to four times that of non-Hispanic white Americans.

As a cancer researcher in South Texas, I feel a responsibility to study cancers that disproportionately affect our local population. So, about 10 years ago, my research team began studying molecular changes in HCC in local Hispanic patients.

Deep Science: What are the main challenges in the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma? Where do you think there will be new breakthroughs?

Sun Luzhe:The main challenge in the treatment of HCC is that by the time HCC is diagnosed, the tumor cells have usually escaped from the primary site, so a large number of patients often experience HCC recurrence after the primary tumor is treated by liver transplantation, liver resection or physical ablation. Another challenge is that there are limited treatment options for HCC. Currently, the first-line treatment for unresectable HCC is immune checkpoint therapy (ICT), which has revolutionized the treatment of HCC and has a significant effect in about 30% of patients. However, due to therapy resistance, a large number of patients still cannot benefit from ICT. As we reveal the mechanisms of therapy resistance, it is expected that new therapies will be developed to inhibit resistance mechanisms and make immunotherapy effective for more HCC patients. The application of AI in cancer diagnosis, including imaging technology and liquid biopsy analysis, may also bring breakthroughs in the diagnosis of early HCC, allowing more HCC patients to be cured through surgery. The development of highly sensitive and specific molecular biomarkers will also help predict whether HCC tumors will respond to a certain treatment, thereby achieving personalized treatment.

Deep Science: In addition to liver cancer research, breast cancer is also a key research area in your laboratory. Can you tell us about the hot topics you focus on in the breast cancer field? What is the connection with liver cancer research?

Sun Luzhe:Aging is a major risk factor for many cancers, including breast cancer. My laboratory is interested in how aging leads to the development of abnormal mammary epithelial cells that may become tumor-initiating cells.

We are studying molecular changes in aging breast epithelial cells, examining whether these changes are associated with tumorigenesis, and exploring possible interventions to slow or reverse age-related molecular changes. Different subtypes of breast cancer have different treatments.

However, although HCC is caused by many well-known and very different risk factors, its molecular subtypes remain unclear, leaving no corresponding treatment for HCC caused by different etiologies. Therefore, molecular subtyping of HCC for prediction of treatment response, target development, and prognosis assessment is an important research area.

Deep Science: You have been paying close attention to cancer research in China. What are the gaps or differences between China and the United States in tumor research?

Sun Luzhe:I can't answer this question accurately because I haven't paid enough attention to the progress of cancer research in China. Regarding the funding of basic cancer research, China seems to focus more on supporting key laboratories, while the United States may have more philanthropic support.

Deeper Science: In the field of oncology (especially breast cancer or liver cancer), which technologies will receive more and more attention in recent years or in the future and bring new breakthroughs to the oncology industry?

Sun Luzhe:First, as our understanding of cancer risk factors grows, more innovative approaches and interventions will be adopted to prevent cancer, including drugs to treat viral infections, diabetes, and obesity. Second, AI-assisted cancer screening and diagnosis, especially in high-risk and underserved populations, will improve the detection of cancer at an early stage, which may lead to successful eradication. Third, mechanisms of response or resistance to immunotherapy will continue to be elucidated to provide a basis for innovative combinations of new or repurposed treatment modalities.

Deep Science: What qualities do you pay more attention to when recruiting masters and doctoral students? What are the special features of students receiving master's and doctoral education in China compared with those in other countries?

Sun Luzhe:As a supervisor of master's, doctoral and postdoc students, I look for graduate students and postdocs who are very serious about their career choices, self-motivated and self-disciplined, have a solid education in biomedical research, preferably in cancer research, and can work well with other team members. I foster their passion for cancer research and encourage them to adopt a multidisciplinary and rigorous approach to their research. At the same time, I also encourage and cultivate their individual strengths and create opportunities for them to develop leadership and independent work skills. Many Chinese students and postdocs have the excellent qualities I mentioned above, especially hard work.