Cancer: It’s a small word that changes everything.
This October, we’re emphasizing the progress Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) researchers are making in the fight against breast and liver cancers, bringing hope to patients and their families.
Their work is changing how early doctors find and diagnose the disease, opening up opportunities for new treatment options, and diving deeper into how the disease progresses. You can explore more at the links below.
Latest Breast Cancer Research
Single Dose Breast Cancer Treatment
CCIL scientists have discovered that a small molecule (ErSO-TFPy) can drastically reduce the size of large breast tumors in mice. Even more impressive, it took only a single dose of the drug to achieve those results.
Such a discovery could dramatically improve breast cancer treatment if translated to human cancer patients.
Benign vs. Cancerous Breast Calcifications
Researchers are studying how calcifications form in breast tissue. Their findings suggest new diagnostic criteria that could lead to fewer benign biopsies and guide therapeutic development.
“We want mammograms to be more precise and more accurate for distinguishing between benign breast disease and cancer.” —CCIL member Bruce Fouke
Combatting Breast Cancer Metastasis
Metastatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat, because cancer cells have started spreading to other parts of the body. In one study, researcher Ashok Samuel investigates how and why cancer cells migrate.
“Our study is uncovering a complex molecular ‘roadmap’ that cells follow as they become more mobile … This mechanism may give us a way to test how well existing cancer drugs are working in patients and help doctors choose the lowest effective dose, reducing harmful side effects.”
—Ashok Samuel
Learn more about the project here.
Why is breast cancer research important to you?
Ashok Samuel: Breast cancer affects so many lives as it is one of the most common cancers worldwide, and nearly everyone knows someone who has been affected. What makes it especially challenging is that breast cancer is not a single disease. It behaves differently in each patient. In healthy development, cells follow predictable paths as they grow and specialize in specific functions. Cancer cells, however, can lose this direction and enter unstable states. This makes it essential to understand what drives these changes in cancer cells, so that we can explore ways to not only track their progression but also guide them back toward a healthier, more stable state. By studying breast cancer at the molecular level, we can uncover why the disease develops differently across patients and identify ways to guide cells back to a healthy state. On a personal level, having seen breast cancer affect people very close to me motivates me to focus on improving detection and developing therapies that can make a real difference for patients and families.
What is the best part of working in cancer research?
Ashok Samuel: The best part of working in cancer research is that new technologies now allow us to see cancer at the molecular level in ways that were not possible before. Beyond genes and proteins, we can now study how metabolism—and even nutrients—shape cancer progression. Using advanced chemical imaging to watch these changes at the single-cell level is both fascinating and highly relevant for improving treatment strategies. What excites me most is knowing this work can lead to better tools for patients and real impact on cancer care.
What do you want people to know about your work?
Ashok Samuel: Our team is creating new imaging methodologies that allow us to see tiny chemical changes inside cancer cells. These changes reveal how cancer cells grow, adapt, and become more aggressive. As cancer progresses, cells often gain the ability to move and spread to other parts of the body. Our approach lets us track how their chemistry is reorganized during this process, with the hope of finding ways to slow them down or even push them back toward healthier states. This project began as a bold idea, and we were not sure what we would discover. It has become an incredibly rewarding journey, and we are grateful to the CCIL for the generous support and belief in our work. Our study is uncovering a complex molecular “roadmap” that cells follow as they become more mobile. We also aim to integrate this information with genomic and proteomic data, giving a more comprehensive view of cancer progression. Even more importantly, this mechanism may give us a way to test how well existing cancer drugs are working in patients and help doctors choose the lowest effective dose, reducing harmful side effects.
Latest Liver Cancer Research
Investigating Liver Cancer in Younger Patients
A study led by CCIL member Claudius Conrad and a team of Carle Illinois College of Medicine researchers sheds light on the typical age at which the most common form of liver cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), occurs and on how early-onset disease responds to treatment. The results could lay the groundwork for more tailored screening and treatment strategies for liver cancers in younger adults.
“Surgery remains the most powerful tool we have for curing HCC,” says Conrad. “When we catch early-onset cases in time, the liver’s regenerative capacity and overall fitness in younger patients allows us to be aggressive and successful.”
“Our technology brings AI and novel information about tissue together in one, easy to use technology that can be readily deployed. We are grateful for the collaboration with OSF Healthcare to work with us in translating this innovative technology to improve patient outcomes.” —Rohit Bhargava
Diagnosis to Treatment: Speeding Up the Process
CCIL Director Rohit Bhargava’s lab is teaming up with clinicians from OSF Healthcare to analyze liver cancer tissues using digital pathology. Their goal is to make AI-guided chemical imaging an effective and reliable tool for routine clinical diagnostics.
“The diagnosis of liver cancer may require many hours of meticulous investigation by highly trained pathologists, and the diagnosis is still primarily dependent on what can be seen via a microscope. Our study integrates a mid-infrared chemical imaging system with artificial intelligence to discover the distinct chemical fingerprints of tissues. This allows for earlier and more precise detection of cancers, which ultimately results in quicker diagnoses, superior treatment options, and healthier outcomes for patients.”
Keerthiveena Balraj
Postdoctoral Research Associate