Dr. Chan Pushing to Improve Basic Science Related to Tumors
Time magazine cover on Genetic Engineering inspires researcher as a teenager
This story originally ran in the Spring 2009 issue of MACC FUND TODAY, a publication of Midwest Athletes Against Childhood Cancer, Inc., and is being reprinted with permission.
June 17, 2009 College News - Ask researcher Dr. Andrew Chan what attracted him to become one of the newest members of the MACC Fund Research Center and he’ll tell you it was the collaborative nature of the staff, the level of support of the Medical College of Wisconsin and the mission of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin. It also helped to get a little nudge from Drs. Robert Kliegman, James Casper and Ellis Avner who were searching for an accomplished basic scientist who could drive their cancer work at Children’s Hospital and the Medical College.
“Rarely does it happen that you find a place with such a strong collaborative spirit and support,” said Dr. Chan, Professor in the Medical College of Wisconsin’s Department of Pediatrics and Director of Hematology Oncology and Bone Marrow Transplants. “It’s a perfect fit.”
With a vision and opportunity to significantly improve basic science as well as to better understand the genetic basis of human cancer, Dr. Chan made the move here after serving 15 years at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in New York where he was Associate Professor in Oncological Sciences.
“I’m at a stage where there’s a lot of exciting work going on,” he said. His goal is to expand his research in using different mouse models to study human cancers and for testing new cancer drugs.
“I want to pursue translational research by working side-by-side with physicians and scientists in a hospital setting,” Dr. Chan said. “I’m very interested in identifying genetic defects that are associated with different types of pediatric cancer and turn this knowledge into treatment.”
Dr. Chan has a long-term research interest in studying the molecular makeup of brain tumors and modeling the advance stage of this disease in mice. By joining the Department of Pediatrics and with the support from the MACC Fund, Dr. Chan is able to expand his research into a very common pediatric cancer – neuroblastoma.
“We’re basically taking genetic defects seen in neuroblastoma and trying to incorporate them into the genome of the mouse,” Dr. Chan said. “By collaborating with other investigators in the Medical College’s Department of Pediatrics, we are making a concerted effort in identifying new drugs to treat this disease. In a nutshell, we are trying to incorporate genetic defects found in neuroblastoma in the zebra fish. Using a high throughput screening method, we hope to identify new drugs using the fish model and then test them in the mouse models.”
Dr. Chan’s vision is to vastly improve basic science as it relates to tumors while also pushing basic research as hard as he can.
What inspired him and ultimately led him into his specialty field began in 1979 in Hong Kong when he was a teenager.
“I was looking at the cover of Time magazine,” said the 46-year-old Dr. Chan. “It was the beginning of the Genetic Engineering Revolution. So I started studying in molecular biology and bio chemistry. In 1981 was the first cloning of a human cancer gene so I told myself, ‘I want a piece of the action.’”
Dr. Chan’s goal back then was to clone genes that cause childhood tumors. He was a member of a group that cloned a gene for soft tissue cancer, a category of tumors that include bone and muscle cancer commonly found in children.
Curious by nature, Dr. Chan has a keen interest in going into uncharted areas.
“There are still a lot of unknowns in pediatric cancers, especially in brain tumors and neuroblastoma,” he said. “There are a lot of discoveries to be made.
“The problem you have with children is that a lot of treatment there can sometimes be latent effects. These kids have a full life ahead of them so you want to make sure you do it right.
“So if you know the defects and use treatments that are less toxic, the latent effect will disappear. That’s my really long, long term goal.”
Dr. Chan applauds the MACC Fund for raising funds and creating opportunities to advance research.
“Writing grants is a major part of our job,” said Dr. Chan, noting that only about 12 percent of research grant proposals nationally receive support. “The MACC Fund and its supporters are a tremendous help. They really trust us to use the funding to produce positive results in our research.”
Dr. Chan recalls the time he was a graduate student training for his Doctorate Degree at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, England.
“I had always worked weekends,” he said. “On a Sunday the doorman buzzed me in my office and said someone was looking for a researcher…and I was the only one working there at the time.
“So here I am, this graduate student, and this old woman who just lost her loved one to cancer basically walks into the Cancer Institute. She hands me a 10-pound note and says ‘please do something to cure cancer.’
“I was just amazed that people were trusting us that much and their passion to see the eradication of cancer. If you provide me with funding it is my responsibility to turn it into something useful.”
Dr. Chan sees many challenges ahead…along with many discoveries.
“That’s what drives me. I really see the passion of the people involved with the MACC Fund. They’re serious about providing the highest quality of research. I truly appreciate their support and helping me to carry out my vision.”