Ann Arbor, MI — October 10, 2011 — A University of Michigan School of Dentistry researcher has received a Young Investigator Award for his work that is trying to determine how tumors interact with blood-forming (hematopoietic) stem cells that often lead to metastatic cancer of the prostate gland.  That research may ultimately affect the care dental patients receive since understanding how cancer metastasizes to bone sites (including the jaws) could lead to developing therapeutic options. 

Dr. Yusuke Shiozawa, a research investigator in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine, received the award and $225,000 prize from the Prostate Cancer Foundation to continue his research.  The award and prize were presented during a recent ceremony at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.

Hematopoietic stem cells form blood and immune cells and, in effect, play a direct role in the renewal of blood.  These stem cells are not only constantly renewing, they also produce other cells that lead to the creation and development of different types of blood cells.  Shiozawa’s research has found that like hematopoietic stem cells, prostate cancer cells spread to bones.  How and why that happens is also a part of the research he has been conducting since 2006 in the laboratory of Dr. Russell Taichman, professor in the Department of Periodontics and Oral Medicine.

That research may ultimately benefit the dental profession, Taichman says.  “My hope is that one day we can better understand how damaged bone, including bones in the orofacial region, can be repaired.  Once we understand that, I think we may better understand the dynamics of other cancers, including those of the head, neck, breast, and other parts of the body.”

Since prostate cancer is one of just a few diseases where bone formation actually takes place, Shiozawa and Taichman are investigating how bone cells regulate stem cell development and function.  Closely related to that is research that is trying to determine how prostate cancer cells thwart stem cell development and function.

“Amazed with His Capabilities”

The Young Investigator Award from the Prostate Cancer Foundation is designed to encourage the most innovative minds in cancer research to focus their careers on the causes of and possible treatments for prostate cancer.  “The three-year funding award validates the research and transformational approach Shiozawa has brought to this field and will enable him to establish himself as an independent investigator,” Taichman said.

That work, Taichman added, “may lead to a better understanding of how cancer and blood stem cells interact which, in turn, may eventually lead to developing a new treatment for tumors that progress to the bone marrow.”  Taichman noted that Shiozawa’s laboratory findings “are already being tested in preclinical models with some success which is prompting us to think about the best approach in designing human trials.” 

Shiozawa began his research career in Japan as he was working for his medical degree which he received from the Juntendo University School of Medicine in 2000.  He received his PhD from the same university six years later.  After completing his doctorate and a fellowship in pediatric oncology, Shiozawa joined Taichman’s laboratory in 2006. 

Shiozawa has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers in scientific journals and has mentored post-doctoral students, undergraduates, and technicians at U-M.  “I’m proud of Yusuke’s achievements and amazed with his capabilities,” Taichman said.  “He’s one of the best colleagues I have had during my 25-year academic and research career.”

The American Cancer Society estimates that approximately 242,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed and that more than 28,000 deaths from the disease will occur.