University of Hawaii researchers were awarded three of the 45 Department of Defense grants given for cancer research and career development.
The awards to the UH Cancer Center, the only National Cancer Institute-designated facility in Hawaii, and John A. Burns School of Medicine, are for research of malignant mesothelioma, an asbestos-related cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs and abdomen. The three grants total $3 million.
Most people diagnosed with mesothelioma inhaled or ingested asbestos fibers or dust.
UH Cancer Center associate professor Haining Yang and Michele Carbone, director of thoracic oncology and formerly the center’s director, received a three-year $1.9 million award to discover biomarkers to predict the risk of developing mesothelioma.
Carbone and Yang also are the principal investigators for a two-year $600,000 grant to identify novel genes that increase the risk of developing mesothelioma when mutated.
The potential discovery could lead to specific drugs and screening of individuals for prevention and early detection.
Another medical school researcher, Pietro Bertino, won $550,000 over three years for his work on developing a vaccine against malignant mesothelioma.
ON THE MOVE
Bank of Hawaii has announced the following new vice presidents:
>> John Daniels is the bank’s vice president and senior consumer loan officer in the Dealer Indirect Lending Department. Daniels previously served 24 years in financial services at the customer service and dealer consumer loans departments at First Hawaiian Bank.
>> Caron Ikeda is the vice president and financial planning manager in the Private Banking Division. Ikeda was previously an attorney with Damon Key Leong Kupchak Hastert, and also served as a law clerk with the First Circuit Court in Honolulu.
Hawaii State Federal Credit Union has hired attorney Mary Wong as senior vice president and general counsel. She was previously at the law firm of Ashford & Wriston since 1991 and served most recently as a partner of the firm.
