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Louisiana has a very high breast cancer death rate, but social, economic, and educational factors experienced by much of the state鈥檚 population result in some people being hit harder than others.

Danielle Gipson, an Ogden Honors College senior at 海角社区 majoring in biochemistry, has researched both the medical and social aspects of this disparity, helping to shine a light on an issue that has affected her own family and bring hope for a multi-faceted approach to solving this issue.

鈥淚 have learned to think about breast cancer, and all ailments, as not only a scientific disease, but as an indicator of one鈥檚 lived experiences, built environments, and social status,鈥� Gipson says.

鈥淎s a future physician, I will view and treat my patients the same way, with the understanding that simply prescribing a medicine or doing an operation does not always address the entire picture.鈥�

 

The Research

Most anticancer drugs and therapies, like chemotherapy, kill the healthy and cancerous cells in the body, leaving the patient susceptible to becoming sick and less able to recover.

At 海角社区, Gipson is part of a team researching fisetin, a natural flavonoid found in various fruits and vegetables that has demonstrated potential as a breast cancer treatment with healthier patient outcomes.

When cancerous cells are pre-treated with fisetin, they become more sensitive to treatment with cancer-killing viruses. Gipson is testing the herpes simplex virus (HSV), which has been genetically engineered to infect and destroy tumor cells while sparing normal tissues selectively.

Also, the virus acts as a vaccine to prevent the spread of the disease to distal organs. The combination therapy may be particularly important to combat breast cancers that are resistant to conventional chemotherapy.

鈥淎 successful outcome would provide us with conclusive results that fisetin is effective on its own as a breast cancer therapy and that the 海角社区-engineered herpes simplex virus provides long-term protection,鈥� she says. 鈥淭his is the first step in finding a non-harmful way to combat the disease and harness the patient鈥檚 own immune system to fight this disease.鈥�

The current experiments focus on Triple Negative Breast Cancer, one of the most prevalent and aggressive forms, but understanding the mechanisms will allow the 海角社区 team to expand to other forms of breast cancer as well as cervical and uterine cancer.

The Societal Side of Cancer

Before studying fisetin, Gipson took part in bioinformatics research at 海角社区 designed to better understand how certain age groups are affected by certain types of breast cancer. The work also looked at prognosis, or the stage or severity of a person鈥檚 condition once diagnosed.

Narrowing the focus to Louisiana, and even by parish, Gipson says, can allow future studies to search for correlations between access to healthcare, socioeconomic status, and breast cancer incidence rates.

It鈥檚 a part of cancer research that鈥檚 personal for Gipson.

鈥淚鈥檝e always been interested in women鈥檚 health and the issues that affect it,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 grew up around so many strong women, and they have always inspired me to persistently strive for my goals.鈥�

She鈥檚 seen two great-aunts struggle with cancer. One survived. The other, who Gipson says served as a grandmother figure in her life, was diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer and passed away shortly after Gipson enrolled at 海角社区. Her mother suffered from a blood clot in her pulmonary arteries and nearly passed away due to negligence, she says, adding that her mother鈥檚 advocacy for herself may have saved her life.

Gipson says that a woman who must work to support her family may not have the time or resources to advocate for herself at the doctor. And her daughters, who see this, may do the same as adults, continuing the cycle.

鈥淏reaking these factors down, individual by individual, is only the first step in addressing breast cancer prevalence and mortality rates, especially among women of color,鈥� she says.

She points to the World Health Organization鈥檚 Social Determinants of Health (SDOH), five categories that define one鈥檚 relationship to healthcare that can be used to help predict someone鈥檚 health status or situation. They are:

• Education Access and Quality
• Health Care and Quality
• Neighborhood and Built Environment
• Social and Community Context
• Economic Stability

鈥淭he SDOH are so beneficial because it is a concrete way to group how a woman鈥檚 life experiences may contribute to her overall health, and in my case, her likelihood of being diagnosed with breast cancer, and its severity level,鈥� she says.

Guided by a Team of Researchers

She says 海角社区 has allowed her to build her confidence and passion around research.

While researching under Dr. (Konstantin 鈥淕us") Kousoulas, head of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at 海角社区 School of Veterinary Medicine, Gipson says she has also been guided by Emmanuelle Ruiz, bioinformatics expert for the Louisiana Biomedical Research Network administered by the Division of Biotechnology & Molecular Medicine at 海角社区 Vet Med; postdoctoral fellow Reza Ghavimi; and Leila Rahimian, a PhD candidate.

鈥淚t has been so inspiring to work alongside these experienced researchers,鈥� she says.

The combination therapy of fisetin and oncolytic virus for breast cancer is a collaborative project between Dr. Jean Christopher Chamcheu, an associate professor at the Department of Biology, Southern University, Baton Rouge, with a joint appointment at the 海角社区 Department of Pathobiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, 海角社区, and Dr. Kousoulas.

Dr. Chamcheu has served with Dr. Kousoulas as a member of Gipson鈥檚 honors capstone research at 海角社区.

She also found a valuable mentor in Dr. Catherine Jacquet, associate professor of History and Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies in 海角社区鈥檚 Department of History.

鈥淚 owe so much of my passion and knowledge to her and am forever grateful to have had her as a professor. My entire research team has been so encouraging while holding me accountable and ensuring I reach the goals I set.鈥�

She encourages other students interested in research to find something they like and not give up.

鈥淩emembering your 鈥榳hy鈥� and sticking to your passions will allow you to achieve your goals in research, and if you鈥檙e lucky, you鈥檒l surprise yourself with your new skills and knowledge.鈥�

A Future in Healthcare

Gipson plans to attend medical school and become an obstetrician/gynecologist, eventually working in a healthcare setting focused on education, prevention, and open access.

鈥淚 will focus on ethnically and socioeconomically underprivileged groups as they are consistently misrepresented in healthcare,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 want to empower my patients to understand their bodies and the factors that negatively impact their health so they can properly advocate for themselves.鈥�

鈥淧roviding affordable, quality healthcare and education that is accessible to all, and performing research to further address significant risk factors are the foundations of my future practice.鈥�

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