Thomas Jefferson University is home to pioneering researchers, innovators, creators and problem-solvers. For more than two centuries, our faculty, students and investigators have driven discoveries across disciplines from medicine to advanced textiles, from design and architecture to biodiversity and sustainable development. And they’ve applied that new knowledge to improve the lives of people in all walks of life, in communities across the nation and around the world. Jefferson is a research powerhouse with over 1,900 full-time faculty, including 464 externally funded principal investigators and scholars, supported by more than $200 million a year in funding from federal and state agencies, corporations, foundations and philanthropists. The University holds more than 1,000 patents for new drugs, innovative technologies and software, and advanced medical devices and diagnostic tools. Our world-class scholars and investigators work across the research spectrum from bench science to clinical and applied studies — in fields ranging from biomedical and social sciences to arts and humanities, business and public policy. They are developing more effective ways of diagnosing and treating cancer, creating more sustainable industrial processes and building materials, driving new opportunities for equitable economic development, and reducing disparities in health care and public health. We are redefining possible by striving to address problems once thought insurmountable. Here are exciting examples of how Jefferson researchers are working to improve human health, protect our world’s natural systems and make life better in myriad ways. Calorie Cutting Enhances Cancer Treatment Early in her career, radiation oncologist Nicole Simone, MD, found that restricting the calories ingested by lab mice could improve the effectiveness of radiation treatments for cancerous tumors. Those mice had smaller and fewer tumors and survived longer than mice on regular diets. “We concluded that tumor cells can’t deal with the stress of having radiation and calorie restriction at the same time,” Dr. Simone says. “Their cell machinery doesn’t work as well, so they die faster.” That discovery spurred her to explore if calorie reduction could be safe and effective for her patients undergoing radiation treatment for breast cancer. Her studies found that it was possible — and even empowering — for cancer patients to eat a calorie-restricted diet under medical supervision. She is now leading a clinical trial with patients to determine if a 25% calorie reduction can enhance the tumor-shrinking effects of radiation administered before surgery. Dr. Simone anticipates enrolling 90 breast cancer patients in the trial and reporting results in about two years. But initial results have made her optimistic: “So far, all patients have seen decreased tumor size, and some had evidence of their breast cancer disappearing entirely.” Making Waste Productive The world creates about 2 billion tons of municipal solid waste every year — an amount projected to grow 50% by mid-century. Solving the “waste problem” isn’t just a matter of determining where to dump more trash; it also requires reducing the natural resources used for replacement products, and using fewer toxic chemicals and pollutants to produce them. That’s why Jefferson researchers are developing innovative ways to reuse waste materials. Chemist Niny Z. Rao, PhD, and physicist Brian Yust, PhD, are using waste materials like coffee as substitutes for toxic and expensive chemical catalysts. “Spent coffee grounds have great potential in green chemistry,” Dr. Rao explains, “because they contain bountiful amounts of How Thomas Jefferson University Research Is Improving Lives Around the World
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