Breast Cancer Awareness Future-minded: Research center continues compiling COVID-19 antibody data for future science

Oct. 1—WINDBER — When COVID-19 swept across the nation in early 2020, researchers inside the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine realized it could pose unique problems for a population they've spent decades trying to save.

Breast cancer patients.

And when COVID-19 was a brand new challenge, there was no way to predict how it might cause issues months, and even years, after someone was infected.

In a partnership with the Joyce Murtha Breast Care Center, antibody testing has been conducted every three months on two distinct groups to help gather data, Senior Biobank Director Stella Somiari said.

The first group includes the center's breast cancer patients.

The other is staff within the research center who don't have cancer.

Somiari said the goal was to conduct antibody surveillance research to examine how both responded.

"We knew time was of the essence — when (COVID-19) goes away, you cannot get the same sample," she said.

And by testing people over a long period of time — in this case, every three months for three full years — the institute was able to see and document who was vaccinated, who was infected by the virus and how many times over that span.

They were able to track how people reacted to infection — and, in doing so, run into cases where some people never had COVID-19 and other people who might have had it three times, she said.

"The goal is to see what can be learned," she said.

When the study wraps up next year, the institute will have samples needed to study COVID-19's effects both immediate and long-term, officials said.

In this case, the data will likely be used for studies that may be years in the future.

Scientists and health officials across the globe are already tracking trends among people who've developed long-term health issues — such as organ problems and brain fog.

Separately, individuals with cancer were determined early on to be more at-risk of developing issues if they became infected with COVID-19 because they can be immunocompromised — and have other underlying risks such as cardiovascular disease and hypertension.

Studies could also be needed to look at how cancer patients were impacted, Somiari said.

"But you can't wait until then to start collecting," she said.

Lead researcher honored

The institute's chief scientific officer, Hai Hu was recognized this year for his work related to The Cancer Genome Atlas — a molecular level look at 33 rare or often difficult to beat cancers.

Hu was presented with the James J. Leonard Award for Excellence in Clinical or Translational Research for his publication of "An Integrated TCGA Pan-Cancer Clinical Data Resource to Drive High-Quality Survival Outcome Analytics."

Hu holds an associate professorship in the Department of Surgery at Uniformed Services University in Bethesda, Maryland, which is a molecular institute partner on the clinical breast care project along with Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

The award recognizes a faculty member "who has made the most significant published scientific contribution to clinical/translational research during the past three years."

Hu said he's been proud to see the published results have had a "high impact" in the research community.

But Hu said it was a true "team" approach that made it all possible.

"(It) is also a recognition of all the hard work done by my fellow researchers and supporting staff at the Chan Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine," he said.

That included Jianfang "Jeff" Liu, senior statistical analyst at the Windber institute, who was the first author of the study and conducted much of the data analysis, Hu said.

He also credited John P. Murtha Cancer Center Research Program Director Dr. Craig D. Shriver for laying the crucial foundation for what enabled their research to occur.

"It's all of the employees and all of (our) team who are important to this recognition," Hu said.

That goes with the center's broader work, which includes at least 10 active research studies and the institute's busy biobank.

Most of that work involves project partners from other centers across the United States, he said.

"It's all of us working together," Hu said.

David Hurst is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @TDDavidHurst.