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Mei Koh Discusses Kidney Cancer Research

Mei Koh, PhD, Talks About Unexpected Kidney Cancer Research Findings

The Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah has just published a study, the results of which may reverse the roles of two key proteins (HIF-1α and HIF-2α) in kidney cancer.

Mei Koh, PhD, one of the HCI investigators and assistant professor in our own Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, explains, "Prior research in kidney cancer suggests a paradigm in which HIF-1α plays an anti-tumor role, whereas HIF-2α plays a pro-tumor role, but this was determined primarily using cell lines and animal models."

Mei Koh Headshot

For this current study, tissue samples from human patients were used with astonishing results. "The entire team was surprised that our findings were almost exactly opposite to what we had expected," said Koh.