In Translation

Teaming up to fight cancer
(continued)

Hsing-Jien Kung, deputy director of the UC Davis Cancer Center, is working with Turteltaub in examining the fundamental processes of cancer biology from the initial insult to a cell through DNA damage and repair.

"We need an integrated effort like this to shift the frontiers of cancer research," said Kung. "Individual labs can't do it alone."

Turteltaub's work is a natural for collaboration. He and Felton study heterocyclic amines, suspected human carcinogens that form in muscle foods like chicken and beef when cooked. He's especially interested in PhIP (pronounced "fip"), an arylamine that causes microscopic damage to DNA called adducts.

"DNA adducts are a measure of the metabolism of a carcinogen," said Turteltaub. "We hope to see if we can reduce the accumulation of DNA adducts to reduce a person's lifelong risk of cancer."

Turteltaub is working with UC Davis agricultural researcher Steffen Abel and UC Davis professor of nutrition Andy Clifford in studying how vegetable nutrients and vitamins may prevent cancer.