Hua Eleanor Yu facts for kids

Hua Eleanor Yu is a leading scientist who studies cancer. She works at the City of Hope National Medical Center in Duarte, California. There, she is the first Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in tumor immunotherapy. This means she holds a special position focused on using the body's immune system to fight cancer.

Professor Yu also helps lead the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Program at City of Hope. Her research team made an important discovery. They were the first to find a protein called STAT3. This protein helps protect cancer cells from the body's immune system. Her group is now working on new treatments. They are developing drugs to stop STAT3 and help the immune system attack cancer cells.

Education and Early Career

Learning About Science

Hua Eleanor Yu studied at Columbia University. She earned her first degree in biology in 1983. Later, in 1988, she received her Ph.D. in molecular biology. This advanced degree means she became an expert in how tiny parts of cells work.

After her Ph.D., she continued her research. From 1989 to 1992, she worked at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This was a special research position called a postdoctoral fellowship.

Working as a Scientist

Professor Yu started her career as a research scientist. She worked at the University of Michigan from 1994 to 1995. After that, she joined the immunology program at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. She stayed there until 2005.

In 2005, she moved to the Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope. She became a professor there. In 2013, she was named the first Billy and Audrey L. Wilder Professor in Tumor Immunotherapy. This shows her important role in cancer research.

Understanding Cancer and the Immune System

The Role of STAT3 Protein

Professor Yu and her team made a big discovery. They found that the STAT3 protein is very important for cancer cells. It helps them grow and survive. They learned that STAT3 creates a safe environment for tumor cells. It protects them from the immune cells that are trying to fight the cancer.

New Ways to Fight Cancer

By understanding STAT3, scientists found a new way to target cancer. STAT3 helps tumors grow new blood vessels. It also helps them hide from the immune system.

Professor Yu's team developed a special treatment. It uses something called CpG-Stat3 siRNA. The siRNA part turns off the production of STAT3. The CpG part helps to make the immune cells more active. This treatment can turn off the cancer cells' defenses. It then helps the immune system attack the cancer.

Testing New Treatments

Professor Yu's team is studying this treatment. They are using mice to test it against tough cancers. These include glioblastoma multiforme (a type of brain tumor) and B-cell lymphoma (a blood cancer). These cancers are often hard to treat with regular medicines. As of 2013, they were planning to test this treatment in human patients.

Professor Yu is known around the world for her work. She has worked with scientists in Germany and China. Her lab has also developed new technologies. A company called LA Cell, Inc. is using these ideas. They hope to create new antibody treatments for cancer.

There is also early evidence that STAT3 might be connected to diabetes. This shows how complex and connected our bodies are.

Awards and Recognition

Humboldt Research Award

In 2014, Professor Yu received the Humboldt Research Award. This award comes from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. It is given to scientists whose discoveries have a big impact on their field. It also recognizes those who are expected to keep making important breakthroughs.

Karla Mooers Pilot Study Award

In 2020, Professor Yu received the Karla Mooers Pilot Study Award. This award was from the Rivkin Center for Ovarian Cancer Research. She received it for her work on PARG inhibitors. These are substances that might help treat ovarian cancer. Her research looks at how PARG inhibitors can make the immune system attack cancer cells. The goal is to improve treatments for people with ovarian cancer.

See also

In Spanish: Hua Eleanor Yu para niños