Dr. Zihai Li, CoEE Endowed Chair in Cancer Stem Cell Biology and MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center
July 7, 2010
A rising star in the field of cancer immunology, Zihai Li, M.D., Ph.D., has been recruited to South Carolina through the state’s Centers of Economic Excellence (CoEE) Program. Li will join the Medical University of South Carolina’s (MUSC) Hollings Cancer Center as the CoEE Endowed Chair in Cancer Stem Cell Biology.
Li was previously at the University of Connecticut. His work captured international attention when his study was published in the October 2009 issue of Stem Cells. The study revealed the potential for human stem cells to be used in the creation of a vaccine to protect against colon cancer and potentially for other types of cancer as well.
Below, Li discusses his research and why he chose to move his work to South Carolina.
LowcountrybizSC:
Why have you decided to move your work to South Carolina?
Zihai Li:
As a medical oncologist and tumor immunologist, I am attracted to the Medical University of South Carolina for its tremendous growth in biomedical research, culminating in the accomplishment of the National Cancer Institute-designation status of the Hollings Cancer Center and the award of a highly competitive Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Institutes of Health in 2009. [This award provides programs with more infrastructure support, better training for researchers, greater access to clinical trials and promising new treatments for patients.
LowcountrybizSC:
Please tell us a little about the work you will be doing at MUSC.
Zihai Li:
I will be pursuing work on multiple fronts in the basic understanding of how the immune system can be harnessed to fight against cancer. My areas of interest include the development of safe and efficient cancer vaccines, uncovering the power of stem cells for cancer therapy, and decoding the mystery of the basic guiding principles of how the immune system works in the body’s defense against a variety of diseases.
LowcountrybizSC:
How do you see that your work could have commercial applications in the short or long term? How do you see that this could lead to job creation in South Carolina?
Zihai Li:
I want to move our work closer and closer to finding a cure for human cancer. These efforts of biomedical research could lead to the launch of clinical trials, and the eventual development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for human diseases. Our work will stimulate job growth in the health care industry and biomedical research.
LowcountrybizSC:
How do you think your work could improve quality of life in South Carolina?
Zihai Li:
We are contributing to the betterment of human health in general. Our clinical studies will be done in South Carolina, which might directly benefit South Carolinians. We will also contribute to the training and retaining of skillful jobs, all of which will lead to improvement of the quality of life in South Carolina.
LowcountrybizSC:
Has the CoEE Program played a part in your decision? What unique opportunities does the CoEE Endowed Chair provide for you?
Zihai Li:
The support by the CoEE Program plays a huge role in my decision to move my lab to MUSC. The CoEE professorship to me is a long-term commitment by South Carolina to support ingenious science which benefits the citizens of South Carolina [while] at the same time . . . stimulating job growth and the economy.
LowcountrybizSC:
Will you be working with other CoEE Endowed Chairs and if so, how?
Zihai Li:
I am very interested in collaborating with other CoEE Endowed Chairs to advance our common interests. For example, we would like to work with the groups led by CoEE Chairs Drs. Charles Smith and Kenneth Tew in discovering small molecular compounds to antagonize inflammation and cancer by close collaboration in the laboratory. We are also interested in collaborating with Dr. Richard Swaja, a CoEE Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine at MUSC, to advance our interests in developing stem cell-based cancer vaccines.
LowcountrybizSC:
Will you be working with any existing companies or do you anticipate that any start-up companies will come from your work?
Zihai Li:
I am actively pursuing the possibility of establishing a start-up company to raise funding to support our expensive but necessary clinical trials.
The CoEE Program uses State Lottery and non-state funds (from corporations, foundations and federal agencies) to create advanced research centers at MUSC along with Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. The goal of the CoEE Program is to develop the state’s knowledge-based economy and create high-skill, high-paying jobs for citizens.
For more information on South Carolina’s CoEE Program and how your company can benefit from the research being done at the state’s Centers of Economic Excellence, visit www.sccoee.org.
