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Summer 2006

Prof awarded Korean fellowship for stem cell work

College of Human Medicine professor James Trosko will spend three months in South Korea studying the connection between adult stem cells and cancer. His work will be supported by a South Korean fellowship that brings distinguished scientists and engineers to the country.

Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells in every organ of the body that can replicate themselves or make any other type of cell. Recent work by Trosko and MSU colleagues suggests that screening stem cells might help doctors identify cancers at an early stage, thus making it easier to treat and prevent the disease.

Trosko will be joining professor of veterinary medicine Kyung-Sun Kang at Seoul National University for three months of research beginning in August. While the project focuses on breast cancer initially, Trosko hopes that the results will be applicable to other types of cancer as well.

Trosko, who earned his doctorate in radiation genetics from MSU in 1963, has been a faculty member since 1966. From 1990-92, he served as research chief at the Radiation Research Foundation. In 2001, he received the Society of Toxicology Scientific Award for the many contributions he has made to toxicology research during his career.

For more information, contact Trosko at trosko@msu.edu.