USA researcher receives DOD grant to study novel link between obesity and colorectal cancer progression

By Lindsay Hughes
[email protected]

With a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD), researchers at the University of South Alabama will investigate a novel molecular link between obesity and colorectal cancer progression.

Chandrani Sarkar, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute and an assistant professor of pathology at the Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine, is principal investigator of the project. She has been awarded a two-year, $616,000 Peer-Reviewed Cancer Research Program Idea Award from the DOD to lead the research.

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a common and lethal cancer in both men and women, affecting a large population not only in the United States but also worldwide. The National Cancer Institute reports that colorectal cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. While incidence and mortality rates of colorectal cancer are decreasing in adults 50 and older, they are rising at an alarming rate in adults under age 50.

“With emerging evidence supporting that the disease is often detected at more advanced stages in young adults, there is an urgent and unmet need to identify factors that regulate CRC and elucidate the underlying biological mechanisms to develop targeted therapeutic approaches for patients,” Sarkar said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, overweight and obesity are associated with a higher risk of developing 13 types of cancer, including colorectal cancer. These cancers make up 40% of all cancers diagnosed in the United States each year. Visceral fat, or “belly fat,” is a type of fat stored deep in the abdominal cavity and surrounds vital organs. Excess visceral fat disrupts normal body functions, which can promote abnormal cell growth and increase the risk of cancer.

The molecular links between obesity and CRC, though explored, are not fully understood. Sarkar’s study aims to study the role of neuropeptide Y (NPY) and its receptors in obesity-induced CRC progression. Key functions of NPY include regulating appetite and energy balance, stress response, cardiovascular health, and immune modulation.

Identifying new targets will facilitate the development of novel therapeutic strategies for colorectal cancer, Sarkar said.

Collaborators on the project, all from the University of South Alabama, are Debanjan Chakroborty, Ph.D., assistant professor of pathology; Guillermo Herrera, M.D., professor and chair of pathology; Paramahansa Pramanik, Ph.D., assistant professor of math and statistics; and Ahmed Abdalla, M.D., assistant professor of interdisciplinary clinical oncology.

Sarkar joined USA Health and the Whiddon College of Medicine in July 2021. She earned a Ph.D. in cancer biology from Jadavpur University in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, and completed a postdoctoral research fellowship at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. She also holds a Master of Clinical Research from The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.

Sarkar’s research efforts have led to several publications in high-impact, peer-reviewed journals. She has also authored book chapters and presented her work at national and international professional meetings.