Cancer Chemoprevention Expert Joins IITRI

IITRI steps up its commitment to cancer research with the addition of Dr. Rajendra G. Mehta as Assistant Vice President and Manager of its newly established Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Division.

	"If we can develop a cancer preventive agent that can go to clinic and show usefulness, then that would be very rewarding." Rajendra G. Mehta, Ph.D., Manager Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention

A leader in cancer prevention research for more than 30 years, IITRI created the Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Division in fall of 2004 as a spin-off of the longstanding Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Division. Now also an entity of its own, the Toxicology Division is headed by William D. Johnson, Ph.D., D.A.B.T. Dr. Johnson has worked with IITRI since 1980, most recently as Science Advisor for toxicology studies.

New Division Fine-Tunes Focus on Cancer Research

"This new division expands our capabilities and focuses our research in the areas of carcinogenesis and cancer chemoprevention," says David L. McCormick, Ph.D., D.A.B.T., Vice President and Director of IITRI. "Because Dr. Mehta and his staff will work primarily in drug discovery and early development, their efforts will interface perfectly with our ongoing work in later stages of drug development that emphasize preclinical toxicology and pharmacology.

"Furthermore, the investigative nature of Dr. Mehta's work will broaden our research base in cancer biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, and will also increase the number of research papers published by IITRI scientists."

Specialist Eyes Chemopreventive Compounds in Foods

Dr. Mehta is a renowned expert in the evaluation of chemopreventive agents in cell culture, organ culture and animal models. He has extensive experience in the study of the mechanism action of chemopreventive agents, as well as in carcinogenesis research, and in drug development from bench to clinic.

For 12 years prior to accepting his new post at IITRI, Dr. Mehta worked for the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC), as a professor in the Departments of Surgical Oncology, Pharmacology and Human Nutrition. He worked at IITRI from 1977-92 before joining the UIC faculty.

Dr. Mehta's research has been focused on the chemopreventive properties of compounds found in everyday foods. He was instrumental in discovering the chemopreventive effects of brassinin, found in Chinese cabbage, and resveratrol, found in grapes and wine.

His group, in collaboration with organic chemists at UIC, synthesized a new analog of vitamin D, which has shown efficacy in the prevention and treatment of breast cancer in animal models, explained Dr. Mehta, who holds a Ph.D. in life sciences from the University of Nebraska. Following toxicology studies performed at IITRI, the vitamin D analog is ready to go to clinical trails for the treatment of breast cancer patients. The compound will also be used in clinical trials for prostate cancer patients, and Dr. Mehta, with a group from UIC, will explore its potential efficacy in human colon cancer in an upcoming paper.

New Projects Explore New Uses of Known Agents

With several findings already in clinical trials, Dr. Mehta is spearheading four research projects to explore potential additional applications of compounds that have shown preventive attributes. Studies will focus on the following topics:

• Molecular mechanisms of action of vitamin D using cell culture and animal models.


• The effects and mechanisms of vitamin D and resveratrol on colon cancer.


• The effects of resveratrol and other wine-based components on lung cancer.


• Screenings of several cancer preventive agents in mammary gland organ culture, with an eye toward the discovery of novel drugs to defend against breast cancer.

Dr. Mehta initiated the mammary gland organ culture program during his first stint at IITRI, continued the program at UIC, and now is resuming the work at at IITRI. Dr. Mehta still serves as an adjunct professor at UIC and plans to continue clinical research in collaboration with investigators at UIC. He also plans to teach a new cancer biology course in the Department of Biological, Chemical and Physical Sciences at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT).

Staff Members Accompany Dr. Mehta in Move to IITRI

Staff members who worked with Dr. Mehta at UIC have transitioned with him to IITRI. They include:

• Genoveva Murillo, Ph.D. R.D., Research Biologist, who worked with Dr. Mehta for five years at UIC as a Research Associate. She received a R.D and a Ph.D. from UIC.


• Xinjian Peng, Ph.D., Research Biologist, was with UIC for five years and worked with Dr. Mehta one year. He received a Ph.D. in Medicine from Kobe University in Japan.


• Michael Hawthorne, B.S., Laboratory Biologist II, worked for IITRI for nine years before moving to a Research Specialist position at UIC with Dr. Mehta.

Dr. Mehta comes to IITRI to continue his pursuit of new discoveries in cancer research and to "make his mark" in the field. He remarked: "If we can develop a cancer preventive agent that can go to clinic and show usefulness, then that would be very rewarding."