Specializing In:
- Head and Neck Cancer
- Preclinical models
- Therapeutic Resistance
Research Interests:
- Molecular mechanisms driving resistance to chemo/radiation therapy and immunotherapy
- Development of novel therapeutic strategies to overcome treatment resistance
Positions
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
- Assistant Professor of Oncology
- Department of Oral Oncology
Background
Education and Training
- 2017 - PhD - Oral Oncology, University of Malaya, Malaysia
- 2012 - MDSc - Oral Oncology, University of Malaya, Malaysia
- 2009 - BSc (Hons) - Biomedical Science, University Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia
Fellowship
- 2017- 2021 - Postdoctoral Fellow - Oral Tumorigenesis, Translational Oncology, Roswell Park Comprehensives Cancer Center, Buffalo, NY
- 2014 - 2016 - Bright Spark Scholarship Malaysia, University of Malaya, Malaysia
- 2010 - 2013 - Graduate Research Assistance Fellowship, University of Malaya, Malaysia
Professional Memberships
- Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC)
- American Association for Cancer Research (AACR)
Honors & Awards
- 2018 - Travel Award The 21st vitamin D workshop, Barcelona, Spain
- 2013 - Best Poster Award at the University of Malaya Researchers’ Conference, Malaysia
- 2010 - Outstanding poster, 35th Annual Conference, Malaysian Society for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Malaysia
Research Overview
My research program centers on understanding the molecular mechanisms that drive therapeutic resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), particularly in response to standard of care treatments such as chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and immunotherapy. Using a range of preclinical models which including monolayer cultures, tumor organoids, patient derived xenografts, and syngeneic mouse models, my lab aims to dissect the complex biology underlying treatment failure.
Leveraging these models, we aim to evaluate novel therapeutic agents that could potentially overcome resistance mechanisms within the tumor microenvironment (TME) that contribute to treatment failure in patients. It is our expectation that studies in clinically-relevant experimental models could help identify and prioritize agents for clinical evaluation in head and neck cancer patients.
Publications
1. Vincent-Chong VK, Seshadri M. Development and Radiation Response Assessment in A Novel Syngeneic Mouse Model of Tongue Cancer: 2D Culture, 3D Organoids and Orthotopic Allografts. Cancers (Basel). 2020 Mar 2;12(3):579.
2. Vincent-Chong VK, Gluck C, Hershberger PA, Sinha S, Seshadri M. Deciphering radiation resistance in head and neck cancer using patient derived organoids [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Virtual Special Conference on Radiation Science and Medicine; 2021 Mar 2-3. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2021;27(8_Suppl): Abstract nr PO-061
3. Vincent-Chong VK, DeJong H, Rich LJ, Patti A, Merzianu M, Hershberger PA, Seshadri M. Impact of Age on Disease Progression and Microenvironment in Oral Cancer. J Dent Res. 2018 Oct;97(11):1268-1276.
4. Vincent-Chong VK, DeJong H, Attwood K, Hershberger PA, Seshadri M. Preclinical Prevention Trial of Calcitriol: Impact of Stage of Intervention and Duration of Treatment on Oral Carcinogenesis. Neoplasia. 2019 Apr;21(4):376-388.
5. Verma A, Vincent-Chong VK, DeJong H, Hershberger PA, Seshadri M. Impact of dietary vitamin D on initiation and progression of oral cancer. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2020 May;199:105603.