Boris Pasche Joins School of Medicine
By Caperton Gillett
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Boris Pasche, M.D., discusses the link between obesity and the risk of colon cancer.
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Boris Pasche, M.D., Ph.D., took the long way around to Alabama—from Switzerland via Sweden, Harvard, New York, and Chicago. The Department of Medicine’s new director of hematology and oncology, associate director for translational research in the Comprehensive Cancer Center, and holder of the Martha Ann and David L. May Endowed Chair in Cancer Research says he was drawn to UAB by its success in immunology and translational medicine and its potential for great progress.
“I think UAB is a treasure trove of discoveries,” says Pasche, formerly director of Northwestern University’s cancer genetics program. “A lot of work has been done by leaders such as Dr. Albert LoBuglio and Dr. George Shaw, so we are building on a very strong base. The Cancer Center has been a leader in the development of novel therapies, so the existing infrastructure can be used and maximized by the advent of new discoveries.”
Pasche plans to emphasize UAB’s strengths in translational medicine, bringing basic-science breakthroughs into the clinic. He says UAB’s reputation in the field, the size and quality of the Cancer Center, and its partnerships within the National Comprehensive Cancer Network position it to be a leader “moving forward into the age of individualized cancer therapies.”
Pasche’s own research centers on cancer genetics, largely focusing on breast and colon cancer. Recently he and his colleagues were the first to discover a genetic link between obesity and colorectal cancer risk, showing that people who inherit a variant of the gene ADIPOQ—responsible for the formation of the fat hormone adiponectin—are 30 percent less likely to develop the cancer than those without the variant.
"The benefit from such discoveries, if they are confirmed in subsequent studies, is that they may add to our ability to identify individuals at higher risk of colorectal cancer and therefore target our screening,” Pasche says. Early detection, in turn, could lead to early prevention, though Pasche notes that further research is needed to determine the impact of changes in diet, exercise, and other lifestyle factors on patients with unhealthy adiponectin levels.
Pasche adds, “I think that’s the promise of genetic and personalized medicine.”