by Dawn Brazell
Public Relations

Most oncologists would love to say they found a way to combat metastatic cancer – the most aggressive stage of cancer.

Russ Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D., just might get to do it.

The co-recipient of this year's College of Graduate Studies Distinguished Graduate of the Year was drawn to MUSC's Medical Scientist Training Program (MSTP), in part, because of the stellar reputation of Yusuf Hannun, M.D., former chair of MUSC's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Drs. Khaled Moussawi and Russ Jenkins, co-recipients of the College of Graduate Studies Distinguished Graduate of the Year Award.

Jenkins graduated from the University of Virginia with a bachelor's in biology and decided to do a post-baccalaureate research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 2003. While there he heard a talk by a former post-doctoral fellow of Hannun's about sphingolipids and inflammation.

"It was an area I had absolutely no knowledge of – none whatsoever, but it was very fascinating to me. I figured it was filling the gaps of a lot of unknowns in a lot of different areas, and I went to talk to him afterwards about Dr. Hannun, MUSC and the MSTP."

That conversation was the beginning, and after further research, Russ applied to and interviewed at MUSC. He was intrigued by the research that Hannun and his colleagues were doing and was impressed with Perry Halushka, Ph.D. M.D. dean of the College of Graduate Studies and MSTP director, and the stellar program that he had built over the years.

"To get the NIH MSTP designation is a big deal in and of itself. Only the best programs get that designation. I quickly learned about MUSC's tradition of excellence, both clinically and scientifically. Because of this strong background and track record of turning out really stellar M.D./Ph.D.s, I knew that MUSC was the right place for me."

He remembers arriving for his interview in November. "I got on the plane in Washington where it was 40 degrees and raining and I got off the plane in Charleston, where it was 75 degrees and sunny. It was love at first sight, and things went better and better from there on."

During his M.D./Ph.D training, Russ studied sphingolipids and how they specifically relate to inflammation in cancer. Sphingolipids are bioactive molecules in the cell that function as signal transducers – serving in the cascade that provides information about what's happening outside the cell in biochemical form. His project centered on a particular enzyme, acid sphingomyelinase (aSMase), and how that enzyme – in response to an inflammatory stimulus – signals the cell to release other potent inflammatory molecules, known as chemokines. Chemokines attract other inflammatory cells to sites of inflammation, thus adding fuel to the fire, and over time can make cancer more aggressive and ultimately drive metastases.

"Chronic inflammation is capable of driving many forms of cancer, and it is our hope that inhibitors of aSMase will interrupt the cycle of inflammation that is present in these forms of cancer. If we are successful, aSMase inhibitors may someday serve as novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer and other inflammatory conditions."

When discussing his research, Jenkins becomes animated. His interest in medicine started when he was younger. With a father as a judge and a mother as a nurse, pursuing a career in law or medicine seemed logical. With a string of outstanding high school science teachers, Russ decided to further explore his interest in medical science. During his undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia, everything locked in place, he said. He worked for an M.D./Ph.D. faculty member who specialized in Parkinson's disease, and was able to conduct research and also shadow his physician-scientist mentor in clinic once a week.

"It seemed like a dream come true. I couldn't find a better calling or a better job. I knew it was the right thing for me."

Jenkins, 32, said it has been a long haul getting through the eight-year program. His wife, Courtney, has been incredibly patient, kind and understanding. Receiving his top choice of residencies, Jenkins will be heading to Boston for internal medicine at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a Harvard affiliate hospital, in late June, with hopes to stay in Boston for his Hematology-Oncology fellowship training. Khaled Moussawi, M.D., Ph.D., the other co-recipient of the Distinguished Graduate of the Year, also will be going there. They are thrilled to be together a little longer. The medical scientist training opens many possible pathways for both of them, he said.

"One of the amazing things about having dual degree training is that we can create the kind of careers we want that include clinical and research work. I enjoy getting to care for patients but also getting to advance the care for those patients."

One day Jenkins hopes that someone with metastatic cancer won't feel they've necessarily been given a death sentence.

"My goal is to successfully treat or prevent metastatic cancer, something that currently lacks a successful treatment option, where the survival rate is less than 10 percent or 5 percent – to give those people some hope. That's where I'd like to direct my efforts. If you can increase someone's survival six months, that's six months longer they have with their family. But, that's just the beginning. I'm hoping that my research will set the stage to turn six months into years or longer."