{"id":1671,"date":"2024-07-11T11:00:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-11T18:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/?p=1671"},"modified":"2024-09-03T16:02:08","modified_gmt":"2024-09-03T23:02:08","slug":"the-detectives-apprentice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/the-detectives-apprentice\/","title":{"rendered":"Cancer survivor and aspiring physician-scientist pioneers lung cancer liquid biopsy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Cancer survivor and aspiring physician-scientist pioneers lung cancer liquid biopsy<\/h1>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n
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\n\n \n USC Dornsife junior Anya Shah, who was diagnosed with leukemia at age 8, has worked at the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer (CSI-Cancer), based at the USC Michelson Center for Convergent Bioscience, since her freshman year.\n\n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n By<\/span>Rachel B. Levin<\/a><\/strong>\n \n July 11, 2024<\/span>\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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At the laboratory of USC Dornsife cancer researcher Peter Kuhn<\/a>, University Professor and Dean\u2019s Professor of Biological Sciences<\/a>, junior Anya Shah analyzes fluorescent images of blood samples collected from individuals undergoing a diagnostic workup for lung cancer. Her work identifying a variety of tumor cells circulating in the blood is aimed at increasing the accuracy of those diagnoses, thereby improving patient care.<\/p>\n

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What motivated you to join the lab?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Being a childhood leukemia survivor led me to my life\u2019s purpose, which is to become a physician-scientist, treat patients and research cancer interventions. Joining Peter Kuhn<\/a>\u2019s lab to understand and explore the use of precision medicine in advancing oncology felt like a perfect fit.<\/p>\n

What do you enjoy most about the research?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Knowing that there\u2019s so much potential to detect cancer sooner is very exciting. The goal of directly impacting patient outcomes through this research has been incredibly meaningful given my background.<\/p>\n

What is the most important thing you\u2019ve learned?<\/strong><\/p>\n

One thing that this environment has emphasized to me is the significance of collaboration and convergence, both of which are pivotal in advancing our understanding and treatment of cancer.<\/p>\n

What is unique about working in the lab?<\/strong><\/p>\n

The people around me are pretty incredible. I\u2019ve learned so much just in peer-to-peer conversations and through the direct transfer of knowledge from experts in the field.<\/p>\n

Has working in the lab impacted your future goals?<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been life-changing to see how exhilarating and cutting-edge medicine can be. It\u2019s really reinforced that I\u2019m on the right path.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n \n \n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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\n Cancer Detective\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Revolutionary new diagnostic tools being developed by physicist Peter Kuhn may help make cancer a disease of the past.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n

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\n USC Dornsife Magazine\n <\/h2>\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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Spring\/Summer 2024<\/h2>\n

Health and Well‑Being<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<\/div>\n \n \n
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\n\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n \n \n \n\n<\/div>\n <\/div>\n \n<\/div>\n\n\n <\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nCancer survivor and aspiring physician-scientist pioneers lung cancer liquid biopsy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Anya Shah, diagnosed with leukemia at 8, has worked at the Convergent Science Institute in Cancer (CSI-Cancer) since her freshman year.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dornsife.usc.edu\/magazine\/the-detectives-apprentice\/\" \/>\n<meta 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