Nigerian Professor, named Washington University Physician-scientist scholar

On Friday, The Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, United States, named Prof. Adetunji Toriola, the university’s physician-scientist scholar.

Toriola, an Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile Ife alumnus, was reportedly the second physician-researcher named as part of the School of Medicine’s new Physicians-scientist Investigators Initiative, which supports pioneering physician-scientists whose work already has transformed their fields.

According to a press statement obtained by The PUNCH on the University website on Saturday, October 15, 2022, it read, “Toriola is a molecular cancer epidemiologist who joined the faculty in 2012. In addition to his physician training, he also received further training in public health with an emphasis on cancer epidemiology and prevention.

“Adetunji T. Toriola, MD, PhD, a professor of surgery in the Division of Public Health Sciences at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has been named a William H. Danforth Washington University Physician Scholar.

“As a public health scientist, Toriola is investigating ways to reduce the risk of premenopausal breast cancer and also colorectal cancer.

“He is a principal investigator on two grants from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) – one funds research to understand the molecular basis of breast density and the mechanisms by which dense breasts increase the risk of breast cancer; the other, a MERIT Award, supports a phase 2 clinical trial evaluating whether targeting a signalling pathway can reduce breast density and levels of biomarkers known to increase breast cancer risk,” the statement added.

Additionally, Toriola is a collaborator on a major multicenter study, also funded by NIH, that aims to enrol 5,000 patients, from diverse backgrounds, who are newly diagnosed with colorectal cancer to understand how lifestyle and other factors affect outcomes of the disease.

Speaking on the appointment, the university’s Executive Vice Chancellor for Medical Affairs, Prof. David Perlmutter, said, “Toriola’s appointment builds upon the School of Medicine’s legacy as home to some of the world’s most influential physician-scientists and our commitment to continuing in that purpose.

“He is bringing a public health science approach to the identification of key targets for the prevention of breast cancer, one of the holy grails of the personalised medicine paradigm. I’m delighted that the Bill Danforth WashU Physician-Scientist Investigator Initiative will help support his exciting work,” he added.

The statement further read, “For his research, Toriola has tapped into his multidisciplinary medical training. In addition to a medical degree earned at Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria, his education included an advanced medical degree in anesthesiology from the West African College of Surgeons, headquartered in Lagos, Nigeria; a master’s degree in public health from the University of Eastern Finland, in Kuopio, Finland; a PhD in epidemiology from the University of Tampere, in Tampere, Finland; and a postdoctoral fellowship in cancer epidemiology and prevention from the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg, Germany.

“Toriola has developed a research program characterising the biological determinants of mammographic breast density and breast cancer. His research focuses on applying various omics approaches — metabolomics, transcriptomics, genomics, proteomics — to identify novel targetable markers and pathways that are associated with mammographic breast density and breast cancer development, especially in premenopausal women.

“His lab provided evidence that Receptor Activator of Nuclear Factor-κB Ligand (RANKL) signalling is positively associated with mammographic breast density.

Describing those worthy of the appointment, the statement said, “the new physician-scientist initiative focuses on MD and MD/PhD researchers at the associate or full professor rank with an established track record of exceptional research contributions and funding. The School of Medicine has committed $40 million over the next decade to be used as part of highly competitive packages to support faculty. With seed funding from this commitment, the school’s clinical departments are aiming to attract and retain the most talented physician-scientists in the U.S. and abroad.

It added, “William H. Danforth, MD, who served as chancellor of Washington University from 1971 to 1995, was the inspiration for the initiative. Danforth was a cardiologist who joined the School of Medicine faculty in 1957 after training in medicine and paediatrics at what is now Barnes-Jewish Hospital, followed by St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He rose through the ranks at the School of Medicine before taking on administrative duties as vice chancellor for medical affairs. Along the way, he conducted basic research in the laboratory of Nobel laureates Carl and Gerty Cori. During his chancellorship, Washington University significantly expanded resources for scholarship and scientific discovery and completed its transition from a local college to a national research university.”

Also reacting on his appointment, another professor who serves as the director at the university cancer centre, Timothy Eberlein, maintained that Toriola has established a platform to rapidly translate preclinical and clinical research findings into chemoprevention clinical trials in high-risk premenopausal women with dense breasts.

“In the phase 2 clinical trial he is leading, Toriola and his colleagues are investigating whether the antibody denosumab, which targets RANKL signalling, can reduce breast density in premenopausal women with dense breasts who are at high risk of breast cancer.

“If the treatment reduces breast density, it could open up additional approaches to breast cancer prevention in women who do not have a strong genetic predisposition.

“Premenopausal women account for 25 per cent of new breast cancer cases diagnosed in the US.”

Another colleague of his (Toriola) in the School of Medicine who serves as the director of the Division of Physician-Scientists, stressed, “Toriola is part of a bustling community of physician-scientists who are excelling and poised to advance their fields in innovative and profound ways. “It is an exciting time to be a physician-scientist on the Washington University Medical Campus.”

Meanwhile, in his own reaction, Toriola expressed his deep affection for the appointment, saying, “It is a great honour to be named a William H. Danforth Physician Scholar and continue leading transformative breast cancer prevention research at the School of Medicine with its collaborative, creative and impressive community of physician-scientists.”

(Punch)