By MARY CHVATAL
UNK Communications
KEARNEY – Prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths in American men. Roughly 1 in 8 men will be diagnosed with the disease during their lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society, which estimates more than 330,000 new cases in 2026 alone.
The disease, known to spread to bones and lymph nodes, is a research focus for University of Nebraska at Kearney assistant professor Catherine Johnson, who specializes in molecular biology.
Johnson completed her doctorate in biomedical science at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, where she was part of the cancer research program. She studies the interactions between bone cells and tumor cells, specifically, how some proteins produced by bone cells promote the growth of bone-metastatic prostate cancer.
Her current research is supported by a grant from Nebraska INBRE, a statewide initiative funded by the National Institutes of Health and administered by UNMC. Since its inception in 2001, the program has awarded more than $7 million in funding to UNK to support faculty research, enhance undergraduate education and strengthen the pipeline to graduate programs in the biomedical sciences.
“This funding is essential to allow us to teach students in ways beyond a lecture setting,” Johnson said. “It’s incredibly meaningful to conduct biomedical research that students can do with their own hands. I’m designing projects to be suitable for undergraduates to learn techniques that will translate to their futures.”
Launched last year, the research project includes three undergraduate students who work alongside Johnson, learning lab techniques and other skills under her guidance.
Eri Watanabe, a junior from Obu, Japan, is in her second semester with the research team.
“I’m very interested in cancer research, but the main reason I chose this specifically was because of Dr. Johnson,” she said. “I’m gaining hands-on experience doing research that could turn into a career path.”
The student researchers are currently examining the response of bone cells to cancer therapy.
“I’ve gotten to see what happens when an experiment goes as planned, and one when we received a result we didn’t expect,” Watanabe said. “The brainstorming and research that comes into play are very enjoyable.”
Next, they plan to test how the response of the bone cells to cancer drugs alters interactions with prostate tumor cells and possibly helps the tumor cells survive drug treatment.
Johnson also hopes to expand her current work. She’s already looking for ways to grow the project so it can serve as a valuable training tool for more students.
“Everyone knows someone with cancer,” Johnson said. “I did my Ph.D. research on prostate cancer, and I’d love to use it as a steppingstone into future research on a pediatric cancer such as osteosarcoma.”
