Every October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month serves as a reminder of the progress made and the work still ahead in the fight against one of the world’s most common cancers. In Alaska, two University of Alaska Anchorage (UAA) researchers and WWAMI faculty members, Doctors Max Kullberg and Holly Martinson, are leading that fight through cutting-edge research aimed at training the body’s own immune system to eliminate breast cancer.
Together, the husband and wife team co-lead Alaska’s only cancer research laboratory, where they’re developing innovative cancer immunotherapies and mentoring the next generation of scientists and physicians. Their lab, located at UAA, is supported by organizations such as the Alaska Run for Women, which has funded their work for nearly two decades.
The goal of these innovative researchers is to create a cancer immunotherapy that can teach the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells. To help the body’s immune system fight back, Dr. Kullberg and his team have designed nanoparticles — microscopic delivery systems that send cancer-fighting signals straight to immune cells known as macrophages.
“As a cancer grows, the macrophages are turned off in the tumor or are even hijacked into creating a more tumor-friendly environment,” Dr. Kullberg said. “By delivering activating compounds and antigens from the tumor directly to the macrophages, we regenerate a tumor fighting macrophage that is capable of mounting an immune response and eliminating cancer.”
For both researchers, the work is deeply personal. Dr. Kullberg lost his grandfather to cancer. Several of Dr. Martinson’s family members have been affected by breast cancer.
“Its personal relevance and the challenge of developing a therapy that truly works drew me to cancer research, but twenty-five years later, I understand that challenge is far greater than I ever imagined,” Dr. Kullberg said. “A continuing source of inspiration comes from the stories we hear during the annual Alaska Run for Women – an organization that has generously supported our work since 2007. Each year, we run alongside participants and survivors whose strength and perseverance remind us why our research matters.”
While Dr. Martinson is currently in Lyon, France, contributing to a global research collaboration, the couple continues to mentor medical and undergraduate students in Alaska through the WWAMI program. Their mentorship has reached more than 40 students, many of whom have gone on to careers in medicine and research.
“Working with the students of UAA and the WWAMI program is probably the most satisfying part of our job,” said Dr. Kullberg. “The challenges of grant rejection and scientific setbacks are tempered by the enthusiasm and creativity of our students and watching them gain an understanding of the importance of science.”
As Breast Cancer Awareness Month highlights prevention and early detection, Dr. Kullberg emphasizes a critical reminder for all Alaskans:
“In the field of cancer, early detection is everything,” he said. “Our lab will continue working towards a cancer immunotherapy that is effective against breast cancer, but there will never be a substitute for surgical removal of a cancer that was caught before it had a chance to spread.”
From their Anchorage lab to international collaborations abroad, Dr. Kullberg and Dr. Martinson exemplify how Alaska’s medical research community is contributing to global progress against breast cancer while inspiring the next generation to continue that mission.
For more information, visit the Alaska Run for Women.
