This Nigerian doctor's research could be the key to fighting cancer

Chibawanye Ene, a Nigerian-born US-based doctor, has a research paper that could be the key to fighting cancer.

His work titled: "Anti-PD-L1 Immunotherapy Enhances Radiation-induced Abscopal Response in Glioblastoma", has been hailed for finding better treatment options for deadly brain tumours.

According to the Applied Radiation Oncology, a quarterly journal on cancer, his paper shows that "radiation combined with Anti PD L1 therapy induces an immunological response to unirradiated glioblastoma".

"The researchers are currently optimizing other treatment combinations that could also be readily assessed in phase I human clinical trials," the journal added.

Glioblastoma, also known as GBM, is the deadliest form of cancer that begins within the brain. The median survival for adults with standard treatment is between 11–15 months.

This explains why Dr Ene's paper on Immunotherapy (a type of cancer treatment) has made him the recipient of the 2019 Ronald L. Bittner Award.

This prestigious award is given out yearly to a resident doctor or junior faculty member in the US with the best abstract paper on brain tumour research.

Dr Ene received the award at the 2019 American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS) annual scientific meeting in San Diego, US.

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Other Nigerians doing big things abroad

Last week, a Nigerian teenager broke an American school's 125-year old record as when she became the first black valedictorian.

Tobechukwu "Tobi" Phillips graduated at the top of her class at the Alvin High School in Texas.

Tobechukwu "Tobi" Phillips sets a new record in an American High School in Texas (becauseofthemwecan) Pulse Nigeria

She passed with a 6.9 cumulative GPA on a 4.0 scale, which she earned by taking AP courses along with her electives.

Explaining how she achieved this feat, she said, "maintaining the highest GPA in my class is a difficult task. It truly takes time management but more importantly acknowledging what you do it for. I know that I am no longer just representing myself."

Phillips has a the Full-Ride Forty Acre Scholarship to attend the Nursing School at the University of Texas in Austin.