Mayumi Nakagawa, MD, PhD

Research Program: Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences Faculty Rank: Professor Campus: University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College: College of Medicine Department: Pathology Clinical

Cancer Research Interest

• Disease Site Focus: Gynecology, Head and Neck
• Research Focus Area: Prevention
• Type of Research: Clinical
• Research Interest Statement: The main focus of our research is to develop a human papillomavirus (HPV) therapeutic vaccine for preventing and treating HPV-associated cancers. It is called PepCan, and it consists of four synthetic peptides covering the entire length of the HPV type 16 (the HPV type most commonly associated with cancer) E6 protein and Candida skin testing reagent as a novel vaccine adjuvant. The idea of using Candida came about due to its effectiveness in inducing regression of warts (another condition caused by HPV) through activation of T-cells mediated by interleukin-12. Our pre-clinical studies demonstrated that women who are naturally infected with HPV had better prognosis when they developed immune response to E6. There are two specific indications being tested in clinical trials at UAMS: (1) to treat cervical pre-cancerous lesions to induce their regression and (2) to prevent recurrence in head and neck cancer patients who have no evidence of disease after undergoing surgical resection, radiation therapy, and/or chemotherapy. The first indication is in Phase II clinical trial which has been open for enrollment for four years, and the other is in Phase I/II clinical trial which just opened. The goals are to demonstrate safety and efficacy, to understand immune mechanisms, and to examine the role of cervical, gut, and oral microbiome in vaccine response.We also have projects to determine how to effectively promote cancer prevention measures such as HPV prophylactic vaccination, Pap test, mammography, and colorectal cancer screening through various venues, including the internet.

Contact Information

• Email Address: MNAKAGAWA@UAMS.EDU
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Active Grants

• NIH/Nat. Cancer Institute – 2R01CA143130
  “Understanding and Enhancing T-Cell Responses to High Risk Human Papillomaviruses-Renewal”
  Principal Investigator
  7/1/2021 – 6/30/2026

Recent Publications

• Dai L, Wilson LG, Nakagawa M, Qin Z. Coinfections with additional oncoviruses in HPV+ individuals: Status, function and potential clinical implications. Journal of medical virology. 2024 96(1):e29363. PMID: 38178584. PMCID: PMC10783544.
• Shah SK, Su J, Jones-Carr M, [et al., including Nakagawa M]. An Online Survey and Focus Groups for Promoting Cancer Prevention Measures. Journal of cancer education : the official journal of the American Association for Cancer Education. 2021. PMID: 34046818. PMCID: PMC8626524.
• Shibata T, Nakagawa M, Coleman HN, [et al.]. Evaluation of DNA extraction protocols from liquid-based cytology specimens for studying cervical microbiota. PloS one. 2021 16(8):e0237556. PMID: 34460815. PMCID: PMC8404996.
• Shibata T, Shah S, Evans T, [et al., including Nakagawa M]. Expansion of Human Papillomavirus-Specific T Cells in Periphery and Cervix in a Therapeutic Vaccine Recipient Whose Cervical High-Grade Squamous Intraepithelial Lesion Regressed. Frontiers in immunology. 2021 12:645299. PMID: 34659195. PMCID: PMC8515132.
• Shah SK, Demmings BE, Bimali M, [et al., including Nakagawa M]. Assessing the Feasibility of an Online Module for Promoting Cancer Prevention Measures. Cancer control : journal of the Moffitt Cancer Center. 2021 28:10732748211037908. PMID: 34794322. PMCID: PMC8619784.
• Shah SK, Nakagawa M, Lieblong BJ. Examining aspects of successful community-based programs promoting cancer screening uptake to reduce cancer health disparity: A systematic review. Preventive medicine. 2020 141:106242. PMID: 32882299. PMCID: PMC7704699.