Office of Diversity and Inclusion

Abstract Purpose African American breast cancer patients remain significantly underrepresented in clinical trials, despite experiencing more aggressive disease and disproportionately worse outcomes. While awareness of clinical trials has increased, there is still a gap between awareness and participation, especially due to limited access to personalized support and actionable next steps. BreastCancerTrials.org and Sisters Network® Inc. partnered to assess attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and experiences related to clinical trials as part of a larger initiative to improve trial awareness and enrollment in African American women. Methods Sisters Network® Inc distributed a survey to over 100 African American breast cancer survivors affiliated with the organization to gather insights on their knowledge, experiences, and beliefs about clinical trials. As the largest national African American breast cancer survivorship organization with more than 30 chapters across the U.S., Sisters Network® Inc utilized its extensive network to reach a broad and diverse community of survivors. The survey asked about participants demographics, breast cancer details, and familiarity with clinical trials. It covered communication with healthcare providers, trial eligibility and experience, barriers to participation, challenges finding trial information, and interest in using clinical trial navigation for support. Results Preliminary findings show that more than 65% of respondents were familiar or somewhat familiar with clinical trials. When asked about participation, 44% said they would join a trial if their healthcare provider offered it as an option. Most participants lived in urban (51%) or suburban (46%) areas and were early-stage breast cancer survivors. Specifically, 14% were diagnosed at stage 0, 34% at stage 1, 46% at stages 2 or 3, and 3% had metastatic cancer. Regarding biomarker status, 34% reported being ER/PR positive, 21% had Triple Negative breast cancer, and 22% were unsure of their status. Thirty percent of respondents had discussed clinical trial participation with their healthcare team. Of those, 67% said the healthcare team initiated the conversation, while 16% reported bringing it up themselves. Key barriers to clinical trial participation included difficulty determining eligibility, challenges finding a trial, and limited understanding of how trials work. Despite these challenges, most respondents expressed interest in learning more. Over half indicated they would be interested in clinical trial navigation services, with 52% identified as having interest in receiving education and support from a clinical trial navigator. Conclusion This study further demonstrates the barriers that African American breast cancer patients experience, and the fact that they could benefit from culturally competent, personalized navigation. This survey was the first step in a broader effort to build trust and increase clinical trial knowledge, awareness, and participation among African American breast cancer patients through the development of customized, culturally responsive education programs and navigation support. BreastCancerTrials.org and Sisters Network® Inc. efforts to improve access and diversity in clinical trials will support broader initiatives within both organizations. Insights from this study will also help refine our enrollment strategies for the I-SPY clinical trials. Citation Format: S. Mayhew, S. Colen, L. Patel, S. Horton, K. E. Jackson, C. Allen, O. Akanni, J. LaCoursiere, T. Heather, E. Laura. Listening to the Community: Barriers and Beliefs About Clinical Trials Among Black Women with Breast Cancer [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium 2025; 2025 Dec 9-12; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2026;32(4 Suppl):Abstract nr PS4-09-01.

According to this rapid urbanization background, the widespread presence of microplastics in the environment, caused by plastic pollution and poor waste management, poses a huge threat to public health. This research aims to evaluate the colorectal health risk associated with microplastics and provides data for managing urban water and food security. We have evaluated the toxic impact of different sizes (80 nm and 500 nm) of polystyrene microplastics (PS-MPs) on human colorectal cells (NCM460). Analyses were conducted to assess changes in cell viability, cell cycle, and apoptotic response after exposure to PS-MPs of varying particle sizes and concentrations. Our results revealed that 80 nm and 500 nm PS-MPs significantly reduced cell viability, induced cell apoptosis, and prolonged the time that cells stay in the S-phase. These results demonstrated a size-and concentration-dependent toxic effect. Therefore, this investigation provides experimental evidence for evaluating the intestinal health risks of microplastics, and calls for the optimization of the water treatment process in the field of environmental engineering to achieve targeted removal of these high-risk microplastics.

Purpose The article explores two types of professional disability advocacy at work by employees with disabilities: (1) being an official disability representative and (2) being a disability inclusion specialist. Design/methodology/approach We conducted 17 semi-structured interviews and used thematic analysis to explore common and distinct themes of disability advocacy between representatives and inclusion specialists. Findings We find that both groups differed, especially regarding the form and impact of their advocacy. Representatives emphasized networking and internal advocacy. Inclusion specialists were more concerned with their role model function and their impact for person with disabilities outside their organizations. Originality/value The analysis of different roles of disability advocacy within organizations has only been partially explored. In particular, research on the role of disability representatives, i.e., employees legally mandated (and elected) to represent disability issues at work, is scarce. We have taken a step to illuminate this aspect.

Bruton's Tyrosine Kinase (BTK) is a validated target for haematological malignancies, with numerous FDA approved inhibitors on the market. Current therapies target the highly conserved ATP binding site and hence limit the therapeutic index given the site′s highly conserved nature across the kinome. We explore a novel approach for BTK inhibition, by targeting the PH domain-mediated membrane recruitment and activation of BTK. We have identified a fragment which covalently labels a lysine in the inositol phosphate (PIP3) binding site. Fragment growth and an extensive structure-binding relationship study uncovered 27 crystal structures and a best-in-class analog, 24 . Evaluation of pKa values of the targeted lysine in BTK and other PH domains suggests this as a more general approach to PH domain inhibition.

This study aimed to examine empathy profiles and empathy dysfunction among Muslim adolescents involved in brawl and klithih behavior in Yogyakarta City high schools and to identify factors underlying their involvement. The research used a descriptive design combining quantitative and qualitative data. Participants were seven Muslim students from private high schools selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected using an empathy scale and in-depth interviews. Quantitative data were analyzed descriptively using measures of central tendency and dispersion, whereas qualitative data were examined using Miles and Huberman’s model of data reduction, display, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that involvement in brawls and klithih is closely associated with empathy dysfunction, which is exacerbated by low emotional regulation and unsupportive family backgrounds. These results inform guidance and counseling services and can guide strategies to develop adaptive empathy among students at risk of violent behavior. The study enriches empirical understanding of adolescent empathy and school violence. This study has limitations in geographical scope, being restricted to Yogyakarta City schools, so the findings may not generalize to adolescents in regions with different sociocultural contexts. The study also focused mainly on individual factors, while external influences such as social environments, educational systems, and institutional roles were not systematically explored. Future research should broaden the participant context across diverse regions and deepen the analysis of structural dimensions that contribute to empathy dysfunction and youth violence. Future studies should also use participatory approaches involving students, teachers, and school communities to build a more holistic and applicable understanding.

Over the past decades, migration scholars have primarily focused on how migrants and their children integrate into society. The integration of people without migration background has rarely been the subject of scrutiny. In line with scholars who critique this one-sided focus, this thesis shifts its attention to the role of people without migration background, while moving away from the traditional, normative concept of integration. Instead, it explores how people without migration background perceive, experience, and engage with difference in their everyday lives, in a setting in which they are no longer a numerical ethnic majority. Focusing on the neighbourhood and primary school context, this thesis pays particular attention to people without migration background who not only express an appreciation for difference, but who also put this into practice by choosing a majority-minority school for their child(ren). Drawing on qualitative methods and interview data, this thesis shows what happens from the moment they enter this local majority-minority setting. The subsequent chapters demonstrate how both societal norms and discourses and everyday life experiences shape the way people engage with difference. The thesis introduces the concept of ‘micro labour’ to argue that engaging with and across difference for people without migration background does not happen automatically and often requires uncomfortable work. While such work can be observed in the majority-minority school setting, middle-class parents also reveal the limits of their labour, especially when it concerns perceived difference regarding progressive norms important to them. Everyday life experiences and encounters in this majority-minority context can enable middle-class parents without migration background to gradually learn to adapt to difference, sometimes even in less hierarchical ways. Yet, this thesis argues that their labour of adapting to difference as well as learning from difference appears situational. It depends on what is considered to be at stake and on the compromises it requires.

Abstract Conjugation of proteins with gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is crucial in developing nanoparticle-based drugs, which are used in making targeted delivery systems for therapeutic and diagnostic use. This conjugation is often mediated by covalent gold–thiol (Au-S) bonds involving cysteine residues. However, the influence of other interactions, like electrostatics, on protein-GNP interactions remains poorly understood. While the independent roles of cysteine (thiol interactions) and lysine (electrostatics) are studied, how these two distinct mechanisms couple and mutually influence one another remains unknown. It is particularly unclear how the position and the electrostatics around cysteine residues within the protein structure modulate their interaction with GNPs. Hence, to isolate the electrostatic contribution from Au-S interaction, we systematically investigated the role of positively charged lysine in protein interaction with citrate-capped GNPs using protein L, a cysteine-free antibody-binding protein. Protein L has seven lysine residues, positively charged at pH 7.4. Each lysine was individually mutated to cysteine to create single-cysteine variants. The capping strength of these mutants on citrate-capped GNPs was assessed using various biophysical techniques. Surprisingly, not all cysteine mutants formed stable covalent conjugates. The K7C mutant, in particular, showed strong and irreversible GNP capping, not solely due to the introduced cysteine, but also because of nearby positively charged residues that promoted electrostatic attraction to the negatively charged citrate-capped GNP surface. This critical role of electrostatics was further confirmed using lysine acrylation, which effectively capped lysines and prevented their interaction. Our experimental plan was thus able to successfully decouple the contributions of Au-S bonding from lysine-driven electrostatics. These sequential and cooperative studies underscore that electrostatic and covalent factors are not independent but part of an interconnected process, thereby underscoring the need to consider local charge environments in protein engineering for nanoparticle conjugation.

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