Program Leader, Carcinogenesis and Chemoprevention Research Program
Professor and Wallin Chair in Cancer Prevention, Masonic Cancer Center
American Cancer Society Research Professor
Professor, Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology

hecht002@umn.edu
612-624-7604 — office

Research Interests

The goal of research in the Hecht laboratory is to understand the mechanisms by which carcinogens are metabolically activated and detoxified in humans, and use this knowledge to develop practical strategies for cancer prevention. This group studies the metabolism of carcinogens that are present in tobacco products, the human diet, and the general environment; particular focus is on nitrosamines, aldehydes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Studies in laboratory animals are used to understand metabolic pathways. Then methods are developed to quantify metabolism of these carcinogens in humans, typically by employing GC-MS, LC-MS, or related methods to analyze carcinogen metabolites in urine, or carcinogen DNA or protein adducts in tissue or blood. These methods are applied in molecular epidemiology studies designed to determine factors that influence susceptibility to cancer development in exposed humans. Naturally occurring compounds that can prevent the metabolic activation of carcinogens or enhance their detoxification are also investigated. Mechanisms by which these chemopreventive agents act are determined in laboratory animals, then investigated in humans to investigate potential efficacy in cancer prevention.

For a more detailed description of Dr. Hecht's research interests, please visit his College of Pharmacology Web site.

Selected Publications

Hecht, S.S. Tobacco carcinogens, their biomarkers and tobacco-induced cancer. Nature Rev. Cancer, 3: 733-744, 2003.

Hecht, S.S. Progress and challenges in selected areas of tobacco carcinogenesis. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 21: 160-171, 2008.

Boffetta, P., Hecht, S., Gray, N., Gupta, P., and Straif, K. Smokeless tobacco and cancer. Lancet Oncol., 9: 667-675, 2008.

Upadhyaya, P. and Hecht, S.S. Identification of adducts formed in the reactions of 5 -acetoxy-N -nitrosonornicotine with deoxyadenosine, thymidine, and DNA. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 21: 2164-2171, 2008.

Kassie, F., Matise, I., Negia, M., Lahti, D., Pan, Y., Scherber, R., Upadhyaya, P., and Hecht, S.S. Combinations of N-acetyl-S-(N-2-phenethylthiocarbamoyl)-L-cysteine and myo-inositol inhibit tobacco smoke carcinogen-induced lung adenocarcinoma in mice. Cancer Prev. Res., 1: 285-297, 2008.

Yuan, J.-M., Koh, W.-P., Murphy, S.E., Fan, Y., Wang, R., Carmella, S.G., Han, S., Wickham, K.M., Gao, Y.-T., Yu, M.C., and Hecht, S.S. Urinary levels of tobacco-specific nitrosamine metabolites in relation to lung cancer development in two prospective cohorts of cigarette smokers. Cancer Res., 69: 2990-2995, 2009.

Church, T.R., Anderson, K.E., Caporaso, N.E., Geisser, M.S., Le, C., Zhang, Y., Benoit, A.R., Carmella, S.G., and Hecht, S.S. Relation of total NNAL, a serum biomarker of exposure to a tobacco-specific carcinogen, to lung cancer in smokers. Cancer Epidemiol, Biomarkers, & Prev 18: 260-266, 2009.

Carmella, S.G., Chen, M., Han, S., Briggs, A., Jensen, J., Hatsukami, D.K., and Hecht, S.S. Effects of smoking cessation on eight urinary tobacco carcinogen and toxicant biomarkers. Chem. Res. Toxicol., 22: 734-741, 2009.

Hecht, S.S., Kassie, F., and Hatsukami, D.K. Chemoprevention of lung carcinogenesis in addicted smokers and ex-smokers. Nature Rev. Cancer, in press, 2009.