Irvine : UCI Cancer Researcher Wins $670,000 Contract

A UC Irvine cancer-research expert has been awarded a $670,000 contract from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences to study a possibly cheaper way to identify cancer-causing substances in the environment.

Dr. Hung Fan, director of UCI’s Cancer Research Institute, will incorporate his previous research--studies dealing with viruses that carry cancer-causing genes--into the project.

UCI officials said that Fan believes his previous research can be used to find a faster test for suspected carcinogens.

The testing of a suspected cancer-causing chemical compound can take up to five years and cost more than $1 million, UCI officials said.