Quick Facts

  • Name: Jaime Matta
  • Comes from: Ponce
  • Lives in: Coffee farm in Ponce
  • Leisure time activities: Reading, farming, yoga
  • Likes: the ocean, dogs, yoga
  • Unsuspected talent: music (guitar)
  • Currently reading: Limitless (Jim Kwik), Principles (Ray Dalio), The life-changing magic of tidying up (Marie Kondo)

 In a nutshell

  • My research matters because it has created new knowledge in several fields and has helped to train many young scientists and physicians.
  • One of the inspirations for my research has been the pioneering work of scientists and physicians that stepped outside the box and looked at things in a completely new radical way. To name a few: Dr. Otto Warburg, Dr. Robert Becker. The late Dr. Lawrence Grossman (Johns Hopkins University) introduced me to the field of DNA repair and was my mentor until his passing.
  • The best thing about my job is contributing to the education of many talented students, the constant learning of new concepts and ideas and being of service to others.
  • My career highlight so far has been the discovery that a low DNA repair capacity (DRC) is an important risk for breast cancer (2004) and subsequent patent (2012) for a method to link DRC levels with risk is perhaps the most significant contribution.
  • My advice to aspiring researchers is to always strive for excellence, to try to step “out of the box” in order to be creative and innovative, and to be of daily service to others in need.

Jaime L. Matta, Ph.D.
Professor
Department of Basic Sciences – Divisions of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Cancer Biology
Ponce Health Sciences University

Interview:

My deep connection with nature since childhood combined with curiosity and need for constant learning.

We are working on various aspects related to the role of DNA repair and cancer. With support from the PRSTT we have developed a new method to measure DNA repair capacity in lymphocytes which is now being applied to clinical samples of prostate and colorectal cancer patients. We continue to study the epigenetic regulation of DNA repair by two mechanisms: DNA methylation and microRNAs. Currently we are studying the role of microRNAs encapsulated in exosomes (exo-miRNAs) in regulating DRC levels in three important clinical endpoints directly connected with breast cancer.

The field of DNA repair has exploded since 2015 when the Nobel Prize was awarded to three scientists in this field. The application of DNA repair to clinical aspects of cancer is exciting. This includes prognosis of cancer and stratifying patients as to which groups are more likely to benefit from specific therapies based on their DNA repair phenotypes. The field of epigenetics is also another area in which we are learning how DNA repair genes are regulated epigenetically. Tumor cells hijack certain cellular processes including DNA methylation and use them for their benefit and survival. This includes the inactivation of genes that are detrimental to them through methylation or the activation of genes (demethylation) that are beneficial.  In addition, we are learning how the cargo of exosomes including miRNAs (exo-miRNAs) regulate communication within the cell and function as another epigenetic regulatory mechanism.

  1. Serving  communities, cancer patients and their families to improve their lives.
  2. Constant learning of new things and contributing to the creation of new knowledge through new studies and publications.
  3. Training of the next generation of scientists and physicians.
  4. Working as a member of a team science groups in the island with collaborators from Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
  5. Being part of a large scientific network of people in the island and in other countries.

My research has contributed to the applicability of DNA repair to several clinical and non-clinical aspects of DNA repair to skin, breast and prostate cancers. The discovery that a low DNA repair capacity (DRC) is an important risk for breast cancer (2004) and subsequent patent (2012) for a method to link DRC levels with risk is perhaps the most significant contribution.

I have many interests but unfortunately not enough time for them. These include connecting with people, farming, exercising, practicing yoga and doing some community service.