Case Summary:

“[Client’s] work on breast cancer therapy stands out in particular because of the high prevalence of the disease among women in the United States. About 1 in 8 women in the United States will develop invasive breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. Considering the high national death toll of breast cancer and the moral imperative we have as a nation to discover more effective treatments, it is clear that [client’s] work possesses enormous value to the United States.”

“The National Cancer Institute estimates about 14,000 cases of glioblastoma are diagnosed each year in the United States. In order to develop a cure for this devastating illness, additional research into new therapeutic targets for drug development is necessary. To this end, I am writing today to recommend the work of [the client], an oncology researcher whose work to identify novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of glioblastoma has greatly advanced our knowledge of this disease and enabled necessary research to develop more effective care.”

These are two passages taken from letters of support furnished by our client, a postdoctoral fellow in the field of oncology from Ghana. As an expert in the field of oncology, her proposed endeavor is to continue her research on investigating the genetic mechanisms behind tumor growth and development in order to design novel therapeutics for solid and hematological malignancies. When she approached us in September of 2020, she wanted us to help her file an NIW (National Interest Waiver) petition on her behalf. So we engaged our team to find out more about her work and we quickly discovered that her research advancing her proposed endeavor is of great importance because her findings improve the efficacy of novel cancer treatment techniques and compounds such as proteolysis targeting chimera (PROTAC) compounds. The development of innovative protocols and treatment methodologies is essential for supporting global public health, as cancer is a severe health detriment.

We were able to confirm that the dire international need for advanced cancer therapeutics and treatment methodologies is being fulfilled in part by her novel research, in addition to which her proposed endeavor has broad implications for the United States. Specifically, her findings are relevant for the treatment of breast cancer and glioblastomas in the United States. Breast cancer is particularly common in the United States, as this is calculated to affect about 12% of U.S. women during their lifetime.

In recognition of the value and importance of her work, it has been granted funding by the National Cancer Institute. This institution is dedicated to developing innovative cancer treatment protocols, and its funding is incredibly competitive. On the other hand, her research has resulted in 10 peer-reviewed journal articles (two of them first-authored). Moreover, these papers have been published in the top journals in her field, reflecting her peers’ recognition of the value of this research. Six of these papers rank among the top 10% of most-cited articles across the entire field of clinical medicine for their respective years of publication. Not only has she successfully completed and published the results of her research in the field, but her research has also gone on to influence her peers. That is, her publications have been cited a total of 196 times according to Google Scholar.

All of this information put together made for a very compelling case that the USCIS had to approve. We are delighted and thankful to her for choosing us to represent her in this case. We look forward to seeing her progress in her field of expertise.