Director of the UH Cancer Center, 1999-2008

As Director of the UH Cancer Center, Dr. Vogel renewed its NCI designation twice. He was also responsible for actively expanding the UH Cancer Center’s area of service from Hawaiʻi to include the U.S.-associated Pacific territories (Marshall Islands, Federated States Micronesia, Palau, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa), at the core of which was the initiation of a long-term partnership with the University of Guam, supported by sequential U56 and U54 grants from the NCI, and continuing today. During Dr. Vogel’s tenure at UHCC, he generated over $52 million in extramural funds as principal investigator, almost exclusively from peer-reviewed sources. Dr. Vogel was also instrumental in convincing the Hawaiʻi legislature to raise the cigarette tax and to earmark 2 Cents per cigarette sold in Hawaiʻi to support the UH Cancer Center.

Research Focus

For over four decades Dr. Vogel has studied the human complement system with a particular emphasis on C3 and cobra venom factor (CVF), a structural and functional analog of the activated form of C3. Over the he and his colleagues have succeeded in generating a derivative of human C3 with CVF-like functions such as depleting complement, both in vitro and in vivo. The human C3 derivative, termed "humanized CVF" (hCVF, and more lately iC3), represents a novel experimental therapeutic agent for complement depletion, with possible clinical applications in many diseases where complement is involved in the pathogenesis of the disease process. Multiple pre-clinical studies have shown the efficacy of hCVF, with no adverse effects, including age-related macular degeneration (AMD), myasthenia gravis, myocardial infarction reperfusion injury, arthritis, paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) and others. Treatment with hCVF also reduces the generation of anti-Factor VIII antibodies in hemophilia. The IP from Dr. Vogel’s work led to the foundation of two biotech companies, Incode Inc. in 1986 and iC3 LLC in 2018. Recombinant CVF is sold as a research reagent for complement depletion by Hycult Corporation in Uden, The Netherlands.