Winter 2005 Newsletter: Young Investigator Awards.

Each year, the Cancer Research Foundation accepts grant applications from young men and women engaged in first-project laboratory and/or clinical cancer research. These proposals come to the Foundation already reviewed and ranked by a faculty awards committee, using the National Institutes of Health peer review process. Only the innovative and bold proposals with practicable research plans are considered for funding.

After receipt by the Foundation, our medical consultants, Dr. Joseph B. Kirsner and Dr. Richard L. Schilsky, interpret the complex science to the trustees. Cancer Research Foundation trustees make all funding decisions.

Last October, six young scientists from the University of Chicago Medical Center were awarded young investigator grants:

Hania Al-Hallaq, Ph.D.
Jianjun Chen, Ph.D.
Steven Chmura, M.D., Ph.D.
Frederico Innocenti, M.D., Ph.D.
Deborah Lang, Ph.D.
Kenji Suzuki, Ph.D.

These awards are for one year, 2006. At the end of the year, if the hypotheses have proven worthy of further study, this early research will be used as basis for application for major outside funding.

Hania Al-Hallaq, Ph.D.
Instructor
Department of Radiation & Cellular Oncology
$49,994. Grant Award

Correlating Cu-ATSM Positron Emission Tomography Images of Tumor Hypoxia with Oxygen: Tension Images Measured by Electron Paramagnetic Resonance

Dr. Al-Hallaq plans to quantify the clinical usefulness of a promising positron emission tomography (PET) imaging hypoxia-marker for determining the oxygenation status of tumors. Such noninvasive measurements of tumor oxygenation could allow us to predict which tumors will respond to radiation prior to cancer treatment. Her long-term goal is to use this type of functional information to tailor treatments for individual tumors, thereby maximizing the response rate to radiotherapy.

Jianjun Chen, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Department of Medicine
$50,000. Grant Award

Validation and Functional Study of the Candidate Genes that are Abnormally Expressed in both Human and Mouse Myeloid Leukemia Progenitor Cells with either MLL-ELL or MLL-ENL Fusions

The goal of this project is to study the patterns and functions of the genes that appear to be abnormally expressed in both human and mouse myeloid leukemia stem cells with genetic changes due to translocations involving human chromosome 11 (MLL gene) and two different regions of human chromosome 19 (ELL or ENL gene). This study will provide important information to understand the complex pathways related to the development of acute leukemia. More importantly, some genes could also provide potential targets for clinical application in diagnosis and treatment.

Steven Chmura, M.D., Ph.D.
Instructor
Department of Radiation & Cellular Oncology
$50,000. Grant Award

Biological Impact of Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy on DNA Damage and Tumor Cell Killing in Human Breast Cancer

Technologic improvements in the delivery of radiation therapy for breast cancer have lead to reduction in the potential complications of this necessary and life-saving treatment. To date, few have examined the complex interplay of this technologic change in delivery of radiation with the biology of tumor cell killing. This proposal aims to answer the question whether intermittent modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) induces DNA damage and kills breast cancer cells as effectively as conventional radiation treatment. These data will enable the development of parameters for improved IMRT treatment planning and delivery by better understanding the complex interplay between hardware, software, and cancer biology.

Deborah Lang, Ph.D.
Instructor
Department of Medicine
$50,000. Grant Award

Melanoma, Benign Melanocytic Lesions and Pax 3

Dr. Lang will focus on Pax3, a gene that is essential for pigment cell (melanocyte) development in the embryo and melanocyte stem cells in the adult. While normal stem cells are important in maintaining adult tissues, these same cells can become corrupted and form tumors (melanoma). Pax3 may play a role in both stem cell and tumor survival, and her study will examine how the normal function of Pax3 is subverted during tumor development and growth.

Federico Innocenti, M.D., Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Department of Medicine
$50,000. Grant Award

Characterization of the Genetic Variation of the Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor-2 Gene

This project aims to improve the efficacy of anti-angiogenesis drugs, ultimately resulting in improved chances of cure of cancer patients treated with these novel drugs. Cancer drugs are very potent but some of them are very toxic as well. Hence, before administering chemotherapy to patients, it is crucial to distinguish the patients who are likely to be cured from those who will suffer from toxicity without achieving a cure. For most of the drugs available to treat cancer, there is no way to predict how patients will respond to a drug treatment. However, this goal could be achieved by studying the gene coding for key proteins that are the target of chemotherapy. One of these genes codes for VEGFR-2, a membrane receptor playing a critical role in the growth of tumors.

Kenji Suzuki, Ph.D.
Research Associate
Department of Radiology
$50.000. Grant Award

Development of an Advanced Computer-Aided Diagnostic System for Early Detection of Colorectal Cancer in CT Colonography

The goal of this study is to develop an advanced computer-aided diagnostic (CAD) system for early detection of colorectal cancer in CT colonography. A recent study showed that radiologists failed to detect polyps (i.e. potential colorectal cancer) in up to 50% of cases using CT colonography. Developing an advanced CAD system will provide physicians with better tools to detect polyps and colorectal cancer at an early stage.