Pardee Grant Will Further Pancreatic Cancer Research
Seventy-five percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first 12 months of their diagnosis. In a collaborative project, George Prendergast, Ph.D., Professor, President & CEO at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) and Iraimoudi Ayene, Ph.D., Associate Professor at LIMR, received a one-year $125,000 grant from the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation to conduct the research project entitled Novel Immunochemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment.
Wynnewood, PA, July 28, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Seventy-five percent of pancreatic cancer patients die within the first 12 months of their diagnosis and the five-year survival rate is only five percent. In a collaborative project, George Prendergast, Ph.D., Professor, President & CEO at the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) and Iraimoudi Ayene, Ph.D., Associate Professor at LIMR, received a one-year $125,000 grant from the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation to conduct the research project entitled Novel Immunochemotherapy for Pancreatic Cancer Treatment.
Cell biochemistry and genetic studies suggest that cancer cells may be addicted to a cellular process called the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle (OPPC), which supports DNA biosynthesis and other needs of cancer cells. This new work will test the expected killing effects of disrupting the OPPC in preclinical models of metastastic pancreatic cancer, which are needed before clinical testing of the idea can begin. Specifically, the project will characterize the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of Hypoxin, a drug compound discovered in Dr. Ayene’s lab. By disrupting OPPC function the hope is to increase tumor cell killing, thereby delaying relapse and extending survival of patients with metastatic disease, where there is a great need for better therapeutic options.
Dr. Prendergast is a distinguished cancer researcher with wide recognition and expertise in areas of cancer genetics and biology, signal transduction, and molecular therapeutics. In 1995, he was recognized as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, one of an elite group of twenty investigators awarded this prize each year by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Prendergast has been a member of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) since 1996 and serves as Editor-in-Chief for Cancer Research, the field’s most highly cited journal. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his BA magma cum laude with Distinction in Biochemistry; Yale University where he obtained his MS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry; and Princeton University where he received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology.
Dr. Ira Ayene joined LIMR in 2007 from the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiation Oncology. He received M.Sc. in Life Sciences and Ph.D. in Biology, Chemistry & Radiation Biology from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. His research goal is to find new ways to improve the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy in cancer treatment.
About Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Founded in 1927, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research center located in suburban Philadelphia on the campus of the Lankenau Hospital. Part of Main Line Health, LIMR is one of the few freestanding, hospital-associated medical research centers in the nation. The faculty and staff at the Institute are dedicated to advancing an understanding of the causes of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. They use this information to help improve diagnosis and treatment of these diseases as well as find ways to prevent them. They are also committed to extending the boundaries of human health and well-being through technology transfer and the training of the next generation of scientists and physicians. For more information, please visit www.limr.org.
About The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation
Located in Midland, Michigan, the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation was established in 1944 under the terms of the will of Mrs. Elsa U. Pardee, whose life was taken by cancer on October 2, 1944. Mrs. Pardee provided a $1 million trust fund "for the promotion of the control and cure of cancer." She directed that this bequest be used to support research in the field of cancer and to provide for others the advantages of new knowledge and techniques for the treatment of this related group of disabling and frequently lethal diseases. Since 1944, this family-run foundation has proudly given over $113 million in grants to support two key areas: research programs directed toward discovering new approaches for cancer treatment and cure and financial support for cancer treatment.
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Cell biochemistry and genetic studies suggest that cancer cells may be addicted to a cellular process called the oxidative pentose phosphate cycle (OPPC), which supports DNA biosynthesis and other needs of cancer cells. This new work will test the expected killing effects of disrupting the OPPC in preclinical models of metastastic pancreatic cancer, which are needed before clinical testing of the idea can begin. Specifically, the project will characterize the pharmacological and therapeutic properties of Hypoxin, a drug compound discovered in Dr. Ayene’s lab. By disrupting OPPC function the hope is to increase tumor cell killing, thereby delaying relapse and extending survival of patients with metastatic disease, where there is a great need for better therapeutic options.
Dr. Prendergast is a distinguished cancer researcher with wide recognition and expertise in areas of cancer genetics and biology, signal transduction, and molecular therapeutics. In 1995, he was recognized as a Pew Scholar in the Biomedical Sciences, one of an elite group of twenty investigators awarded this prize each year by The Pew Charitable Trusts. Dr. Prendergast has been a member of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) since 1996 and serves as Editor-in-Chief for Cancer Research, the field’s most highly cited journal. He is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania where he received his BA magma cum laude with Distinction in Biochemistry; Yale University where he obtained his MS in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry; and Princeton University where he received his Ph.D. in Molecular Biology.
Dr. Ira Ayene joined LIMR in 2007 from the University of Pennsylvania, Department of Radiation Oncology. He received M.Sc. in Life Sciences and Ph.D. in Biology, Chemistry & Radiation Biology from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India. His research goal is to find new ways to improve the effectiveness of radiation and chemotherapy in cancer treatment.
About Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Founded in 1927, the Lankenau Institute for Medical Research (LIMR) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research center located in suburban Philadelphia on the campus of the Lankenau Hospital. Part of Main Line Health, LIMR is one of the few freestanding, hospital-associated medical research centers in the nation. The faculty and staff at the Institute are dedicated to advancing an understanding of the causes of cancer, heart disease and diabetes. They use this information to help improve diagnosis and treatment of these diseases as well as find ways to prevent them. They are also committed to extending the boundaries of human health and well-being through technology transfer and the training of the next generation of scientists and physicians. For more information, please visit www.limr.org.
About The Elsa U. Pardee Foundation
Located in Midland, Michigan, the Elsa U. Pardee Foundation was established in 1944 under the terms of the will of Mrs. Elsa U. Pardee, whose life was taken by cancer on October 2, 1944. Mrs. Pardee provided a $1 million trust fund "for the promotion of the control and cure of cancer." She directed that this bequest be used to support research in the field of cancer and to provide for others the advantages of new knowledge and techniques for the treatment of this related group of disabling and frequently lethal diseases. Since 1944, this family-run foundation has proudly given over $113 million in grants to support two key areas: research programs directed toward discovering new approaches for cancer treatment and cure and financial support for cancer treatment.
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Contact
Lankenau Institute for Medical Research
Tava Shanchuk
484-476-3429
www.limr.org
Erin DeStefano
484-476-8144
destefanoer@mlhs.org
Tava Shanchuk
484-476-3429
www.limr.org
Erin DeStefano
484-476-8144
destefanoer@mlhs.org
Contact
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