Grants Totaling $400,000 Support Research on Cancer and Neurodegenerative Diseases
Four researchers at the 葫芦影业鈥檚 Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling received grants from the William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation.
The one-year project awards are for $100,000 each and support the research of Shaun Xiaoliu Zhang, Jan-脜ke Gustafsson, Chin-Yo Lin and Daniel Frigo.
鈥淲e are grateful to Mr. Owens and the William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation for their continuous support for the research conducted at our Center,鈥� said Zhang, director of the Center for Nuclear Receptors and Cell Signaling. 鈥淭hese grants will play a vital role in our mission to find a cure for several malignant diseases that currently have a poor prognosis, including pancreatic cancer, brain tumors, breast cancer, and prostate cancer, as well as on our effort to understand the mechanism of neurodegenerative diseases.鈥�
The Owens Medical Research Foundation, created in 1998, supports original research on the cause, treatment or prevention of human diseases and disorders. The foundation鈥檚 support includes basic research, applied research and clinical trials.
Funded Projects
鈥淎rming Cancer-Fighting T Cells with the Ability to Handle the Hypoxic Tumor Microenvironment鈥�
Shaun Xiaoliu Zhang, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Zhang鈥檚 project is to develop a strategy to enhance T-cell based immunotherapy for cancer treatment. Specifically, his group plans to arm the tumor-fighting T cells with the ability to survive in the hypoxic tumor microenvironment (i.e., lack of oxygen due to enormous amount of oxygen being consumed by malignant cells).
鈥淟XR脽 - A New Player in the Arena of Neurodegeneration鈥�
Jan-脜ke Gustafsson, M.D., Ph.D.
LXR尾 (liver X receptor beta) is a member of the nuclear receptor supergene family of ligand-activated transcription factors. The receptor was discovered in 1995. Most recent studies by Dr. Gustafsson鈥檚 group have indicated that this gene may play a role in age-related progressive neurodegeneration. They plan to use the funds from the William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation to investigate the potential role of LXR尾 in neuroprotection and to explore its possible application in preventing early onset degenerative changes in the brain.
鈥淣ovel Liver X Receptor Ligands for Cancer Research and Therapeutics鈥�
Chin-Yo Lin, Ph.D.
Dr. Lin studies the potential role of LXR尾 on cancer. He and his group have shown that LXR尾 is expressed in pancreatic cancer cells, and activation of LXR尾 by a synthetic ligand can block cancer cell proliferation and tumor formation. He plans to use the funds from the William and Ella Owens Medical Research Foundation to screen for more specific LXR尾 ligands for interrogating receptor functions in basic research and for modulating LXR尾 activity in clinical applications.
鈥淐reation of a Novel, Flexible T Cell Therapy to Overcome the Immunosuppressive Tumor
Microenvironment鈥�
Daniel Frigo, Ph.D.
Dr. Frigo鈥檚 research interest is focused on prostate cancer. He plans to use the funds from the foundation to develop a strategy to enhance CAR-T therapy for this malignant disease. He plans to test a variety of approaches to change the tumor microenvironment so that this therapy can be more effective. Specifically, he plans to change the tumor microenvironment through 1) reprogramming its cellular metabolism and 2) conjugating drug-loaded lipid nanoparticles to its cell surface. The goal of this project is to test the efficacy of this new therapy in vitro and in vivo. He anticipates this approach will create a simple and flexible strategy to maximize the efficacy of anti-cancer therapies while minimizing their systemic side effects.