2023 Seeds of Science Awards Support Promising Cancer Research
| The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute awarded $850,000 in grants to 15 cancer researchers through Seeds of Science, the Institute’s intramural funding program. The long-standing program provides support for promising cancer research in its early stages, as well as studies that unite teams of researchers to tackle the most pressing issues related to cancer treatment and outcomes.
“The discoveries of our Cancer Institute researchers are poised to be translated to the clinical setting rapidly — in such a way to maximize our ability to provide new options and treatments for Arkansans battling cancer,” said Alan Tackett, Ph.D., deputy director of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and a National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded cancer researcher.
The following UAMS scientists received $50,000 grants that represent high risk, high reward research that has the potential for rapid translation of findings to patients battling cancer. To view abstracts for each project, click here.
Lu Dai, M.D. —“Identification of new natural compounds against diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG).” Dai is an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pathology and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program.
Jesus Delgado-Calle, Ph.D. — “Characterization of the senescent secretome of the bone metastatic tumor niche.” Delgado-Calle is an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Physiology and Cell Biology and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program.
Abdallah Hayar, Ph.D. — “Unraveling the electrophysiological mechanisms involved in gliomas.” Hayar is an associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Neurobiology and Developmental Sciences and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program.
Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., and Chris Elms, M.D. —“Inhibition of the TGF-β Pathway by 1D11 antibody in ovarian cancer.” Birrer is the director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Elms is a graduate assistant in the Birrer Laboratory.
Bolni “Marius” Nagalo, Ph.D. — “Anti-tumor efficacy of oncolytic virus-mediated delivery of alloantigen in pancreatic cancer.” Nagalo is an assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pathology and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program.
Shmuel Yaccoby, Ph.D. —“CCN1+ myeloid cells and serum CCN1 as biomarkers of a functional immune microenvironment in myeloma.” Yaccoby is a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program.
Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., and Zijing Zhang, Ph.D. —“Define the effect of FGF18-mediated interaction between ovarian cancer cells and the host immune system.” Birrer is the director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Zhang is a postdoctoral fellow working in Birrer Laboratory.
“These are very promising cancer research projects that will be jumpstarted with a pilot grant,” said Tackett. “We hope these initial investments into high priority areas of cancer research will help our researchers get significant additional funding from the National Cancer Institute.”
The following research teams received $100,000 Team Science Awards to unite cancer researchers in a multidisciplinary effort to uncover new approaches to treating cancers that impact the lives of Arkansans.
Donald Johann, Jr. M.D., and Fred Prior, Ph.D. —“Towards Advanced Lung Cancer Screening” Johann and Prior are professors in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Biomedical Informatics and members of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program.
Brian Koss, Ph.D., and Alan Tackett, Ph.D. —“Tuning immune recognition of metastatic melanoma to increase efficacy of immunotherapy.” Koss is an assistant professor in the College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program. Tackett is deputy director of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
Jonathan Laryea, M.D., and Fred Prior, Ph.D. —“Using deep learning algorithms to predict rectal cancer outcomes based on MRI restaging of rectal cancer following neoadjuvant chemoradiation therapy.” Laryea is an associate professor of surgery in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine and a member of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program.
Tudor Moldoveanu, Ph.D., and Hong-yu Li, Ph.D. —“Design and synthesis of small molecule direct modulators of the pore-forming pro-apoptotic protein BAK.” Moldoveanu is an associate professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program. Li is a professor in the UAMS College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a member of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program.
Steven Post, Ph.D., and Marjan Boerma, Ph.D. —“Synergistic effects of SR-A blockade and radiation therapy.” Post is a professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Pathology and a member of the Cancer Biology Research Program. Boerma is a professor in the UAMS College of Pharmacy Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and a member of the Cancer Therapeutics Research Program.
Since 2020, the Cancer Institute has recruited 25 new cancer researchers with combined federal funding of $18.3 million. The institute has formal research programs in the areas of Cancer Biology, Cancer Therapeutics and Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences.