BETHESDA, MdGrants totaling $12.7 million have been awarded to
five institutions for new research initiatives in breast and prostate
cancer. The National Cancer Institute under its SPORE program
(Specialized Program of Research Excellence) will fund the projects.
The money will pay for the first year of the 5-year projects. Awards
went to:
University of California, San Francisco, where researchers led
by Marc A. Shuman, MD, will undertake several projects aimed at
improving treatment for advanced prostate cancer.
A Boston-based collaborative effort of five institutions, led
by James Dirk Iglehart, MD, of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, that
will study genetic aspects of breast cancer.
Northwestern Universitys Lurie Comprehensive Cancer
Center for a study led by V. Craig Jordan, PhD, of the role of diet
and hormones in the prevention and development of breast cancer.
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine for projects
headed by Nancy Davidson, MD, which include developing molecular
markers for the classification and progression of breast cancer.
University of Alabama at Birmingham where Kirby I. Bland, MD,
and a team of scientists will focus on a range of breast cancer
projects to develop novel retinoids for chemoprevention, understand
the mechanism of tamoxifen (Nolvadex) resistance, and develop new
treatments using gene therapy, DNA vaccines, and radioimmunotherapy.