More than $17 Million Awarded in Research Grants to
UNMC
There are more than 27,000 new cases of ovarian cancer diagnosed in
America each year and 13,000 of those cases prove to be terminal.
Ovarian cancer causes more deaths than any other reproductive organ cancer.
The chances of survival are better if this cancer is found before it has
spread outside the ovary.
One of the grants received by the University of Nebraska Medical Center
during the first six months of 1999 enables UNMC to join researchers in
the United States, Canada, South America and Europe in a new clinical study
in the fight against ovarian cancer.
McClure Smith, M.D., professor, UNMC Department of Obstetrics/Gynecology,
is the primary investigator for the $163,950 grant. It will be used
to research gene therapy, a new type of treatment, to help the chemotherapy
drugs fight ovarian cancer cells by replacing the missing protective gene
(p53) in the cancer cell.
“We have therapies that, when administered to ovarian cancer patients
diagnosed in the early stages, can lead to remission of the disease,” Dr.
Smith said. “The fact is that within the last 10 years, the development
of new therapeutic agents has doubled the life expectancy for advanced
cases of ovarian cancer from 9 months to 18 months or more.
“But each time the disease comes out of remission, it is meaner and
tougher, and we have less options to offer the patient.”
The p53 gene is a protein in normal cells that controls cell division.
In one-half of all cancers, the p53 gene has been altered. Through
this study, Dr. Smith will attempt to replace the p53 gene in the abnormal
cells so they can respond normally again. Patients, who are newly
diagnosed, are eligible to enroll in this study.
“We are seeking Stage 3 ovarian cancer patients, that is, patients whose
cancer is no longer totally contained within the ovaries, but has spread
throughout the abdomen,” Dr. Smith said. “These are the patients
who, if this new ovarian cancer gene therapy protocol works, are most likely
to have the best chance of extended survival.”
Dr. Smith noted that he recently completed patient registration for
another research project utilizing a new drug designed to help chemotherapy
drugs remain effective in killing ovarian cancer cells for longer durations.
The gene therapy study grant is among more than $17 million awarded
to UNMC during the first six months of 1999 for research. The first
quarter 1999 (January-March) research awards totaled $6.9 million.
The second quarter 1999 (April-June) awards totaled $10.6 million.
Funding for research during the January-June 1999 breaks down as follows:
First Quarter Second Quarter
Federal sources $4,535,328
$7,905,655
Industry sources $1,289,336
$1,186,864
State sources
$77,020
$317,615
Other Sources
$976,258 $1,217,783
Kristine McVea, M.D., assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics
and Family Medicine, is primary investigator for a $50,000 award given
by the American Cancer Society. It will be used to follow a group
of adolescent smokers for one year in order to gain an understanding of
the challenges adolescent smokers face when they attempt to stop smoking.
The data obtained will then be used in conjunction with information from
the medical literature to develop a training program for 50 student smoking
cessation counselors.
Approximately 20 percent of AIDS patients experience severe brain disease
caused by explosive viral replication. The National Institutes of
Health has awarded a $229,580 grant to Howard Gendelman, M.D., professor,
Department of Pathology/Microbiology, to implement new technologies and
monitor brain cell responses to determine the physiological events that
produce neural injury/death in AIDS patients.
UNMC is the only public academic health science center in the state.
Through its commitment to research, education, outreach and patient care,
UNMC has established itself as one of the country’s leading centers for
cancer research and treatment and solid organ transplantation. Nearly $31
million in research grants and contracts were awarded to UNMC scientists
during the past fiscal year. In addition, UNMC’s educational programs are
responsible for training more health professionals practicing in Nebraska
than any other institution.