2009 Fellowship Grants
Candidate: Ehab El-Gabry, MD $50,000 per year for 2 years
Mentor: Shahla Masood, MD
Institution: University of Florida College of Medicine-Jacksonville
Proposed Program: Development of a Novel Approach for Breast Cancer Diagnosis using Minimally Invasive Procedures and Molecular Analysis
- Aim one, to develop a quantitative diagnostic index of hTERT expression via Real Time-PCR for patient FNABs with a less-than-definitive diagnosis (ie. suspicious for malignancy of proliferative with or without atypia).
- Aim two, to increase the diagnostic accuracy of FNAB in cases with a less-than-definitive diagnosis (ie. suspicious for malignancy or proliferative with/without atypia) by including hTERT IHC.
- Aim three, to quantify the methylation status of the hTERT in DCIS and invasive breast cancer lesions in order to define biomarker of tumorigenesis in premalignant lesions.
Candidate: Nicholas T. Woods, Ph.D. $50,000 per year for 2 years
Mentor: Alvaro N. Monteiro, Ph.D.
Institution: H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute
Proposed Program: Novel Roles of COMMD1 in Breast Cancer Therapy and Response
They propose to explore the consequence of COMMD1 modulation on the response of breast cancer cells to radiation and to chemotherapy drugs. The rationale of this approach is to allow for the discovery of potential sensitizers to therapy as well as potential markers of clinical response. To accomplish our goal we will:
- Aim 1, determine the functional implications of COMMD1 modulation of expression on the sensitivity of breast cancer cells to radiation and chemotherapy.
- Aim 2; explore the mechanistic role of COMMD1 in the DNA damage response.
