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PROSTATE CANCER, EWING SARCOMA, BREAST CANCER, LUNG CANCER, OVARIAN CANCER, PANCREATIC CANCER
Dr E. Shyam P. Reddy,
Functionotherapeutics,
Professor and Director, Cancer Biology Program, Dept of OB/GYN, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive
Atlanta, GA 30310
United States
ph: 404-756-5230
fax: 678-623-5999
ereddy
Morehouse School of Medicine is on a mission to discover the cause and cures of health inequities and new research, led by Veena N. Rao, Ph.D., professor of Obstetrics & Gynecology and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program, is a good example of the institution’s commitment to find causes and cures for breast cancer.
The research explains why African-American women have a greater risk of developing more aggressive and difficult-to-treat forms of breast cancer. Rao’s research findings reveal young African-American women with triple negative breast cancers who have cytoplasmic mislocalization of BRCA1 proteins often develop BRCA1-associated hereditary and sporadic breast cancers. Her study could lead to the discovery of novel biomarkers that can predict disease progression and validate this increased risk for African-American women.
Since the discovery of the breast cancer gene in 1994, researchers have come a long way in unlocking how various forms of breast cancer develop and in creating targeted treatment therapies. Dr. Rao, recipient of the Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar Award, has spearheaded numerous breakthroughs in breast cancer research including the identification of short form BRCA1 proteins known as BRCA1a and BRCA1b – which are expressed at reduced levels in breast and ovarian cancers. Her team was the first to show BRCA1a induces cell death in breast cancer cells and the first to introduce BRCA1a into triple negative breast cancer by gene therapy and successfully block tumor development in mice. Since she began her lab work in 1994, Rao has received five patents for her research findings.
The research is funded by the Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar Award, NIH, U54, RCMI, ACTSI and ING Foundation and published in Volume 226, Issue 12, of the Journal of Cellular Physiology.
BRCA1 proteins control growth of TNBC by tethering to Ubc9
BRCA1 dysfunction results in triple negative breast cancers (TNBC) in young African American (AA) women. BRCA1 is a nuclear-cytoplasm shuttling protein and the reason for the loss of nuclear BRCA1 localization in AA women with TNBC is not yet known. BRCA1, unlike cancer–predisposing mutant BRCA1 proteins bind to Ubc9 and modulate ER-α turnover. Qin et al have further investigated the consequence of altered Ubc9 binding and found cytoplasmic localization of disease associated mutant BRCA1 and BRCA1a proteins. Down regulation of Ubc9 using siRNA resulted in enhanced cytoplasmic retention of BRCA1 proteins. These BRCA1 mutants were clonogenic in soft agar and were seen to have an impaired ability to inhibit the growth of TNBC cells. Studies reveal a novel BRCA1 nuclear trafficking pathway that involves Ubc9 which, when disrupted, could result in breast cancer. This study suggests for the first time that the exclusive non-nuclear distribution of mutant BRCA1 and BRCA1a proteins causes deregulated Ubc9 resulting in breast cancer. These results suggest a molecular interplay between BRCA1 and Ubc9 which maintains the balance of two opposing effects: tumor suppression or tumorigenesis. BRCA1 dysfunction could tilt this delicate balance resulting in ER-α positive or ER-α negative breast cancer.
Veena N. Rao, Ph.D, professor in the department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, co-director of the Cancer Biology Program, and Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar, is the recipient of the 2011 Mario Toppo Distinguished Scientist Award from the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin in America (ASIOA). Presented at the 29th annual banquet on April 11, 2011 in Washington DC, the award recognizes an outstanding senior scientist of Indian origin for contribution to the sciences. Dr. Rao (the first woman scientist to receive this award) was recognized for her research on how BRCA1 dysfunction causes cancer health disparities in African American women with triple negative breast cancers (TNBC). Ms. Meera Shankar, the Honorable Ambassador of India was the Chief Guest.
About the Association of Scientists of Indian Origin in America (ASIOA)
ASIOA is a non-profit organization and its mission is to promote professional interaction among biomedical scientists of Indian origin living in America, Canada and India. Its purpose is to promote fellowship among scientists of Asian Indian Origin, to act as a scientific and educational society, to establish open channels of communication among all scientists, and to act as a fraternal organization and a charitable association.
Morehouse School of Medicine Distinguished Cancer Researcher Named to International Breast Cancer Journal Editorial Board
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Professor and Co-Director of the Cancer Biology Program, and Georgia Cancer Coalition (GCC) Distinguished Cancer Scholar from the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) Veena N. Rao, Ph.D., has been selected as an editorial board member of the Bentham Open The Open Breast Cancer Journal - an open access online journal that publishes original research articles on basic and clinical breast cancer research. The online publication also is considered a peer reviewed journal, provides complete and reliable information on current developments in the field.
"This new online publication is truly international in scale and is free and readily available to a worldwide audience," said Rao. "This access to cancer research information will assist in getting critical and credible preventive and treatment options to millions of people." In March 2007, Rao and her co-investigators demonstrated for the first time - using a gene therapy strategy - that introducing the BRCA1a protein into triple-negative breast, ovarian and prostate cancers stops tumor development.
"Triple-negative breast cancers are more common among young African-American and Hispanic women, and currently there are no effective treatments against these cancers," said Rao. "Results from these studies (reported in the journal Oncogene) will provide new treatments in the future for one of the biggest needs in breast cancer research." Rao is a recipient of the 2005 Emerald's Honor Senior Investigator Award and the 2006 Science Spectrum magazine Trailblazer Award - an honor given to outstanding Hispanic, Asian American, Native American, and Black professionals in the science arena whose leadership and innovative thinking on the job and in the community extend throughout and beyond their industry. In 2007, she also was honored with the National Women of Color in Technology Research Leadership Award. She also has been featured on the NCI Web site under the "NCI Grantee Spotlights."
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Dr E. Shyam P. Reddy,
Functionotherapeutics,
Professor and Director, Cancer Biology Program, Dept of OB/GYN, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Drive
Atlanta, GA 30310
United States
ph: 404-756-5230
fax: 678-623-5999
ereddy