Morehouse School of Medicine Receives DOD Grant for Breast Cancer Research
MSM team searching for new path to cancer prediction and new treatment at genetic level
E. Shyam P. Reddy, Ph.D., professor and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM), has been awarded a grant from the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program (DOD-BCRP) for his novel research into Breast Cancer Type 2 susceptibility protein (BRCA2), which helps suppress breast cancer.
The BRCA2 gene is a major player in cancer research now because not only does it help suppress breast cancer, but researchers have also found that in people where this gene is damaged, mutated or altered there is a much higher risk of developing breast, ovarian or prostate cancer. Under the grant, Reddy's lab is taking this well known information a step further. His team is investigating the degradation of an enzymatic process called N-glycosylation, which weakens BRCA2 as it circulates in the body over time. Reddy says this weakening or lessening of circulating BRCA2 has the potential to predict breast cancer. The process has never been described in eukaryotic cells, which contain a nucleus. As part of his research, Reddy is investigating effective therapies to prevent this degradation and prevent breast cancer from developing.
"The grant is unique because reviewers chose participants without knowing the names of investigators or institutions involved in the application for funding," says Reddy. "As it turns out, only five percent of the grants were awarded to institutions in the U.S." Reddy also is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar at MSM.
The BCRP encourages risk-taking research and challenges the scientific community to design innovative research that will foster new directions for, address neglected issues in, and bring new investigators into the field of breast cancer research. The BCRP focuses its funding on innovative projects that have the potential to make a significant impact on breast cancer, particularly those involving multidisciplinary and/or multi-institutional collaborations.