Current News Releases
Sept. 5, 2007
University receives $10.7 million NIH grant to continue colon-cancer research center
A team of researchers at the University of South Carolina has received a $10.7 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health to continue building a comprehensive research center for colorectal cancer, which claims the lives of nearly 900 South Carolinians annually.
The researchers are associated with the university's Center for Colon Cancer Research (CCCR), which was established in 2002 with an $11.2 million grant from the NIH. In the last five years, the center has grown from18 to nearly 30 biomedical scientists, all of whom are concentrating their efforts on the cause, prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. The combined grants, which total nearly $22 million, are among the largest in the university's history.
Dr. Frank Berger, the CCCR director and the lead researcher on both grants, said the new funding will enable the university to support the research of promising young scientists, as it did with the first grant, and to build a nationally competitive research center.
"This award is significant because it brings together scientists from disciplines as varied as biology, pharmacy, public health and medicine to solve the mysteries of a cancer that kills far too many people in our state and nation," Berger said. "It also recognizes the strong collaboration that has developed over the past five years between senior and junior investigators at the University of South Carolina."
American Cancer Society statistics show that colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer among men and women and the second most common cause of U.S. cancer deaths. About 150,000 new cases and 56,000 deaths occur annually in the nation, and approximately 2,400 new cases are diagnosed in South Carolina each year.
University President Andrew Sorensen said the grant underscores the reputation of Carolina's research excellence.
"The initial grant was awarded because the university was viewed as a major research institution capable of attracting top scientists in their fields," he said.
"Not only have our researchers proved their ability to develop a quality colorectal cancer research program, but they also are proving their success to compete with their peers at top institutions for NIH funding, which is increasingly competitive," Sorensen said.
Since 2002, individual CCCR researchers have garnered nearly $20 million in grants and have published more than 300 articles in prestigious peer-reviewed journals. Their studies are examining the origin and development of cancer tumors, how DNA can repair itself to prevent tumor formation, the role of inflammation in colorectal cancer, anti-cancer drugs and new methods of screening and diagnosis. The CCCR also has developed a strong outreach program that is uniting scientists, physicians, community health groups and healthcare professionals throughout the state to increase general awareness and knowledge about the benefits of colorectal cancer screening.
"We have created an environment in which academic discovery flourishes and is shared with a larger community interested in the prevention and treatment of this deadly disease," Berger said.
The success of the CCCR is being seen beyond South Carolina, said Dr. Russell Pate, associate vice president for health sciences.
"The awarding of these two major grants, coupled with funding to individual researchers, underscores the national reputation that the University of South Carolina has earned," Pate said. "The team at the CCCR already is making a difference in the lives of many people in South Carolina, but its impact extends far beyond the Palmetto State."
Dr. Frank Berger, second from right, and his colleagues at the Center for Colon Cancer Research
Center for Colon Cancer Research
Grants
A $10.7 million, five-year grant from the National Institutes of Health (2007-12) and an $11.2 million, five-year grant from NIH (2002-07) are among the largest in the university's history. The awards are part of the NIH's prestigious Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) program to develop more scientists in biomedical fields. The $11.2 million award in 2002 created the Center for Colon Cancer Research at the university. The new grant will enable the university to support the research of promising new scientists and continue building a nationally competitive research center.
Research team
The CCCR includes research from disciplines throughout the University of South Carolina, the Dorn VA Medical Center and the Medical University of South Carolina:
Department of biological sciences: Dr. Frank Berger, CCCR director and the grant's lead researcher; Dr. Dan Dixon, assistant professor; Dr. Marj Pena, assistant professor; Dr. David Reisman, professor; Dr. Alan Waldman, assistant professor
Department of chemistry and biochemistry: Dr. John Lavigne, assistant professor; Dr. Lukasz Lebioda, professor; Dr. Caryn Outten, assistant professor; Dr. Wayne Outten, assistant professor; Dr. Paul Thompson, assistant professor
Department of statistics: Dr. Edsel Pena, professor
College of Pharmacy: Dr. Sondra Berger, associate professor; Dr. Lorne Hofseth, assistant professor; Dr. Mike Wyatt, associate professor
Arnold School of Public Health: Dr. Jim Burch, researcher; Dr. Jim Carson, associate professor; Dr. James Hebert, professor; Dr. Tom Hurley, epidemiologist/biostatistician
School of Medicine: Dr. Troy Baudino, assistant professor; Dr. Phillip Buckhaults, assistant professor; Dr. Kim Creek, professor; Dr. Robert Price, professor; Dr. Deanna Smith, assistant professor
Dorn VA Medical Center: Dr. Bill Hrushesky, director of research, Dorn VA Medical Center; Dr. Patricia Wood, associate professor
Medical University of South Carolina: Dr. Suniti Misra, assistant professor; Dr. Christina Voelkel-Johnson, assistant professor (Misra and Voelkel-Johnson were supported on the first grant.)
