Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awards $2 million grant to SMU

Award funds five years of research for new faculty member Annika Wylie

2023-09-21

(Press-News.org) DALLAS (SMU) – The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) has awarded $2 million to recruit Annika Wylie to SMU and fund five years of her research, which focuses on the p53 gene, a naturally occurring tumor suppressor.

CPRIT is the state agency mandated to create and expedite innovation in the area of cancer research and enhance the potential for a medical or scientific breakthrough in both prevention and cures. CPRIT is now a $6 billion, 20-year initiative – the largest state cancer research investment in the history of the United States and the second largest cancer research and prevention program in the world.

“I am very grateful to CPRIT and all of Texas for making this grant possible,” Wylie said. “CPRIT sets Texas apart in terms of recruiting and retaining cancer biology research and gives a tremendous boost in establishing my lab, hiring fantastic people, and forging ahead with answering challenging questions about p53 and how it could impact cancer care.”

Wylie joins the Department of Biological Sciences in SMU’s Dedman College of Humanities and Sciences as an assistant professor. Before coming to SMU, she was a postdoctoral researcher at UT Southwestern Medical Center, where she trained under her mentor, John Abrams, professor of cell biology.

Over the past several decades, scientists have determined that the p53 gene oversees the health of a cell's DNA by activating various downstream genes in response to stress. These genes cause a reaction that results in cell proliferation or prompts the cell to undergo programmed self-destruction, known as apoptosis. By doing this, p53 acts as a safeguard, preventing the spread of cells with flawed DNA, which could lead to cancerous tumors.

The p53 gene is present across various stages of evolutionary history, suggesting that a significant clue to how humans might combat cancer has been with us all along.

Wylie and her team are exploring other functions of p53, including its ability to deactivate downstream genes. They focus mainly on genes involved in the cell division process known as meiosis, and on transposons or “jumping genes.” When p53 cannot prevent transposons from bouncing around our DNA, “jumping genes” get out of hand by making extra copies of themselves, which could be associated with cancer development.

“The ability of p53 to deactivate certain genes has been unappreciated and merits further study,” explained Wylie. “Our research shows there’s value in both p53’s activate and inactivate functions. Further investigation into these mechanisms could lead to significant genetic interventions that halt cancer progression.”

About SMU
SMU is the nationally ranked global research university in the dynamic city of Dallas. SMU’s alumni, faculty and more than 12,000 students in eight degree-granting schools demonstrate an entrepreneurial spirit as they lead change in their professions, communities and the world.

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awards $2 million grant to SMU 2

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awards $2 million grant to SMU 3

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Study shows millions of people live with co-occuring chronic pain and mental health symptoms

2023-09-21

New University of Arizona Health Sciences research recently published in the journal PAIN found that nearly 1 in 20 adults in the U.S. experience the co-occurrence of chronic pain and anxiety or depression, resulting in functional limitations in daily life. Prior research has shown that chronic pain along with symptoms of anxiety or depression are biologically linked. This study is one of the few to examine the national prevalence of chronic pain with anxiety or depression symptoms in adults. The results shed light on the fact that millions ...

Cardiovascular organizations pursue new, independent medical board

2023-09-21

Many of the nation’s most prominent cardiovascular organizations, representing tens of thousands of physicians, unite today to pursue the creation of a new Board for cardiovascular medicine. The proposed new Board would be independent of the American Board of Internal Medicine, where the cardiology certification process currently exists. Collectively, the American College of Cardiology (ACC), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA), Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) and Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) are working together to submit a ...

Skipping counseling doesn't raise cancer gene test distress

2023-09-21

Skipping genetic counseling before or after taking a remote screening of inherited risk for ovarian or breast cancer does not increase distress, anxiety or depression, according to a study published Sept. 14 in JAMA Oncology. “The accepted idea was that you needed genetic counseling before taking a genetic test,” said Dr. Elizabeth Swisher, a gynecologic oncologist at UW Medicine and professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Washington School of Medicine. “But we’re finding out that many of these protocols actually represent ...

Nanoparticle vaccine candidate shows promise against emerging tick-borne virus in early studies

2023-09-21

Cleveland Clinic researchers have used nanoparticles to develop a potential vaccine candidate against Dabie Bandavirus, formerly known as Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome Virus (SFTSV), a tick-borne virus that currently has no prevention, treatment or cure. The patent-pending vaccine uses nanoparticles to carry the antigens that contain instructions for fighting off a virus. Nanoparticle vaccines are designed to effectively deliver antigens at a lower dose with fewer side effects for at-risk ...

University of Minnesota Medical School assistant professor, research team awarded $1 million grant to improve access to legal advocacy for rural and Indigenous communities

2023-09-21

MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (09/21/2023) — Michele Statz, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Minnesota Medical School, Duluth Campus and affiliated faculty with the University of Minnesota Law School’s Human Rights Center, and her research team have been awarded a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation’s CIVIC Innovation Challenge to improve access to civil justice for rural and Indigenous communities in Alaska. The research team aims to develop a model that can be replicated in other communities across the country. The “Bridging the Rural Justice Gap: Innovating & Scaling Up Civil Access to Justice in Alaska” ...

Scientists reveal intricate mechanisms cells use to build protein destruction signals

2023-09-21

Within the intricate molecular landscape inside of a cell, the orchestration of proteins demands precise control to avoid disease. While some proteins must be synthesised at specific times, others require timely breakdown and recycling. Protein degradation is a fundamental process that influences cellular activities such as the cell cycle, cell death, or immune response. At the core of this process lies the proteasome, a recycling hub in the cell. The proteasome degrades proteins if they carry a molecular tag formed by a chain of ubiquitin molecules. The task of attaching this tag falls to enzymes known as ubiquitin ligases. This process, known ...

Moms’ ability to ‘remember’ prior pregnancies suggests new strategies for preventing complications

2023-09-21

Scientists have known for decades that pregnancy requires a mother’s body to adjust so that her immune system does not attack the growing fetus as if it were a hostile foreign invader. Yet despite learning a great deal more about the immunology of pregnancy in recent years, a new study shows that the cellular crosstalk between a mother and her offspring is even more complex and long-lasting than expected. The study was published online Sept. 21, 2023, in the journal Science by a research team led by Sing Sing Way, MD, PhD, Division of Infectious Diseases at Cincinnati Children’s and the Center ...

Curbing violence in Mexico: Disrupting cartel recruitment holds the key, a new study finds

2023-09-21

Not through courts and not through prisons. The only way to reduce violence in Mexico is to cut off recruitment. Increasing incapacitation instead leads to both more homicides and cartel members, researcher Rafael Prieto-Curiel from the Complexity Science Hub and colleagues show in a study in Science. In 2021, approximately 34,000 people died from intentional homicides in Mexico – the equivalent of nearly 27 victims per 100,000 population. This ranks Mexico among the least peaceful countries worldwide. FIFTH LARGEST EMPLOYER In order to be able to address this violence ...

Rewiring tumor mitochondria enhances the immune system’s ability to recognize and fight cancer

2023-09-21

Immunotherapy, which uses the body’s own immune system to fight cancer, is an effective treatment option, yet many patients do not respond to it. Thus, cancer researchers are seeking new ways to optimize immunotherapy so that it is more effective for more people. Now, Salk Institute scientists have found that manipulating an early step in energy production in mitochondria—the cell’s powerhouses—reduces melanoma tumor growth and enhances the immune response in mice. The study, published in Science on September 21, ...

Two studies indicate CO2 on Europa’s surface originated from within the moon’s internal ocean

2023-09-21

A pair of independent studies, using recent James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) observations of carbon dioxide (CO2) ice on Jupiter’s moon Europa, indicate the CO2 originates from a source within the icy body’s subsurface ocean. The findings from both research groups provide new insights into the poorly known composition of Europa’s internal ocean. Beneath a crust of solid water ice, Jupiter’s moon Europa is thought to have a subsurface ocean of salty liquid water. Because of this, Europa is a prime target in the search for life elsewhere in the Solar System. Assessing this deep ...

Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas awards $2 million grant to SMU

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES: