Monday, November 19, 2012

Scientists for More Birthdays - American Cancer Society More ...

Scientists for More Birthdays

Posted on November 19th, 2012 by American Cancer Society

Assistant Professor, University of Florida, Department of Neuroscience

Investigating how cilia affect brain tumors

My work: Normal cells in the brain use cilia (little cellular antennae) to grow and protect themselves. We are studying cilia to find out if they cause brain tumors to grow or resist current treatments.

How I?m doing it: We?re studying the unique characteristics of cilia in glioblastoma ? the most common and lethal adult brain tumor ? specifically looking at what tells these cells to grow or protect themselves. We will test whether blocking cilia from forming changes tumor growth and makes tumors become more receptive to current treatments.

Funding: We have received a 4-year grant of $720,000 from the American Cancer Society for our research. Our work would not be possible without this crucial funding.

Why I do this: At age 27, my younger brother, Andrew, was diagnosed with an aggressive blood cancer. Five years ago, despite intense radiation, chemotherapy, and a stem cell transplant from me, he lost his battle. Experiencing my brother?s cancer journey motivated me to focus my research on cancer.??

What birthdays mean to me: My brother lost his fight with cancer just days before his 29th birthday. For me, every birthday that we achieve is a victory and should be celebrated.

Tags: ACS grants, american cancer society, cancer research, Matthew R. Sarkisian, more birthdays

Source: http://www.morebirthdays.com/blog/featured/scientists-for-more-birthdays/

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