NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) – The University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine announced that its Basser Center for BRCA has awarded $375,000 in grant funding to support translational breast and ovarian cancer research projects at four US institutes.
The Basser Center, located within Penn's Abramson Cancer Center, was established in 2012 to advance research around cancers associated with BRCA1 and BRCA2 genetic mutations. It received a $5 million donation in 2014 to support an external grants program.
Among those receiving awards under this latest round of funding are a team at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute exploring whether a protein known as THZ-5-31-1 can enhance the death of cancer cells in response to chemotherapy; a group from Boston Children's Hospital studying proteins that may be used to identify which patients with BRCA cancers will respond to treatment; and a group from Emory University investigating the role of certain proteins in BRCA1/2 dysregulation. Also receiving funding is a team from Columbia University developing a web-based tool for guiding decisions around BRCA genetic testing for Orthodox Jewish women.
"The projects funded this year are among the most promising of BRCA-related cancer research anywhere," Susan Domchek, executive director of the Basser Center, said in a statement. "Our colleagues across the country are doing exceptional work to continue providing real hope to at-risk patients, and we are pleased to play a role in ensuring that their research is given every opportunity to be completed, and potentially applied to patient care."