Cancer Treatment

Advanced bio-inorganic materials for targeted thermal & photodynamic glioblastoma multiforme therapy
2007 Women’s Council Seed Grant
Elena Rozhkova, Ph.D.
The University of Chicago

In this project new strategies of Glioblastoma multiforme therapy on the base of designed magnetic or semiconductor bio-nano materials are proposed. Biocompatible magnetic particles or nanoscaled semiconductor titanium oxide will be fabricated and functionalized for clinically applicable directed cancer targeting and use in magnetic hyperthermia or photodynamic cancer therapy.

The long term goal of the proposal is to utilize biomedical nanoengineering to improve the outcome of cancer patients. Cancer is the 2nd leading cause of death in the US and about 2.5 million new cases are diagnosed every year, with about ~500,000 Americans dying annually, that is, >1,500 people/day. Advancing the treatment options for cancer therapy may not only improve the quality of life for an individual patient but also have a tremendous socioeconomic impact on our Nation, as even small, incremental advances in cancer survival and disability will inevitably lead to a large health care benefit. Specifically, it is anticipated that with the completion of the proposed research Dr. Rozhkova will have obtained the critical preliminary data needed to support the rational design and fabrication of novel magnetic materials for targeted cancer treatment.

Other Grants

Rebekah C. Evans, Ph.D., Georgetown University
In Vivo and Ex Vivo Dissection of Midbrain Neuron Activity During Exercise
Exercise is important for the health of the body and the mind. Exercise promotes learning and reduces symptoms of brain-related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it…
William J. Giardino, Ph.D. Stanford University
Deciphering the Neuropeptide Circuitry of Emotional Arousal in Narcolepsy
This research project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of a specific type of brain cell called neuropeptide neurons within a region of the brain’s amygdala network called the bed…
Howard Gritton, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Attention Mechanisms Contributing to Auditory Spatial Processing.
Our world is composed of a rich mixture of sounds. We often process sounds including speech in the presence of many other competing auditory stimuli (e.g., voices in a crowded…
Nora Kory, Ph.D., Harvard University
Elucidating the Fates and Functions of Lactate in the Brain
The human brain requires significant energy to function. Despite accounting for only 2% of our body weight, the brain consumes a substantial 20% of the body’s energy, relying on a…