FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                      

For more information, contact:

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Sheila Champlin – (901) 448-4957, schampli@uthsc.edu or

Dena Owens – (901) 448-4072, dowens10@uthsc.edu

 

Meiyun Fan, PhD, Assistant Pathology Professor

at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center

Receives $707,988 Grant Extension for Breast Cancer Research

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            Memphis, Tenn. (August 10, 2011) – Meiyun Fan, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) has received a $707,988 grant from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) for an existing study on breast cancer therapy.  The award will be used to further her research titled, "Molecular Mechanism of ID1 function in Advanced Breast Cancer ", which was previously funded for $483,120 by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In 2008, more than 200,000 American women were diagnosed with breast cancer and treated with antiestrogen therapies.  Unfortunately, many breast tumors that initially respond to antiestrogens will become unresponsive over time, leading to metastasis and mortality.  Through research that began in collaboration with Lawrence Pfeffer, PhD, Muirhead Professor of Pathology and director of the Center for Cancer Research at UTHSC, Dr. Fan and her team discovered that ID1, an inhibitor of certain proteins, played a role in promoting breast cancer cells to adopt an aggressive, hormone-independent characteristic.  This characteristic results in antiestrogen resistance, a major obstacle in breast cancer treatment.  Transcription regulators, proteins which alter gene expression, play an important role in drug resistance.  Thus, identification and characterization of transcription regulators, which are altered in advanced breast cancer cells, are important for a better understanding of tumor progression and may ultimately be vital for designing targeted therapies.  

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the National Cancer Program, which conducts and supports research, training, health information dissemination, and other programs with respect to the cause, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer, rehabilitation from cancer, and the continuing care of cancer patients and the families of cancer patients.  For more information, please visit www.cancer.gov.

 

As the flagship statewide academic health system, the mission of the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC) is to bring the benefits of the health sciences to the achievement and maintenance of human health, with a focus on the citizens of Tennessee and the region, by pursuing an integrated program of education, research, clinical care, and public service.  In 2011, UT Health Science Center celebrates its centennial: 100 years advancing the future of health care.  Offering a broad range of postgraduate training opportunities, the main UTHSC campus is located in Memphis and includes six colleges: Allied Health Sciences, Dentistry, Graduate Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy.  The UTHSC campus in Knoxville includes a College of Medicine, College of Pharmacy, and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  In addition, the UTHSC Chattanooga campus includes a College of Medicine and an Allied Health Sciences unit.  Since its founding in 1911, UTHSC has educated and trained more than 53,000 health care professionals on campuses and in health care facilities across the state.  For more information, visit www.uthsc.edu.

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