Cornell Once Again Named Among Hartwell's Top 10 Centers of Biomedical Research and the Recipient of 12 Hartwell Grants Since 2007
Newswise — NEW YORK (May 10, 2012) -- The Hartwell Foundation named Cornell University among its Top 10 Centers of Biomedical Research for the sixth straight year. The Foundation also selected a clinical scientist from Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school to receive an Individual Biomedical Research Award that will fund research for three years. Four investigators nominated by Cornell are eligible for the Hartwell competition held each year. The Hartwell Foundation also gave Cornell a two year Fellowship to fund a postdoctoral candidate of their choice that exemplifies the values of the Foundation. Since 2007, Cornell has won a total of eight Individual Biomedical Research Awards and received five Hartwell Fellowships.
Dr. Praveen B. Raju, assistant professor of pediatrics and the Caryl and Israel A. Englander Clinical Scholar at Weill Cornell Medical College, is one of 12 researchers nationally named as 2012 Hartwell Investigators. The award provides $300,000 in direct costs to support his research to identify treatment-resistant mechanisms for brain tumors in children using a novel preclinical drug testing approach. In addition, Dr. Raju will also receive special videoconference equipment to enable both periodic communications with The Hartwell Foundation and facilitate collaboration between other award recipients across the Hartwell network.
"The early-stage research the Foundation champions will foster medical breakthroughs that will benefit untold numbers of children," says Dr. David Skorton, president of Cornell University, who holds faculty appointments as professor of medicine and medicine in pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College and professor of biomedical engineering in the College of Engineering. "We are grateful to the Foundation for its confidence in our Weill Cornell researchers, who are at the vanguard of bench-to-bedside research."
"We deeply appreciate The Hartwell Foundation's continued support for researchers in their pursuit of bold new ideas that will better the lives of children," says Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College. "This award is a testament to the excellence Dr. Raju and all our scientists bring in biomedical research at Weill Cornell."
"Every year the Foundation receives outstanding nominees to consider from Cornell," says Dr. Fred Dombrose, president of The Hartwell Foundation. "The commitment and support of Cornell leadership to the Hartwell process exemplifies the spirit of our intentions to inspire innovation and achievement."
"I am truly grateful to The Hartwell Foundation and their support of our translational pediatric brain tumor research program. Their generosity in funding our preclinical studies of in vivo mechanisms of treatment-resistance for medulloblastoma using novel mouse genetics approaches will lay the foundation for the identification of novel therapies that will benefit children afflicted with these devastating cancers," says Dr. Raju, who is also an assistant attending pediatrician at the Phyllis and David Komansky Center for Children's Health at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center.
Brain tumors are the leading cause of all cancer-related death in children within the United States. Nearly 3,000 children are diagnosed with brain tumors every year, of them 20 percent with the malignant medulloblastoma. Despite aggressive therapy that entails surgery, chemotherapy with immunosuppressant drugs and radiation, one-third of all children die within five years of diagnosis due to drug resistance and recurrence. The other two-thirds — many of whom may initially respond to therapy, are often left with devastating side effects of therapy, including neurological deficits. In many instances, these children who survive are also susceptible to tumor recurrence, and for these patients there are currently very few, if any, therapeutic options.
Cancer is a disease believed to originate sporadically from one or a few cells within a tissue as a result of genetic or epigenetic mutations that enable such cells a selective growth advantage over the surrounding normal cells in the tissue. Through a variety of mechanisms, some cancer cells may become treatment-resistant, leading to recurrence of the tumor. However, most preclinical animal models of cancer do not recapitulate this sporadic nature of tumor formation
Using a novel genetic mouse model of sporadic medulloblastoma, Dr. Raju seeks to change the paradigm in cancer therapy by using a technique that unambiguously identifies cancer cells in vivo that are resistant to therapy and therefore allows targeting of cellular mechanisms responsible for drug resistance in children with medulloblastoma. Dr. Raju posits that more selective targeting of both tumor cells and drug resistant tumor cells, while sparing normal cells, would increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy and targeted therapies and limit side effects. This approach will enable more accurate monitoring of the progression of cancer from tumor initiation through later, advanced stages. The potential therapeutic implications may be significant, benefitting children affected by medulloblastoma by reducing recurrence and associated deaths.
In recognition of full participation in The Hartwell Foundation's nomination process, the Foundation awards each named Top 10 research institution with a Hartwell Fellowship to fund one postdoctoral candidate of their choice that exemplifies the values of the Foundation. The Fellowship provides support for two years at $50,000 direct cost per year. Dr. Maureen Lynch was selected by Cornell as the 2011 recipient of the Fellowship for her work to study the effects of mechanical stimuli on formation of cancerous osteoblasts leading to adolescent osteosarcoma. Dr. Lynch will study under the mentorship of Dr. Claudia Fischbach, assistant professor of Biomedical Engineering.
For information about how to participate in the 2012 Hartwell competition at Cornell, email Robert Buhrman, Senior Vice Provost for Research at [email protected]. The Hartwell FoundationThe primary mission of The Hartwell Foundation is to grant awards for cutting-edge biomedical research with the potential to benefit children in the United States. The Foundation funds early-stage research projects that have not yet qualified for funding from traditional sources. In selecting awardees, The Hartwell Foundation takes into account the transformative nature of the proposed innovation, the extent to which a strategic or translational approach might accelerate the clinical application of research results to benefit children, the scope of collaboration in the proposed research, the institutional commitment to provide encouragement and technical support to the investigator, and the degree to which funding the investigator will make a difference. For more information, visit thehartwellfoundation.org. Weill Cornell Medical CollegeWeill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research from bench to bedside, aimed at unlocking mysteries of the human body in health and sickness and toward developing new treatments and prevention strategies. In its commitment to global health and education, Weill Cornell has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical College is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. Weill Cornell Medical College is affiliated with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, where its faculty provides comprehensive patient care at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. The Medical College is also affiliated with the Methodist Hospital in Houston. For more information, visit weill.cornell.edu.
Cornell UniversityCornell University is a community of scholars, known for intellectual rigor and engaged in deep and broad research. We teach tomorrow's thought leaders to think otherwise, care for others, and create and disseminate knowledge with a public purpose. Cornell students, faculty and staff are connecting with each other across campuses and research facilities around the world. As New York's land grant institution, we teach and learn in every county. We transform ideas into action. For more information, please visit cornell.edu.
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