Thursday, December 7, 2006

Writer: Judy Stanton, 404/854-0527, jstanton@georgiacancer.org
Contact: Edward Kipreos, 706/542-3862, ekipreos@cb.uga.edu; Lyndon West, 706/542-7410, lwest@rx.uga.edu

UGA scientists Edward Kipreos and Lyndon West win cancer research awards from the Georgia Cancer Coalition  

Athens, Ga. – Two scientists involved in cancer research at the University of Georgia are among the eight selected to receive the Georgia Cancer Coalition’s 2006 Cancer Research Awards.

Edward Kipreos, associate professor, department of cellular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Lyndon West, assistant professor in the department of pharmaceutical and biological sciences in the College of Pharmacy, together received $110,000 for their studies related to breast, prostate, ovarian and lung cancers. Kipreos is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Scholar.
           
Twenty-five university researchers from across Georgia submitted proposals for 2006 funding. Awardees are from Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Morehouse School of Medicine and the University of Georgia. 

The Coalition’s Cancer Research Awards are funded primarily by the state income tax check-off program, which, since its inception in 2000, has raised $2 million, awarded to 40 cancer researchers throughout the state. Proceeds from the professional cycling race, the Tour de Georgia, and private contributions supplement this research fund. Each grant proposal is reviewed by a committee comprised of cancer researchers and clinicians from around the country.     

Kipreos has been at UGA since 1996, working in both the departments of cellular biology and genetics. He has a bachelor of science in biology and chemistry from University of Miami in Florida and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from the University of California in San Diego. He did his postdoctoral fellowship at Johns Hopkins University. He was awarded a National Science Foundation pre-doctoral fellowship and both an American Cancer Society and National Institutes of Health Postdoctoral fellow.

His research is focused on identifying those genes specifically responsible for suppressing breast and ovarian cancer. Research has shown that in people with breast and ovarian cancers, a significant percentage of these tumor suppressor genes have become inactive. Therefore, if these tumor suppressor genes can be identified and mapped in the human genome, treatments can then be developed to counteract their inactivation.

West has been at UGA since 2005. He completed his postdoctoral research at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California. He has a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, where he also received his bachelor of sciences with honors in chemistry. Before joining UGA, he was a research assistant professor at Florida Atlantic University and a senior scientist at Sequoia Sciences in San Diego, Ca.

West is a scientific diver, having participated in research dives off Florida’s coast and the Keys; in Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, South Africa; and in New Zealand’s offshore islands.

His research involves studying marine invertebrates to discover novel anticancer agents. The funding will help West to continue to collect marine organisms – such as sponges and soft corals – from the waters off the coast of Georgia and Florida. He is examining toxins and similar compounds contained in these organisms to determine whether they may be useful in the fight against cancer. Studying marine organisms may also aid in the understanding of the cellular growth process as well as aberrant growth that leads to the formation of tumors.

“We believe that research is essential in the war on cancer,” says Bill Todd, president and chief executive officer of the Georgia Cancer Coalition. “We are indebted to the citizens of Georgia who choose to contribute to this effort as well as to the fundraising efforts of the Tour de Georgia. The increasing number of researchers who apply for these grants indicates that we are making progress in developing interest in cancer research in the state’s scientific community.”

The Georgia Cancer Coalition is an independent, non-profit organization working to make Georgia one of the nation’s premier states for cancer care. The Coalition unites government agencies, academic institutions and health care organizations to strengthen existing cancer programs and support new initiatives.

Further, it promotes, encourages and funds cancer research, which accelerates improvements in cancer prevention, early detection, and treatment, and may well reduce cancer incidence and mortality. The Coalition is the first of its kind in the nation and is fast becoming a national model.

For more information on the Georgia tax donation program, visit the Georgia Cancer Coalition website at www.georgiacancer.org or call 404/584-7720.

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