UT Health San Antonio awarded $12.6 million grant for cancer research, understanding drug resistance

Contact: Eileen Teves, 210-450-7239, [email protected]

Content by Claire Kowalick

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) received a collaborative $12.6 million program project grant from the National Cancer Institute to define the functions and regulation of BRCA1, BRCA2 and related tumor suppressor genes and find new ways to combat cancer.

The $12.6 million grant supports a multidisciplinary research framework that aims to enhance the understanding of drug resistance mechanisms and drive the development of new therapeutic approaches. It also supports the Mays Cancer Center's bid for comprehensive designation from the National Cancer Institute.

"This investment in research is a commitment to pioneering treatments in cancer care," said Lei Zheng, MD, PhD, executive director of Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio. "The funding supports our mission to make significant strides in bringing hope and fighting cancer."

Spearheading the initiative is Patrick Sung, DPhil, a world-leading expert in the roles of BRCA1 and BRCA2 in DNA repair. Sung is the director of the health science center's Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute and the Robert A. Welch Distinguished Chair in Chemistry. According to Sung, mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 can lead to breast, ovarian, prostate, pancreatic and other cancers.

"Receiving this grant is a testimony to our ability to collaborate and do impactful work as a multidisciplinary team," said Sung, associate dean for research and professor of biochemistry and structural biology at the Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long School of Medicine at UT Health San Antonio. "This support will continue to enhance synergy among project investigators."

According to Sung, current treatments, such as FDA-approved PARP inhibitors (polyADP ribose polymerase) and platinum-based chemotherapy are generally effective for most patients. However, many patients eventually build resistance against these drugs when disease reoccurs. Understanding what causes drug resistance is crucial in determining appropriate treatment options and for developing new therapies.

The research program will be organized in several components, which include an administrative core, three shared resource cores and three projects. The administrative core manages the overall program and ensures maximal synergy among different elements of the research program. The shared resource cores provide state-of-the-art tools and expertise to facilitate research progress. The research projects address specific questions to help achieve the program's objectives.

UT Health San Antonio will lead all components except for project 1, which is led by Dipanjan Chowdhury, PhD, and Panagiotis (Panos) Konstantinopoulos, MD, PhD, from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Sandeep Burma, PhD, professor of neurosurgery at UT Health San Antonio will lead project 2. Sung and Eric Greene, PhD, professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University, New York City, are co-investigators.

From UT Health San Antonio, Alexander Mazin, PhD, professor of biochemistry, and Weixing Zhao, PhD, assistant professor of biochemistry, will lead project 3. Greene will serve as co-investigator.

In the three shared resource cores, Youngho Kwon, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at UT Health San Antonio, will lead the first core (protein biochemistry and enzymology), while Robert Hromas, MD, acting president of UT Health San Antonio will oversee the second core (chromosome replication and analysis). Heading the third core (structural biology and biophysics) is David Libich, PhD, associate professor of biochemistry at UT Health San Antonio.

The overarching goal of the program is to create an effective connection between basic mechanistic cancer science and clinical translation.

To read more about the grant, click here.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (UT Health San Antonio) is one of the country's leading health science universities and is designated as a Hispanic-Serving Institution by the U.S. Department of Education. With missions of teaching, research, patient care and community engagement, its schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry, health professions, graduate biomedical sciences and public health have graduated more than 43,886 alumni who are leading change, advancing their fields and renewing hope for patients and their families throughout South Texas and the world.

To learn about the many ways "We make lives better®," visit UTHealthSA.org.

Stay connected with The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

The Greehey Children's Cancer Research Institute is one of only two institutes in the United States dedicated solely to pediatric cancer research. With its 20 laboratories, researchers are focusing on cancer genomics, DNA repair, RNA biology and drug development for new and less-toxic treatments for childhood cancers.

The Mays Cancer Center at UT Health San Antonio is one of only four National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Centers in Texas. The Mays Cancer Center provides leading-edge cancer care, propels innovative cancer research and educates the next generation of leaders to end cancer in South Texas. To learn more, visit https://cancer.uthscsa.edu.

Stay connected with the Mays Cancer Center on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

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