Medical school faculty members receive grants

Three faculty members in the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine in Springfield have been awarded grants from the William E. McElroy Charitable Foundation for cancer research. All are part of the research team at the SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU.

Dr. Michael R. Pranzatelli, professor of neurology and pediatrics and chief of pediatric neurology, received a two-year grant for the study of inflammatory mediators in pediatric opsoclonus-myoclonus syndrome (OMS). OMS is an autoimmune syndrome associated with a neuroblastoma that causes neurological problems such as loss of ability to sit, stand or speak as well as extreme irritability and sleeplessness. The study will measure the chemicals that cells secrete to communicate with each other to find inflammatory mediators and determine if they correlate with disease progression. Results of this study could eventually lead to new therapies for children with OMS. The total budget for the grant is $50,000.

Rita Trammell, assistant professor of pharmacology and internal medicine, received a two-year grant for the study of how breast cancer and chemotherapy influence sleep and fatigue in a mice model with breast cancer. Cancer patients commonly experience extreme disruption or fragmentation of normal sleep. The study will examine how sleep and fatigue are altered as a breast tumor increases in size and spreads (metastasizes) to other organs. The study will also determine if disruption of sleep affects the speed of tumor growth or the response to chemotherapy. Results of the study could eventually improve clinical outcomes and quality of life for human cancer patients. The total budget for the grant is $49,000.

Kounosuke Watabe, professor of microbiology, immunology and cell biology, received a one-year extension grant for his on-going study of fatty acid as a potential treatment for prostate cancer. The study is testing whether an active component of solidago virgaurea, commonly known as goldenrod, suppresses tumor growth. Results of the study could eventually lead to a new treatment for prostate cancer. The total budget is $26,999.

The William E. McElroy Charitable Foundation was established by the estate of William E. McElroy, a former central Illinois businessman and Springfield postmaster, who died in 1992. The foundation provides grants and loans to Sangamon County high school boys pursuing research careers as well as to medical researchers studying cancer and heart disease. Since its beginning, eight SIU research scientists have received McElroy grants.

The SimmonsCooper Cancer Institute at SIU is focusing the medical school's efforts in cancer research, physician and public education, and treatment for patients from across central and Southern Illinois.