NOVEMBER 2022 HEADLINES

Alberto Perez, Ph.D., Fan Zhang, Ph.D., Naykky Singh Ospina, M.D., Zhe Ma, Ph.D., and Ryan Kolb, Ph.D., received American Cancer Society Institutional Research Grants. These grants are part of a block award given to UF that enables the Cancer Center to support early-stage investigations with funding. 

UF College of Pharmacy researchers identified two small molecules that inhibit precancerous cell progression in pancreatic cancer.

The University of Florida Health Cancer Center selected three researchers to receive 2022 Shared Resource Pilot and Exploratory Study Awards: Matthew Sarkisian, Ph.D., Luisel Ricks-Santi, Ph.D., and Blanka Sharma, Ph.D.

A team of UF researchers has shed new light on the functional mechanisms of spontaneous calcium waves in human colon and prostate cancer cells.

Stephanie Staras, Ph.D., has received a Florida Academic Cancer Center Alliance (FACCA) grant to study trends in cervical cancer screening and follow-up care among women in Florida. Staras is collaborating on the pilot project grant with co-principal investigators Jessica Islam, Ph.D., at Moffitt Cancer Center, and Matthew Schlumbrecht, M.D., at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.

University of Florida researchers have received a $2.3 million grant from the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to investigate strategies to treat muscle wasting and weakness caused by pancreatic cancer.

Juan Guan, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of physics in the University of Florida College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded a $1.9 million grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to explore the mechanisms behind the assembly and regulation of non-canonical biomolecular condensates.

The largest individual gift in UF history will name the Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology and launch a $1 billion public-private partnership that will drive the future of biomedical research and innovation.

Kiley Graim, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the University of Florida department of computer & information science & engineering, has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to build a first-of-its-kind database and study genomic information from a wide range of animals to gain insight into the mechanisms of rare human cancers.

A team of UF radiation oncology researchers has developed a campaign featuring technology and resources to improve knowledge and increase breast cancer screening for people with higher-than-average risk status for breast cancer development.

A new observational study of more than 77,000 postmenopausal women found no association between coffee consumption and overall invasive breast cancer risk or subtype-specific breast cancer risk. Lusine Yaghjyan, M.D., Ph.D., was the study’s lead author.

In a segment on First Coast News, Raymond Mailhot, M.D., assistant professor in the department of radiation oncology, discussed how proton therapy works and who may be a good candidate.

Blossoming Butterfly Inc., a nonprofit community partner of the UF Health Cancer Center, celebrated the grand opening of a new location next to the Oaks Mall in October. The facility is home to Blooming Retreat, which will offer services to breast, ovarian and uterine cancer patients under one roof during and after treatment.