Cancer Research Group
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Virginia Tech announces expansive cancer research initiative , article Date: Oct 16, 2019
About the Cancer Research Group
Cancer research is woven through the work of numerous laboratories at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute. Investigators strive to understand the molecular mechanisms underlying the genetic and environmental factors that encourage cancer growth, as well as how cancer multiplies and migrates throughout the body. From childhood cancers to breast cancer to brain cancers, including the deadliest of all, glioblastoma, researchers at the institute are developing methods to make cancer cells more vulnerable to existing treatments and innovating completely new treatments to halt cancer and prevent its return.
Cancer Research Group Interim Director: Carla Finkielstein, Ph.D.
More than 30 research teams study cancer at Virginia Tech across its Blacksburg and Roanoke campuses, including at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, the College of Science, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, the College of Engineering, the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, the Fralin Life Sciences Institute, and the Virginia Tech Center for Drug Discovery. The researchers, supported by more than 30 major grants, form a strategic alliance to develop cross-disciplinary research throughout the university. They develop strategic relationships with federal agencies, private industry, and community partners — all aimed at the development of successful diagnostics and treatments for cancer.
The Animal Cancer Care and Research Center (ACCRC) capitalizes on a strikingly rare opportunity to integrate researchers investigating human and veterinary biomedical interests that seek to advance cancer treatment in pets and people alike. At the center’s new home at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, patients can visit one location for a range of services, including surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and advanced diagnostic imaging. The center treats all types of veterinary cancer; in addition, opportunities for dogs and cats to be enrolled in clinical research trials will be offered to pet owners.
- National Cancer Institute-funded research into a deadly form of primary brain cancer called glioblastoma multiforme, which has a less than 5 percent five-year survival rate and virtually no effective and reliable treatment. It continues to take lives of young, middle-aged, and older adults. Multiple Virginia Tech teams have identified potential new therapeutic targets, combined pharmacological therapies, and therapeutic delivery systems to treat this cancer.
- The Animal Care and Cancer Research Center open in the summer of 2020 in the new biomedical research building of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute in Roanoke. The facility will bring together veterinary surgical, medical, and radiation oncologists to provide access to clinical trials to provide leading-edge treatment for dogs with cancers, while informing research in humans.
- A focused program on children’s brain cancer research. Children are a major segment of the population in need of the development of new cancer preventions, treatments, and cure. Children are not just little adults — their physiological functions, chemistry, and genetic/epigenetic programs have many differences from adults, requiring more targeted interventions and treatment strategies designed specifically for children.
- Collaborations with Children’s National Hospital at their Research & Innovation Campus, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and Carilion Clinic.
- Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine faculty and Carilion Clinic physicians recognized in pediatric oncology and for innovative therapeutics for pediatric cancers.
Targeting Connexins in Breast Cancer
Dr. Samy Lamouille and his research team demonstrated that a molecule that can prevent brain cancer from spreading is also useful against breast cancer. The team developed a peptide that targets a set of proteins that help a cancer cell invade new tissue. It competes with the protein, connexin 43, which facilitates the cancer’s spread, and hamper’s tumor’s growth.
Interrupting Cancer's Communication
Dr. Zhi Sheng and his research team identified a gene and protein product critical to glioblastoma cell survival. They used a molecule to inhibit expression of the protein, stopping it from communicating necessary information, causing cancer cells to start to die off. With further development, researchers could theoretically design a precise treatment to use in conjuction with more traditional treatments and halt the return of one of the deadliest cancers.
A study by Dr. Stephanie Robel revealed that star-shaped brain cells called astrocytes, which typically help protect the brain, are altered by glioma tumors. Astrocytes are hindered in their ability to maintain a balance in the brain between excitation and inhibition, creating conditions that cause seizures.
Dr. Carla Finkielstein’s team revealed that the molecules that protect people from cancer initiation and progression are directly involved in regulating daily circadian rhythm function. Understanding cancer in the context of multicellular systems, including circadian molecules, oncoproteins, and tumor suppressors, provides new insight into tailoring effective therapeutics.
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Finkielstein Lab , homeThe Finkielstein Lab studies how the molecules that dictate a cell's life cycle influence cancer initiation and progression.
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Gourdie Lab , homeThe Gourdie Lab studies subunit proteins called connexins, which are located in gap junctions that enable direct communication between cells.
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Lamouille Lab , homeThe Lamouille Lab studies ways to deregulate cancer cell communication and is developing new therapeutic strategies to stall cancer stem cell proliferation and metastases.
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Munson Lab , homeThe Munson Lab studies the tumor microenvironment in cancers, including glioblastoma, the deadliest form of brain cancer. Our research focuses on the emerging research area of fluid flow.
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Sheng Lab , homeResearchers in the Sheng Laboratory are particularly interested in glioblastoma multiforme.
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Smyth Lab , homeThe Smyth Laboratory studies cardiomyopathy at a subcellular level, searching for potential targets for therapeutic interventions to help restore normal cardiac function to diseased hearts.
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Yu Lab , homeThe Yu Lab studies the basic principles of how chromatin modifying machineries and downstream effector proteins function and how cancer cells hijack these mechanisms to facilitate oncogenesis.
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Article ItemFrom pasture to patient: Fralin Biomedical Research Institute scientists distill cow’s milk into nano-capsules for drug delivery , article
Rob Gourdie, professor and director of the Center for Vascular and Heart Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and his lab team developed a scalable method to harvest nano-sized biological capsules called exosomes from unpasteurized cow’s milk. Exosomes are a promising candidate for drug delivery in humans.
Date: Aug 19, 2021 -
Article ItemBiomedical engineering graduate student receives grant to advance research in cancer treatment , article
Jessica Gannon, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering through Virginia Tech - Wake Forest University’s School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences, received a graduate research fellowship program award. She is one of six graduate students in the College of Engineering who received the prestigious fellowship this year.
Date: Jul 16, 2021 -
Article ItemCancer biologist to join Fralin Biomedical Research Institute faculty, launch research lab in Washington, D.C. , article
Jia-Ray Yu will be the first Virginia Tech faculty member to move into the university’s new research facilities on the Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus. Yu will be a member of the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and an assistant professor in the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine starting Sept. 1.
Date: Jul 02, 2021 -
Article ItemTransdisciplinary collaborations essential to tackling cancer , article
A dynamic collaboration between researchers in the veterinary college’s new Animal Cancer Care and Research Center and Virginia Tech’s Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics has attracted substantial funding for a unique approach to treating osteosarcoma, a notoriously painful and aggressive bone cancer that primarily afflicts large-breed dogs, children, and adolescents.
Date: Jun 21, 2021 -
Article ItemiTHRIV announces incoming 2021 Scholars Program cohort , article
The integrated Translational Research Institute of Virginia (iTHRIV) has announced its fifth class of iTHRIV Scholars. Seven researchers from the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech will participate in the structured, two-year research, training, and mentorship program.
Date: Jun 10, 2021 -
Article ItemTBMH graduate student awarded two grants to advance brain cancer research , article
Joelle Martin, who will defend her doctoral dissertation this month, received the Zeta Beta Tau Cancer Research Award and a graduate fellowship provided by philanthropist, alumnus, and longtime Virginia Tech benefactor Ray Gaskins ‘64.
Date: May 05, 2021 -
Article ItemScientists from Virginia Tech, City of Hope aim to improve therapy for deadly brain cancer , article
Researchers at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and City of Hope believe the complex way fluid flows through glioblastoma tumors holds the key to improving the success of CAR-T cell therapy in treating the cancer and helping more patients survive.
Date: Apr 28, 2021 -
Article ItemTBMH graduate student awarded NIH fellowship to study ovarian cancer cell mitochondria , article
Joe Grieco, a Virginia Tech translational biology, medicine, and health graduate (TBMH) graduate student, was awarded a National Institutes of Health grant that will fund his remaining predoctoral research on ovarian cancer. Grieco is mentored by Eva Schmelz, a professor in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
Date: Apr 23, 2021 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech, Children’s National scientists to discuss cancer research at ‘Hokies for Good’ event , article
The scientists will talk about leading-edge cancer research projects in a public Zoom discussion at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 13. The event is an opportunity for people to meet some of the dedicated researchers working together to take on cancer.
Date: Apr 09, 2021 -
Article ItemUnified Vision: How Children’s National Hospital, Virginia Tech, JLABS are creating pediatric and healthcare research hub in Washington, D.C. , article
Leaders from Children's National Hospital, Virginia Tech, and Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC detailed how ambitious goals and strategic alignment were key to developing the new Children's National Research & Innovation Campus at last week's Healthcare Project Delivery Conference.
Date: Feb 28, 2021 -
Article ItemTumors and centrosomes: Researchers receive grant to investigate cancer evolution , article
Unlike many of us during the COVID-19 pandemic, biological cells are not isolated from the outside world. This relationship between cell and environment also applies to the development of cancer, which a team of Virginia Tech scientists is now researching with the help of a grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Date: Feb 24, 2021 -
Article ItemOf mice, men – and fish: Researchers find parallels in spread of human brain cancer cells in mammals, zebrafish , article
Scientists at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have identified a new zebrafish model that could help advance glioblastoma multiforme research.
Date: Feb 11, 2021 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech, Children’s National Hospital award $100,000 to fund collaborative cancer research pilot projects , article
Children’s National Hospital and Virginia Tech have awarded two $50,000 one-year pilot grants to multi-institutional teams of scientists for pediatric brain cancer research.
Date: Jan 12, 2021 -
Article ItemTracking fluid flow in tumors, tissues drives new Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC scientist , article
Jennifer Munson is a biomedical engineer and one of a handful of scientists examining how interstitial flow – the flow of fluids in the spaces surrounding cells within human tissues – can aggravate cancers, accelerate Alzheimer’s disease, and effectively deliver drugs. She joined the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute’s primary faculty team this summer.
Date: Jan 01, 2021 -
Article ItemShocking the cellular world: Engineers’ collaborative work discovers force signature of cells undergoing electroporation , article
Electroporation has been used in many medical applications, such as gene transfection and electrochemotherapy, since the 1980s. In this study, the researchers improved upon an established method of electroporation, in which medicines or genes are injected into holes formed in a cell’s membrane.
Date: Dec 22, 2020 -
Article ItemFrom Costa Rica to the National Human Genome Research Institute: Biochemist Ariana Umaña uses her family as inspiration , article
After graduation this winter, Umaña is going to work at the National Human Research Genome Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
Date: Dec 08, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech, Children’s National Hospital request proposals for new brain cancer research pilot grants , article
Children’s National Hospital and Virginia Tech launched a new pilot funding opportunity to advance brain cancer research. Two dual-institution teams will each be awarded a one-year, $50,000 grant.
Date: Dec 02, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech’s Animal Cancer Care and Research Center opening a grand occasion for region’s pets , article
Accommodating the relocation and expansion of the oncology service from the Veterinary Teaching Hospital in Blacksburg, the brand-new Animal Cancer Care and Research Center is a vital part of the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, Virginia.
Date: Nov 11, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech scientists, engineers to talk about steps to stop cancer in virtual public session , article
A year ago, Virginia Tech united its biomedical and technical expertise into a Cancer Research Alliance to take on the second leading cause of death in the United States. Now, scientists and engineers will talk about some leading-edge projects in breast cancer, brain cancer, and noninvasive cancer treatments in a public Zoom discussion at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 10.
Date: Nov 02, 2020 -
Article ItemThe race against cancer’s clock: New study shows chronic jet lag impairs immune response, accelerates tumor growth , article
A new study led by Carla Finkielstein, an associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, and Diego Golombek, a professor at the National University of Quilmes, reveals that chronic jet lag impedes the body’s immune system and also changes the tumor microenvironment, favoring tumor growth.
Date: Oct 14, 2020 -
Article ItemCarla Finkielstein named Luther and Alice Hamlett Junior Faculty Fellow by Board of Visitors , article
The award provides support for outstanding faculty members who hold the rank of assistant or associate professor and whose work supports the missions of the college’s Academy of Integrated Science.
Date: Oct 05, 2020 -
Article ItemFluid flow in the brain: Sorting the good and the bad , article
Ian Kimbrough, an assistant professor in the School of Neuroscience, and Jennifer Munson, an assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, are taking research learned from brain tumors to help fight Alzheimer’s.
Date: Sep 23, 2020 -
Article ItemResearcher receives NIH grant to study noninvasive treatment for metastatic breast tumors , article
The aim of this project is to develop a novel, noninvasive method that combines nanoparticles with ultrasound to selectively target and kill cancerous cells in the breast tissue.
Date: Aug 27, 2020 -
Article ItemFralin Biomedical Research Institute biotech spin-off seeks potential breast cancer treatment , article
Roanoke-based cancer research startup, Acomhal Research Inc., secured a $399,878 Small Business Technology Transfer grant to determine if a molecule that stalls the spread of invasive brain cancer stem cells can help treat aggressive forms of breast cancer.
Date: Jul 28, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers discover that mouth bacterium may cause colon cancer to spread , article
A diverse array of bacteria live in the human mouth as part of a vital ecosystem known as the oral microbiome. Virginia Tech researchers have discovered that one of these common bacteria can leave the mouth and potentially cause existing cancer cells in other parts of the body to spread.
Date: Jul 21, 2020 -
Article ItemResearchers use cell imaging and mathematical modeling to understand cancer progression , article
Using a combination of experiments and mathematical modeling, a team of researchers from the Department of Biological Sciences and the Fralin Life Sciences Institute are beginning to unravel the mechanisms that lie behind tetraploidy - a chromosomal abnormality that is often found in malignant tumors.
Date: Jul 17, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech cancer researcher Carla Finkielstein to join Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC , article
Finkielstein, a molecular biologist and an associate professor in the College of Science, will join the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC on July 1. Her laboratory, which studies how circadian rhythms are involved in breast cancer progression, will move to the Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke.
Date: Jun 23, 2020 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech veterinary neurologist helps establish shared 'life history' of brain cancer in dogs and people , article
A team of researchers, including the veterinary college’s John Rossmeisl, the Dr. and Mrs. Dorsey Taylor Mahin Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery, analyzed tumor samples from dozens of gliomas in adults, children, and dogs and uncovered a remarkable degree of similarity between pediatric and canine tumors.
Date: Jun 10, 2020 -
Article ItemMichael A. Fox named new director of Virginia Tech School of Neuroscience , article
Fox, director of the Center for Neurobiology Research at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, will move from his current leadership position into a new role as director of the School of Neuroscience, taking over a position held by founding director Harald Sontheimer.
Date: Jun 08, 2020 -
Article ItemSophisticated new scanner to aid cancer research, treatment for pets and people , article
The Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke began installation of a new CT scanner, which will be used to advance understanding of cancer in pets and in people.
Date: May 28, 2020 -
Article ItemScientists reveal how brain tumors impact normally supportive cells , article
The same brain cells designed to stop brain damage fail to support healthy neurons when a cancer grows. New research, led by Stefanie Robel and Harald Sontheimer at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC, reveals how gliomas alter astrocytes, a cell type that helps protect neurons and is crucial to preventing seizures.
Date: Apr 01, 2020 -
Article ItemPioneering medical scientist will connect cancer care, reproductive health, and fertility at public lecture , article
The lecture by Teresa Woodruff, director of Northwestern University’s Women’s Health Research Institute, will not occur this week and will be rescheduled.
Date: Mar 06, 2020 -
Article ItemGraduate student receives first Mitzi L. Frank Memorial Scholarship to support cancer research , article
The inaugural Mitzi L. Frank Memorial Scholarship has been awarded to Jesse Janoski, a first-year graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences, who is researching cancer and circadian rhythms.
Date: Feb 04, 2020 -
Article ItemGlobal cancer expert to address how social inequities raise survival risks at Maury Strauss Distinguished Public Lecture , article
Ophira Ginsburg, medical oncologist and executive director of the High-Risk Cancer Genetics Program at New York University’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, will discuss how social inequalities negatively impact cancer survival rates on Dec. 5 in Roanoke.
Date: Nov 29, 2019 -
Article ItemScrappy McDaniel is a fighter , article
Experts in the latest advances in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer, the veterinary college's oncology clinicians are dedicated to advancing health care in both animals and humans.
Date: Nov 21, 2019 -
Article ItemChildren’s National Hospital, Virginia Tech announce partnership for new Children’s National Research & Innovation Campus , article
The campus is an expansion of Children’s National that is located on a nearly 12-acre portion of the former Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., and is set to open its first phase in December 2020.
Date: Nov 14, 2019 -
Article ItemVeterinary college’s clinical trials advance cancer care in pets and people , article
Thanks to collaborations between veterinary medicine, biomedical engineering, and cancer biology at Virginia Tech, the university is on the cusp of the next truly big breakthrough in treating cancer.
Date: Oct 24, 2019 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech announces expansive cancer research initiative , article
Virginia Tech has developed a university-wide cancer research strategy to create and expand synergies among more than 30 existing research teams at work finding new ways to diagnose and treat cancer.
Date: Oct 16, 2019 -
Article ItemVeterinary college’s Irving Coy Allen collaborates for a cause , article
Allen, an associate professor of inflammatory disease in the Department of Biomedical Sciences and Pathobiology, weaves together Virginia Tech’s experts to conduct unprecedented health research.
Date: Sep 23, 2019 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers receive NIH grant to look at how oral bacteria contributes to colorectal cancer , article
Colorectal cancer is the second most common form of cancer in the world, with rates about 30 percent higher in developed countries. It’s expected to cause 51,020 deaths in the United States during 2019.
Date: Aug 01, 2019 -
Article ItemCarla Finkielstein and team honored with award for research into circadian rhythms and cancer , article
A team of Virginia Tech researchers led by Finkielstein, an associate professor in the College of Science, has been honored with the 2019 J. Shelton Horsley Research Award from the Virginia Academy of Science.
Date: Jun 25, 2019 -
Article ItemVirginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine looks to expand reach, impact , article
At the June meeting of the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors, Gregory B. Daniel, interim dean of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine, outlined the college’s ongoing efforts, underscoring their alignment with the university’s goals, and discussed forthcoming programs and facilities.
Date: Jun 12, 2019 -
Article ItemOncologic surgeon Joanne Tuohy joins veterinary college at Virginia Tech , article
Tuohy was recruited to Virginia Tech to develop a satellite surgery service that will be housed in the Comparative Oncology Research Center, a state-of-the-art clinical and research facility anticipated to open in 2020 as a vital part of the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, Virginia.
Date: May 03, 2019 -
Article ItemPh.D. student uses computational biochemistry to tackle neurodegeneration, cancer, and premature aging , article
In December 2018, Alexa Salsbury, a Virginia Tech graduate student in the Department of Biochemistry, received the Bruce M. Anderson Graduate Award for the Outstanding First-Year Biochemistry Graduate Student.
Date: Apr 25, 2019 -
Article ItemDrug hunters awarded $2.8 million to develop a drug to treat multiple sclerosis , article
Webster Santos, professor of chemistry and the Cliff and Agnes Lilly Faculty Fellow in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, recently received a $2.8 million award from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases to discover drugs to inhibit a small molecule transporter.
Date: Mar 08, 2019 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech undergraduate biochemistry and biological sciences student wins Sigma Xi research grant , article
The grant awarded to Esther Wisdom, a junior in the Honors College, is one of 17 of the approved proposals submitted by undergraduate students. Overall, 12 percent of the grant applications were approved for funding.
Date: Feb 20, 2019 -
Article ItemTiming is everything: New discoveries in circadian rhythms provide insight into cancer treatment , article
Researchers, including Carla Finkielstein, are now discovering that molecules usually implicated in protecting us from cancer initiation and progression are directly involved in regulating the function of our daily circadian rhythms.
Date: Feb 01, 2019 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers create a bacteria-based drug delivery system that outperforms conventional methods , article
Researchers have developed a process to chemically attach nanoparticles of anti-cancer drugs onto attenuated bacteria cells, which they have shown to be more effective than the passive delivery of injections at reaching cancer sites.
Date: Dec 19, 2018 -
Article ItemClass of 2018: Kristin Eden brings animal and human health perspective in new role at Virginia Tech Carilion , article
In her role as an assistant professor in VTCSOM's Department of Basic Science Education, the three-time Hokie, veterinary pathologist, and researcher will teach medical students as well as conduct translational research in inflammatory bowel disease and colorectal cancer.
Date: Dec 11, 2018 -
Article ItemResearchers study parallels in how some cancer survivors and people with addiction value the future , article
People more recently diagnosed with cancer are more likely to drink alcohol, use tobacco, and frequent tanning beds than people in later stages of recovery, according to a research team from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Date: Nov 30, 2018 -
Article ItemNew biomedical gel could ease pain in cervical cancer treatment , article
Tim Long, a professor of chemistry at Virginia Tech, and Tim Showalter, a radiation oncologist at UVA’s Cancer Center, are testing a gel that could be used during radiation treatment for cervical cancer.
Date: Nov 26, 2018 -
Article ItemNew drug application stops spread of brain cancer cells caused by clinical treatment approach , article
This work is part of a five-year research grant project across multiple universities, examining the role of interstitial fluid flow in the spread of brain cancer cells.
Date: Nov 19, 2018 -
Article ItemResearchers discover insights into cellular surveillance pathway that may have implications for cancer treatment , article
Silke Hauf, an associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, studies a cellular surveillance pathway, or a cellular "checkpoint," that prevents cells from acquiring the wrong number of chromosomes.
Date: Sep 27, 2018 -
Article ItemMilk protein shown to alleviate chemotherapy side effects could enhance patients’ recovery , article
In a new paper published in the journal Food & Function, Virginia Tech College of Agriculture and Life Sciences researchers Susan Duncan and Aili Wang investigated the feasibility of lactoferrin, a protein found in saliva and milk, as a treatment for taste and smell abnormalities caused by chemotherapy.
Date: Sep 25, 2018 -
Article ItemVTCRI research team identifies a potential strategy in fight against brain cancer , article
Scientists with the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute say a gene involved in the body’s sleep cycle is a potential target for therapies to help patients with a deadly form of brain cancer known as glioblastoma.
Date: Sep 24, 2018 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech graduate student pursues innovative microbe-based cancer therapy , article
Katherine Broadway, a Virginia Tech graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences, is researching a cutting-edge, microbe-based cancer therapy as her dissertation project.
Date: Jul 20, 2018 -
Article ItemVTCRI scientist earns third concurrent grant from the National Cancer Institute to study breast cancer , article
Deb Kelly, who is also an associate professor of biological sciences in the College of Science at Virginia Tech, is working to better detect, prevent, and repair the mutations found in cancers related to the breast cancer susceptibility protein, BRCA1.
Date: Jul 10, 2018 -
Article ItemVTCRI scientists identify novel cellular mechanism that can lead to cancer metastasis , article
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have added a new dimension to the understanding of how cells alter their communication with one another during development, wound healing, and the spread of cancer.
Date: May 29, 2018 -
Article ItemFirst students earn degrees through innovative translational biology, medicine, and health program , article
The program is based on the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus in Roanoke, and it positions students to conduct research in more than 50 departments and institutes across Virginia Tech.
Date: May 09, 2018 -
Article ItemCarmouche and Sheng receive 2018 VTCSOM Outstanding Research Mentor Awards , article
Students and alumni nominated individuals who provided clear expectations and high standards for students to conduct original hypothesis-driven research effectively and provide opportunities for professional growth.
Date: Apr 04, 2018 -
Article ItemVTCRI scientist awarded $2 million National Cancer Institute grant to study breast cancer , article
The National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health has awarded Deborah Kelly, an associate professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, $2 million to study the mutated form of the breast cancer susceptibility protein that is implicated in hereditary breast cancer.
Date: Mar 29, 2018 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers examine role of fluid flow in ovarian cancer progression , article
Known as the silent killer, ovarian cancer is notorious for avoiding detection until it has progressed to an advanced stage. New research from Virginia Tech on fluid shear stress in the abdominal cavity is moving physicians closer to earlier diagnosis and more effective treatment.
Date: Mar 22, 2018 -
Article ItemEpigenomic tool breakthrough has implications for identifying disease processes , article
A major advancement has been made on how epigenomics are studied that permits mapping a genome-scale profile of epigenetic changes using less than a couple hundred cells, a factor of 100-300 reduction in the sample amount compared to existing alternatives.
Date: Mar 09, 2018 -
Article ItemResearchers discover molecular mechanism of hereditary, tumor-causing disease , article
Von Hippel-Lindau syndrome is a rare disease, affecting about one in every 36,000 people, according to the National Institutes of Health. People with the disorder have an increased risk for developing cancer, but a main concern is on the syndrome’s characteristic benign growths.
Date: Mar 07, 2018 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists seek unfiltered truth about 'light' cigarettes , article
VTCRI scientists will focus on how ventilated filters on cigarettes, product packaging, and messaging have affected cigarette use, and also how alternative nicotine delivery systems — such as electronic cigarettes — can be used to modify smoking behavior.
Date: Mar 06, 2018 -
Article ItemCollaborative grant takes on brain cancer cell invasion , article
A relatively unexplored area of cancer research, interstitial fluid flow, or the movement of fluid around and through the three-dimensional space surrounding cells, has been shown to lead to an increase in cancer cell invasion. However, the mechanisms of how and why that happens, particularly in cases of brain cancer, are still unknown.
Date: Feb 01, 2018 -
Article ItemVTCRI scientists identify new target for developing precision treatment in malignant brain tumors , article
Currently, no standard of care exists to prevent or treat recurrent malignant primary brain tumors in patients.
Date: Jan 30, 2018 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech biomedical spinoff cited for innovation by national university associations , article
Acomhal Research Inc., formed to fight a deadly type of brain cancer, is being recognized this week by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities and the Association of American Universities.
Date: Nov 13, 2017 -
Article ItemGovernor, Virginia Tech Carilion officials break ground on VTC Biomedical Research Expansion , article
The 139,000-gross-square-foot building will rise on the Virginia Tech Carilion Health Sciences and Technology Campus at Jefferson Street and Reserve Avenue and will be physically connected by an elevated walkway to the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute. It is expected to open in 2020.
Date: Oct 24, 2017 -
Article ItemTranslational biology, medicine, and health doctoral student elected microscopy student council president , article
Cameron Varano conducts structural biology research in the laboratory of Deborah Kelly, an associate professor at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and one of the biological sciences director for the MSA.
Date: Sep 25, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists decode breast cancer protein , article
Their results, published this week in Science Advances, suggest a new paradigm for better managing the mutated BRCA1 protein found in triple-negative breast cancer cells. Triple-negative breast cancer is aggressive, as its tumor cells typically lack target receptors that allow cancer-fighting drugs to be effective.
Date: Sep 20, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute teams converge on strategies to defeat McCain’s form of brain cancer , article
Research teams at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute from three colleges — Engineering, Science, and Veterinary Medicine — are developing new approaches to treat glioblastoma, the aggressive form of brain cancer recently diagnosed in U.S. Sen. John McCain.
Date: Jul 24, 2017 -
Article ItemMcCain’s form of cancer challenges treatment, Virginia Tech researchers say , article
Sontheimer and several other Virginia Tech scientists are available to discuss the latest research efforts to eradicate the world’s deadliest form of brain cancer. About half of glioblastoma patients die within the 12 to 18 months of diagnosis, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Date: Jul 20, 2017 -
Article ItemThird medical student earns St. Baldrick’s fellowship to study cancer at the VTC Research Institute , article
Lamvy Le is the third medical student at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine to receive the grant, which will support her research in therapies that could potentially treat pediatric brain cancer.
Date: Jul 17, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech to cosponsor VirginiaBrainRx Symposium in Charlottesville May 30-31 , article
Organizer David Kingston said the idea of the consortium is to facilitate collaborative drug discovery, development, and delivery in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Date: May 25, 2017 -
Article ItemAndrea Kuliasha’s cancer research driven by personal experience , article
When her mother was diagnosed with cancer, Andrea Kuliasha threw herself into studying the disease. Those studies have guided her into a career path.
Date: May 09, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute assistant professor elected biological sciences director for the Microscopy Society of America , article
Deborah Kelly began her three-year commitment to the national society in February. As a director of biological sciences, Kelly works with the society’s executive council. The group is developing an outreach program with the goal of bringing early career scientists into the society.
Date: Apr 10, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researcher seeks new ways to treat aggressive brain tumors , article
Scott Verbridge, assistant professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, is working on an innovative cancer treatment using the physical properties of tumors as effective alternative targets for next-generation therapies.
Date: Apr 10, 2017 -
Article ItemResearchers discover how breast cancer mutation in BRCA1 causes protein to self-destruct , article
Of the more than 3 million people with breast cancer in the United Stated, about 10 percent carry an inherited mutation in their BRCA1 gene. In health, the gene is responsible for suppressing tumors. In disease, the gene goes terribly awry.
Date: Mar 01, 2017 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech researchers help the body protect itself against inflammation and colon cancer , article
Researchers found that modifying the shape of IRAK-M, a protein that controls inflammation, can significantly reduce the clinical progression of both diseases in pre-clinical animal models.
Date: Jan 25, 2017 -
Article ItemBiocomplexity Institute researchers take Celldance film festival by storm , article
Daniela Cimini and her laboratory are one of three finalists chosen by the American Society of Cell Biology to showcase their research in a dramatic video at the film festival.
Date: Dec 08, 2016 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech and CytImmune Sciences create cancer therapy that reduces chemo side effects , article
Virginia Tech scientists, teaming with biotech firm CytImmune Sciences, have developed a cancer drug that uses gold nanoparticles and shows promise to be more effective and less harmful to body.
Date: Nov 16, 2016 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech awarded grant to help fortify coastal cities against natural disasters , article
Virginia Tech engineers, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Miami, received a two-year, $500,000 National Science Foundation grant to design new computational, mathematical, and simulation frameworks to protect the critical infrastructure of coastal cities against natural disasters.
Date: Nov 02, 2016 -
Article ItemNation’s leading environmental health sciences official to open Distinguished Public Lecture Series , article
Linda S. Birnbaum, a toxicologist and the director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and National Toxicology Program, will discuss the interplay of environmental hazards and health Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Date: Oct 18, 2016 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech, Georgetown team building computer models to prevent breast cancer regrowth , article
William Baumann and his team are using experimental data on cancer cell lines grown in the laboratory in Georgetown as the basis for a mathematical model to design and test therapies to deter breast cancer recurrence.
Date: Oct 04, 2016 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech to spearhead $19.4 million effort to build new software institute dedicated to molecular, chemical computational modeling , article
The university will lead a new initiative to build a national team of software scientists to design and build new, powerful software tools, in what will be called the Molecular Sciences Software Institute.
Date: Jul 29, 2016 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists are first to visualize breast cancer protein in precise detail , article
The team developed a “tunable” microchip that can capture proteins from human breast cancer cells to directly view them with high precision and to study how they function and interact with other molecules.
Date: Jun 20, 2016 -
Article ItemRafael Davalos selected as American Society of Mechanical Engineers Fellow , article
Fellowship is the highest elected grade of the society’s membership.
Date: May 31, 2016 -
Article ItemMedical student earns 2 national fellowships to conduct brain cancer research , article
Pratik Kanabur said he will study new ways to potentially treat children’s malignant brain cancer with Assistant Professor Zhi Sheng at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.
Date: Apr 27, 2016 -
Article ItemWorld-leading biological structure innovator to speak at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute , article
Sriram Subramaniam will present on, “Visualizing Biology in 3D: Why Does It Matter?” on April 21 at 5 p.m. in Roanoke.
Date: Apr 20, 2016 -
Article ItemVeterinary college's Nick Dervisis honored with 2016 Zoetis Award for Research Excellence , article
Since joining the veterinary college in 2012, veterinary oncologist Nick Dervisis has helped build a successful oncology service at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital .
Date: Apr 19, 2016 -
Article ItemMedical students to present four years of research at annual symposium , article
The third annual Medical Student Research Symposium at the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine will feature the culmination of four years of research by 42 students.
Date: Mar 21, 2016 -
Article ItemResearchers find way to make resistant brain cancer cells sensitive to treatment , article
Scientists from the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute and clinicians from Carilion Clinic have discovered how to sensitize drug-resistant human glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy.
Date: Nov 16, 2015 -
Article ItemProposed School of Neuroscience expected to attract large interest from undergraduates , article
Virginia Tech’s proposed School of Neuroscience is closer to opening after Board of Visitors' approval. “This is a step in Virginia Tech’s development into a 21st century land grant university. Every discipline grounded in human decision-making and human interaction will be transformed by our rapidly expanding understanding of how the brain works. Students across the disciplines who participate in our neuroscience curriculum will be in positions to lead in their chosen fields.”
Date: Nov 11, 2015 -
Article ItemScientists find a small tweak may make a big difference in immune cell development , article
Scientists at the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute have discovered that even a small shift in environmental factors can change how a cell in the immune system matures.
Date: Nov 03, 2015 -
Article ItemScientist receives grant to study underpinnings of hard-to-treat, hereditary breast cancer , article
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientist awarded $1.8 million grant to study structure of BRCA1 proteins and mutations.
Date: Sep 11, 2015 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech Magazine explores the fight against cancer, remembers the late President Emeritus Paul Torgersen , article
The summer 2015 edition of Virginia Tech Magazine explores the university community's various roles in the fight against cancer; remembers the life and career of the late Paul Torgersen, Virginia Tech's president from 1994 through 2000; overviews campus construction projects to improve traffic flow; and examines a catapult-like device designed by the Virginia Tech chapter of the Society of American Military Engineers.
Date: Jul 30, 2015 -
Article ItemNew technology helps personalized medicine by enabling epigenomic analysis with a mere 100 cells , article
A new technology that will dramatically enhance investigations of epigenomes, the machinery that turns on and off genes and a very prominent field of study in diseases such as stem cell differentiation, inflammation and cancer, is reported on today in the research journal Nature Methods.
Date: Jul 28, 2015 -
Article Item2015 Illuminator Award recipients announced , article Date: Jun 04, 2015
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Article ItemScientists visualize potential brain cancer treatments in real time , article
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists have developed new imaging techniques to watch dangerous brain tumor cells respond to treatment in real time.
Date: Apr 10, 2015 -
Article ItemBahareh Behkam wins National Science Foundation award to develop new methods to combat cancer , article
Innovative work on bacteria-based cancer therapy has earned Bahareh Behkam, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at Virginia Tech, a 2015 National Science Foundation (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award of $505,000.
Date: Feb 24, 2015 -
Article ItemA dog lives on; now the stage is being set for treating humans , article
Almost five years ago, a 7-year old Labrador Retriever was operated on using a technique eventually patented by Virginia Tech biomedical engineering faculty member Rafael Davalos. The pet suffered from a cancerous mass in the brain, and all other forms of treatment had been exhausted. The operation eradicated the malignant tumor, and follow up examinations of the canine proved the procedure’s success.
Date: Feb 19, 2015 -
Article ItemGoing viral: Targeting brain cancer cells with a wound-healing drug , article
At the Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute, three scientists are planning to create a virus capable of destroying brain cancer. It sounds like the stuff of science fiction, but it isn’t hypothetical – the researchers were recently awarded a grant from the Commonwealth Research Commercialization Fund, part of the Center for Innovative Technology, to engineer a viral therapy.
Date: Jan 05, 2015 -
Article ItemAdvances in 'tumor engineering' lead to grant to improve drug therapy , article
Biomedical engineer Scott Verbridge of Virginia Tech is working on the better understanding of the responses of experimental tumor tissues to chemotherapy drugs. As a result, the National Institutes of Health has awarded him $406,000 to further investigate the emergence of chemoresistance in engineered tumors.
Date: Oct 20, 2014 -
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Article ItemResearchers to study mechanisms of hard-to-solve, hereditary breast cancer to find treatment option , article
Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute scientists to investigate BRCA1-related cancers.
Date: Jul 29, 2014 -
Article ItemResearchers test cutting-edge treatment for stubborn skin tumors , article
The Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine and the Virginia Tech-Wake Forest University School of Biomedical Engineering and Science have joined forces to find an effective treatment for sarcoids, a form of skin tumor that is usually benign.
Date: Nov 12, 2013 -
Article ItemDrug patch treatment sees new breakthrough under watch of Virginia Tech biomedical engineer , article
A Virginia Tech - Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering researcher has developed a flexible microneedle patch that allows for easy drug delivery.
Date: Sep 16, 2013 -
Article ItemScott Verbridge uses micro-fabricated blood vessels to study tumor growth and anti-angiogenic cancer therapy , article
Researchers have established a 3-D microfluidic system to study a biological process known as endothelial sprouting. This process represents an early step in new blood vessel growth called angiogenesis.
Date: Jul 31, 2013 -
Article ItemNational Institutes of Health awards new study in cancer research to Chang Lu , article
Progress made in the technology development for studying protein-DNA interactions, conducted by Chang Lu, associate professor of chemical engineering and a core faculty member of the School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences at Virginia Tech, has led to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarding a new project to continue his groundbreaking work.
Date: Jun 18, 2013 -
Article ItemScientists image nanoparticles in action , article
A newly developed technique captures the movements of nanoparticles in a liquid environment with atomic resolution.
Date: Apr 25, 2013 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech study finds virus promising for prostate cancer treatment , article
Researchers at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine have discovered that a genetically engineered Newcastle disease virus, which harms chickens but not humans, kills prostate cancer cells of all kinds, including hormone-resistant cancer cells.
Date: Apr 08, 2013 -
Article ItemCylindrical cell structure parts may aid in targeting diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's , article
Biology professor Jianhua Xing and his colleagues are trying to learn how microtubules work. The knowledge may aid them in finding ways to fight cancer, and Huntington's, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases.
Date: Jul 26, 2012 -
Article ItemVirginia Tech research magazine reports on saving wildlife, recovering coal from slurry ponds, treating brain tumors, who is running the country , article
Several articles in the winter 2012 research magazine are described.
Date: Jan 24, 2012 -
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Article ItemTechulon licenses technology that integrates diagnostics with therapeutics , article
A local company has licensed a product tha delivers genetic medicine to cells and can be tracked visually to diagnose and treat cancer.
Date: Oct 26, 2010 -
Article ItemNew cancer therapy appears promising in pre-clinical trials , article
A new method for treating breast cancer is showing early promise in pre-clinical trials.
Date: Oct 05, 2010 -
Article ItemChemist to donate potential pharmaceutical royalties to developing country , article
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Date: Nov 14, 2008 -
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Article ItemDoctoral student receives international NSF award to study blood vessels’ role in oxygen delivery , article
Cora Esparza, a third-year doctoral student in biomedical engineering, is driven by work that fills a need, and she does this in her research. She has received a National Science Foundation IIE-Graduate International Research Experience award to pursue her research abroad.
Date: Aug 20, 2021
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Redirect ItemBioengineer: $100,000 to fund collaborative cancer research , redirect Date: Jan 14, 2021
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Redirect ItemNeuroscience News: Jet Lag Conditions Impair Immune Response , redirect Date: Oct 14, 2020
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Redirect ItemWVTF: Potential New Treatment for Deadliest Brain Diseases , redirect Date: Dec 05, 2018
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Redirect ItemWVTF: Glioblastoma canine clinical trials , redirect Date: Nov 16, 2015
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Virtual Seminar: Dissecting Toxicities of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors , homeNov. 19, 2021, 11:00 a.m. | Douglas Johnson, M.D. | Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series
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In Person Seminar: Estradiol Modulates the Brain Niche to Promote Brain Metastases , homeJan. 28, 2022, 11:00 a.m. | Diana Cittelly, Ph.D. | Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series
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In Person Seminar: Targeting PIK3CA Mutant Cancers , homeMarch 11, 2022, 11:00 a.m. | Zhenghe J. Wang, Ph.D. | Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series
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In Person Seminar: Copper Conducted Kinase Signaling in Cancer , homeApril 1, 2022, 11:00 a.m. | Donita Brady, Ph.D. | Pioneers in Biomedical Research Seminar Series