University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) researchers have received $800,000 in grants to study gene mutations in patients whose head and neck cancer was caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) in hopes of finding a more effective, less toxic therapy for the disease.
The grants are from the V Foundation for Cancer Research in North Carolina, which was formed by ESPN and former college basketball coach Jim Valvano.
A three-year, $600,000 grant was awarded to principal investigator Julie Bauman, MD, MPH, an associate professor of medicine and director of the head and neck cancer section at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Head and Neck Cancer Center of Excellence.
The grant will help researchers build on existing scientific knowledge and pioneer new treatments for head and neck cancer, which affects more than 50,000 people in the U.S. and 600,000 people worldwide each year, according to Dr. Bauman. HPV infections have become one of the main causes of head and neck cancer in North America and Europe. Although HPV-related cancer responds well to intensive treatment, combinations of surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can result in permanent changes to uniquely human functions such as facial expression, speech, and swallowing.
"We've already learned that half of HPV-related head and neck cancers demonstrate abnormalities in a gene known as PIK3CA," Dr. Bauman said in a statement. "We're now learning how alterations in this gene cooperate with the virus to transform benign HPV infections into cancer. In addition, we are conducting a clinical trial to see whether a new drug that targets PIK3CA improves response in patients with HPV-related cancer. Ultimately, we aim to identify more effective and less toxic treatments, and even to prevent the transformation of HPV infection into cancer."
Kara Bernstein, PhD, an assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics at the University of Pittsburgh, received a V Scholar award, worth $200,000 over two years. As a V Scholar, Bernstein will use her award to investigate why people who have mutations in proteins known as RAD51 paralogues are more susceptible to getting cancer -- particularly breast and ovarian -- and to identify methods for treating their specific cancers.
“Our goal is to uncover individualized cancer treatment for these particular tumors so these patients will have the best outcomes possible,” Dr. Bernstein said.
The V Foundation has awarded more than $100 million for cancer research to more than 100 facilities nationwide. The translational research grants are designed to accelerate laboratory findings with the goal of benefiting patients more quickly. The V Scholar grants are designed to help early-career cancer investigators develop into promising future research talents.
