NIGMS Grants Support Cancer Research at FAMU CoPPS, IPH

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded two grants to support groundbreaking studies. With a combined funding of over $1.1 million, these grants aim to address colorectal and resistant lung cancer from innovative perspectives.

The first grant, entitled "Monitoring Community Efforts to Increase Colorectal Cancer Screening in African Americans," has been awarded $600,350 over four years. Dr. John Luque, a Professor at the Institute of Public Health, will serve as the Principal Investigator for this project. The grant, which builds upon previous research conducted under the RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research led by Associate Dean for Research & Graduate Studies, Dr. Karam Soliman, was awarded on April 1, 2023. This study aims to monitor colorectal cancer screening rates among African American patients in community health centers. By getting the community involved and engaged, the project seeks to enhance adherence to stool-based screening methods to increase screening rates. The study will collaborate with two community partners, Bond Community Health Center, and Neighborhood Medical Center, who will provide essential support for the research. 

The second grant, entitled "Exosomal Based micro RNA Delivery for Resistant Lung Cancer," has received $592,000 for four years. Dr. Mandip Sachdeva, a Professor in Pharmaceutics from the Division of Pharmaceutical Sciences, has been appointed as the Principal Investigator. This grant, awarded on April 1, 2023, also stems from the research infrastructure established by the RCMI Center for Health Disparities Research, led by Dr. Karam Soliman. The study will explore the role of Natural Killer (NK) derived exosomes in delivering micro RNAs (Lamin B2 and PDL1) to combat resistance in Non-small cell lung cancer. This groundbreaking approach to immunotherapy aims to utilize exosomes formulated with carboplatin, a chemotherapeutic drug, to achieve synergistic anticancer effects while minimizing toxicity to patients.

This research is essential to FAMU College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Institute of Public Health (CoPPS, IPH), highlighting its dedication to advancing scientific knowledge and finding innovative solutions to complex healthcare challenges. Both projects, submitted under the Support for Research Excellence (SuRE) Award (R16) program, represent a bold step forward in the fight against cancer. These CoPPS, IPH faculty researchers are addressing health disparities by adopting new strategies to improve patient outcomes.