micropundit
October 3rd, 2005, 08:15 PM
Staff Writer
Erin Moriarty
Emory University and Georgia Tech together have been selected for a prestigious, national designation in the field of cancer research -- worth about $20 million.
The two Atlanta institutions have been chosen as one of seven "National Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence" through the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute. The designation and its accompanying grant is worth about $20 million over the next five years for Emory and Georgia Tech.
The new center will be named the "Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center for Personalized and Predictive Oncology." It will be housed both in the Emory Winship Cancer Institute and on the Georgia Tech campus.
The new center's director and principal investigator is Shuming Nie, who is the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor in the Georgia Tech/Emory joint department of biomedical engineering. The co-principal investigator is Dr. Jonathan Simons, director of Emory's Winship Cancer Institute and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.
"This Center will benefit cancer patients not only in the Winship Cancer Institute clinics, but also in Georgia and the world, by providing new technologies for early detection, more accurate molecular-level diagnosis, and targeted nano-particle drugs for individualized cancer therapy," Nie said.
Nanotechnology -- which is often called "the small science" -- takes place at the atomic, molecular or macro-molecular levels. The particles are measured with a nanometer that is equivalent to one-billionth of a meter, or 100,000 times smaller than a strand of human hair.
Researchers say it offers great promise for much earlier cancer detection, personalized diagnostics for cancer treatment and the creation of new cancer drugs. Specifically, Atlanta researchers will be working on using nanotechnology for cancer molecular imaging, molecular profiling and personalized therapy.
"Nanotechnology will eventually apply to all cancers. However, this grant is focusing on breast and prostate cancers because they represent a number of compelling challenges and opportunities in cancer research," said Bill Todd, president and CEO of the Georgia Cancer Coalition. "These cancers are among the most common cancers and have high mortality rates, yet there is evidence that with targeted therapies for these types of cancer we can improve survival in Georgia and in the nation."
They also will be focused on the goal of bringing scientific research to patients more quickly. Specifically, they will work to "reduce the time separating basic discovery in nanotechnology and earlier cancer detection and therapies that will target biomarkers for personalized and predictive therapy," said Dr. Michael M.E. Johns, CEO and director of Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center.
Todd said the award illustrates how successful collaborative efforts can be.
Erin Moriarty
Emory University and Georgia Tech together have been selected for a prestigious, national designation in the field of cancer research -- worth about $20 million.
The two Atlanta institutions have been chosen as one of seven "National Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence" through the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute. The designation and its accompanying grant is worth about $20 million over the next five years for Emory and Georgia Tech.
The new center will be named the "Emory-Georgia Tech Nanotechnology Center for Personalized and Predictive Oncology." It will be housed both in the Emory Winship Cancer Institute and on the Georgia Tech campus.
The new center's director and principal investigator is Shuming Nie, who is the Wallace H. Coulter Distinguished Chair Professor in the Georgia Tech/Emory joint department of biomedical engineering. The co-principal investigator is Dr. Jonathan Simons, director of Emory's Winship Cancer Institute and Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Georgia Tech.
"This Center will benefit cancer patients not only in the Winship Cancer Institute clinics, but also in Georgia and the world, by providing new technologies for early detection, more accurate molecular-level diagnosis, and targeted nano-particle drugs for individualized cancer therapy," Nie said.
Nanotechnology -- which is often called "the small science" -- takes place at the atomic, molecular or macro-molecular levels. The particles are measured with a nanometer that is equivalent to one-billionth of a meter, or 100,000 times smaller than a strand of human hair.
Researchers say it offers great promise for much earlier cancer detection, personalized diagnostics for cancer treatment and the creation of new cancer drugs. Specifically, Atlanta researchers will be working on using nanotechnology for cancer molecular imaging, molecular profiling and personalized therapy.
"Nanotechnology will eventually apply to all cancers. However, this grant is focusing on breast and prostate cancers because they represent a number of compelling challenges and opportunities in cancer research," said Bill Todd, president and CEO of the Georgia Cancer Coalition. "These cancers are among the most common cancers and have high mortality rates, yet there is evidence that with targeted therapies for these types of cancer we can improve survival in Georgia and in the nation."
They also will be focused on the goal of bringing scientific research to patients more quickly. Specifically, they will work to "reduce the time separating basic discovery in nanotechnology and earlier cancer detection and therapies that will target biomarkers for personalized and predictive therapy," said Dr. Michael M.E. Johns, CEO and director of Emory's Woodruff Health Sciences Center.
Todd said the award illustrates how successful collaborative efforts can be.