October 03, 2007
Study targets proteins important in blood vessel growth of cancer
Grand Rapids, MI (October 3, 2007) – Van Andel Institute (VAI) officials hosted members of the Knights Templar Grand Commandery of Michigan on September 12, to commemorate the awarding of a one-year $30,000 grant by the Knights Templar Eye Foundation, Inc., to Jennifer Bromberg-White, Ph.D., a post-doctoral research fellow in the Van Andel Research Institute’s (VARI) Laboratory of Cancer and Developmental Cell Biology.
The grant supports Dr. Bromberg-White’s proposal entitled “The Role of MAPK Signaling in Vascular Development in the Eye,” which seeks to answer whether a family of proteins called MEK’s that is fundamentally important for blood vessel growth in cancer is also important in retinal development and in retinal diseases related to abnormal blood vessel growth.
“Abnormal blood vessel growth in the retina of the eye is associated with diseases that often cause severe vision loss and blindness,” said Dr. Bromberg-White. “It is important to understand the hows and whys of blood vessel growth if we are to develop new treatments for these diseases.”
In premature infants the abnormal growth of blood vessels, a condition known as retinopathy of prematurity or ROP, can scar the retina and pull it out of position. Abnormal blood vessel growth also causes acute macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of age-related blindness in the United States, affecting more than 9% of the population. Little is known about how and why these diseases develop. However, since several drugs that target MEK are currently available, the results of the study could eventually lead to the development of new treatments for diseases such as ROP and AMD.
The check presentation ceremony was attended by senior VARI officials including Deputy Director for Research Operations Nicholas S. Duesbery, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Special Programs James H. Resau, Ph.D., Senior Scientific Investigator Arthur S. Alberts, Ph.D., and Associate Director of Grants and Contracts David L. Ross.
A large contingent of Knights Templar Grand Commandery of Michigan members and spouses traveled from across the state to attend the ceremony. In attendance were Sir Knight and Dr. Dwight Rhude, PC, Chairman of the Knights Templar Eye Foundation MI, Sir Knight Glenn Leeper, Jr., Grand Commander Knights Templar MI, Sir Knight David Seyferth, Deputy Grand Commander Knights Templar MI, Sir Knight William Herlihy, Grand Generalissimo Knights Templar MI, Sir Knight Cortland Rule, Grand Junior Warden Knights Templar MI and Sir Knight Paul Tarr, Jr., Past Commander.
Dr. Rhude, a retired optometrist, presented the ceremonial check to Dr. Bromberg-White.
“The continued generosity of organizations like the Knights Templar Eye Foundation is now paying dividends as young and talented scientists like Dr. Jenn White make new discoveries that help us understand human diseases and develop new therapies for their treatment,” said Dr. Duesbery, who hosted the event and who directs the Laboratory of Cancer and Developmental Cell Biology as its senior scientific investigator. “Dr. White is taking some of the basic discoveries we have made regarding blood vessel growth in tumors and with an exciting twist is using these to generate fundamental insight into retinal vascularization that may lead to new therapies for eye diseases.”
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Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, Van Andel Institute is an independent research organization dedicated to preserving, enhancing and expanding the frontiers of medical science, and to achieving excellence in education by probing fundamental issues of education and the learning process.