Etcetera

Vanessa Saunders Wins Fellowship to Study Cancer
Vanessa Saunders, a postdoctoral fellow in the Scripps Florida laboratory of Derek Duckett, has been awarded a two-year, $100,000 fellowship from The Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure.

Her proposal, "Interplay between EGFRvIII and c-Met in Glioblastoma Multiforme," is the result of the research she has been doing since arriving at Scripps Florida in 2010.

"[We] are delighted to support the research project," said licensed nurse practitioner Barbara Horn Frentzen, who administers the Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research. "This project is an important step in understanding why cells of the most lethal brain cancer are so resistant to available treatment options. Successful completion of the studies will not only enhance our understanding of tumor migration and invasion but may also identify a target for treatment of this deadly cancer."

At the heart of her new research is tumor invasiveness, in particular a mutation prevalent in this form of cancer that has been associated with shortened patient survival times. Saunders will be investigating ways to determine the gene's exact contribution to tumor invasion and to pinpoint targets for possible therapeutic intervention.

"I am extremely grateful to both The Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure for this fellowship," said Saunders. "I spent my first year and a half at Scripps Florida generating the data for this new study, and the award will allow me to continue the work I've already started."

Postdoctoral Fellow Vanessa Saunders has won a two-year fellowship from The Florida Center for Brain Tumor Research and Accelerate Brain Cancer Cure. (Photo by Sundie Love.)