UOIT professor on target in cancer treatment research
January 25, 2007
A UOIT professor has earned a $35,000 grant from a storied American foundation to research a novel way of directing cancer-fighting drugs to tumours and thereby help reduce the harsh side effects that can come with treatment.
Dr. Krisztina Paal, an assistant professor of Chemistry in UOIT's Faculty of Science, has earned a $35,000-US Cottrell College Science Award for her research project entitled Preparation of site-specific vitamin-albumin conjugates: potential vehicles for tumour targeting of paclitaxel (Taxol.®).' The first of two installments is expected in May and UOIT is matching the funds to further assist in the unique work. Research Corporation, an active and hands-on foundation that stimulates advances in science, distributes the awards in an effort to support research in astronomy, chemistry, and physics at public and private, predominantly undergraduate, colleges.
"It is a wonderful honour to receive this award from the Research Corporation," said Dr. Paal. "This truly is a novel approach to the tumour targeting of drugs, and if it works it has great potential to bring some much needed relief from the side effects that can come with cancer treatment and care.
"I'm also immensely pleased that the research work will involve significant contributions from UOIT undergraduate students. This is the type of real-world research experience that is an excellent learning opportunity for undergraduate science students."
Because anti-cancer drugs are not selective in nature and as such attack cancerous and healthy cells alike, there is a great need for an effective targeting agent. By navigating drugs towards tumours only, it reduces the side effects typically experienced with treatment and does not limit the administered dose.
"The research has the potential to allow you to change the components so that you can target various types of cancer," noted Dr. Paal.
A portion of the grant money is specifically geared towards the hiring of UOIT summer students in undergraduate studies for each of the next two years.
"This is a wonderful honour for Dr. Paal and a much needed financial award to support her innovative research towards a more effective way of attacking tumours," said Dr. William Smith, dean of UOIT's Faculty of Science. "We're quite pleased that the awards place such an emphasis on research work involving undergraduate students. That philosophy is very much in keeping with UOIT's commitment to see our students working alongside their professors on valuable hands-on research that directly impacts society."
Dr. Paal arrived at UOIT in July 2004 and her research interests include various aspects of protein chemistry, including covalent protein modification and studies of ligand protein binding interactions. The thesis of her PhD in bio-organic chemistry was Multifunctional reagents for site-specific modification of hemoglobin.
Cottrell College Science Award projects are judged on the basis of scientific originality, significance, feasibility, and the ability of the institutional environment to sustain the activity. The potential of the research to involve undergraduate students is also taken into account. Founded in 1912, Research Corporation is the second foundation established in the United States and the only one devoted to the advancement of science. The foundation is the fulfillment of the unique philanthropic concept of Frederick Gardner Cottrell, scientist inventor and philanthropist, who established Research Corporation with the assistance of Charles Doolittle Walcott, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
Dr. Krisztina Paal, an assistant professor of Chemistry in UOIT's Faculty of Science, has earned a $35,000-US Cottrell College Science Award for her research project entitled Preparation of site-specific vitamin-albumin conjugates: potential vehicles for tumour targeting of paclitaxel (Taxol.®).' The first of two installments is expected in May and UOIT is matching the funds to further assist in the unique work. Research Corporation, an active and hands-on foundation that stimulates advances in science, distributes the awards in an effort to support research in astronomy, chemistry, and physics at public and private, predominantly undergraduate, colleges.
"It is a wonderful honour to receive this award from the Research Corporation," said Dr. Paal. "This truly is a novel approach to the tumour targeting of drugs, and if it works it has great potential to bring some much needed relief from the side effects that can come with cancer treatment and care.
"I'm also immensely pleased that the research work will involve significant contributions from UOIT undergraduate students. This is the type of real-world research experience that is an excellent learning opportunity for undergraduate science students."
Because anti-cancer drugs are not selective in nature and as such attack cancerous and healthy cells alike, there is a great need for an effective targeting agent. By navigating drugs towards tumours only, it reduces the side effects typically experienced with treatment and does not limit the administered dose.
"The research has the potential to allow you to change the components so that you can target various types of cancer," noted Dr. Paal.
A portion of the grant money is specifically geared towards the hiring of UOIT summer students in undergraduate studies for each of the next two years.
"This is a wonderful honour for Dr. Paal and a much needed financial award to support her innovative research towards a more effective way of attacking tumours," said Dr. William Smith, dean of UOIT's Faculty of Science. "We're quite pleased that the awards place such an emphasis on research work involving undergraduate students. That philosophy is very much in keeping with UOIT's commitment to see our students working alongside their professors on valuable hands-on research that directly impacts society."
Dr. Paal arrived at UOIT in July 2004 and her research interests include various aspects of protein chemistry, including covalent protein modification and studies of ligand protein binding interactions. The thesis of her PhD in bio-organic chemistry was Multifunctional reagents for site-specific modification of hemoglobin.
Cottrell College Science Award projects are judged on the basis of scientific originality, significance, feasibility, and the ability of the institutional environment to sustain the activity. The potential of the research to involve undergraduate students is also taken into account. Founded in 1912, Research Corporation is the second foundation established in the United States and the only one devoted to the advancement of science. The foundation is the fulfillment of the unique philanthropic concept of Frederick Gardner Cottrell, scientist inventor and philanthropist, who established Research Corporation with the assistance of Charles Doolittle Walcott, secretary of the Smithsonian Institution.
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