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Ronald S. Hirshberg Chair in Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research
Enrique Rozengurt, Ph.D., Professor of Medicine, UCLA Division of Digestive Diseases, was named the inaugural Ronald S. Hirshberg Chair in Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research in 2000. This distinguished position helps guide basic science and clinical research in developing new therapies and finding a cure for this deadly disease, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in America.
The past two decades have been a most exciting period in cancer research. Fundamental discoveries in the field of regulation of cell growth have produced a dramatic improvement in our understanding of malignant transformation, tumor progression and invasiveness. These include the identification of oncogenes; tumor suppressor genes; growth factors released by cancer cells; and intracellular signaling pathways that regulate cell proliferation, differentiation, and death.
In the last few years, the concept of translational research has been developed to describe research that uses basic molecular insights to find new treatments for clinical problems. The whole spectrum of translational research, from basic investigation to clinical applications, is of critical importance in pancreatic cancer. New approaches for the prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of this devastating disease, the fourth leading cause of cancer death in America, are desperately needed.
Recognizing the importance of fundamental discoveries as the first step in the process of translational research, the Hirshberg Foundation created the Ronald S. Hirshberg Chair in Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research.
The Lab's highly accomplished staff includes:
Laboratory Director
J.Enrique Rozengurt |
DVM, PhD, FRC Path, Professor of Medicine
Ronald S. Hirshberg Chair of Pancreatic Cancer Research/Director,
CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center/Chief of Research,
Division of Digestive Diseases |
| Sushovan Guha |
MD STAR fellow, Clinical Instructor |
| Kristina Kisfalvi |
MD, PhD Ronal S Hirshberg Fellow |
| Lee Y. Slice |
PhD, Assistant Professor |
| J. Adrian Lunn |
MD STAR Fellow, Clinical Instructor |
| Osvaldo Rey |
PhD, Associate Researcher |
Read Abstracts
Current Funding:
R01 DK55003 (Rozengurt) 03/01/03-02/28/08
NIHNIDDK $229,733/yr Role: Principal Investigator
“Gastrointestinal Peptide Signaling through PKC/PKD”
The major goals of this project are to characterize the activation of the PKC/PKD pathway and define the role of PKD in GI peptide signal transduction.
R01 DK56930 (Rozengurt) 05/30/06-06/01/11NIH NIDDK $184,000/yr
Role: Principal Investigator
“GI peptide signaling through tyrosine phosphorylation”
The major goals of this project are to identify the intracellular mechanisms leading to rapid GI peptide-induced tyrosine phosphorylation of cellular proteins, including focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and EGF receptor.
5 P30 DK41301 12/01/04-11/30/09
NIH NIDDK $630,000/yr
Role: Principal Investigator
"CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Center"
The CURE: Digestive Diseases Research Core Center Grant supports an Administrative Core as well as Scientific Cores, including Human Studies, Animal Models, Imaging and Morphology, Molecular Vectors and Proteomics. This Grant also supports a Pilot and Feasibility Program, the recruitment of a Named New Investigator and an array of Enrichment Activities.
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