Mesothelioma News: University of Hawaii Awarded $3 million

Mesothelioma News: University of Hawaii Awarded $3 million – April 2016

University of Hawaii Cancer Center

The U. S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded three grants that came to a total of more than three million dollars ($3000000). The grants were awarded to researchers at the University of Hawaii Cancer Center in March 2016. The grants were to forward the Center’s studies on mesothelioma.

The Department of Defense funds the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program which is where the funds will be directed to. The University of Hawaii is one of the leading national institutes in the study of mesothelioma. The University of Hawaii is home to Dr. Michele Carbone, who has been a world leader in mesothelioma research for many years. Dr. Carbone was formerly the director of the University of Hawaii Cancer Center. He is well known for his research being the first to uncover details of gene mutation and its links to mesothelioma in 2011. To date this discovery is the only gene mutation proven to link directly to mesothelioma.

Dr. Carbone’s Work

Dr. Carbone and Associate Professor Haining Yang were awarded the Pentagon’s two year, six hundred thousand dollar Idea Award with Special Focus grant. This grant will focus mainly on gene research and mesothelioma. The ultimate goal of the gene research is to identify the gene that has mutated or changed that it increases the risk of a person developing mesothelioma after asbestos exposure. By finding that gene, this could help to identify specific people who would benefit from early cancer screening as this gene will be present.

Both Carbone and Yang were also awarded a one million nine hundred thousand dollar award through the Department of Defense Translation Team Science Award to study HMGB1. HMGB1 is a protein that serves as a marker in predicting the development of mesothelioma in a patient. The research could lead to being able to detect mesothelioma in its early stages.