CNSE / SUNYIT professor to use grant for additional cancer-cell research

ALBANY, N.Y. — The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) has awarded a State University of New York (SUNY) professor a $1.65 million research grant.

The grant will fund additional research into signals that cancer cells use to respond to their environment.

The recipient is Thomas Begley, a nanobioscience professor at SUNY’s newly merged College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) in Albany and Institute of Technology (SUNYIT) in Marcy, the school said in a news release.

The five-year grant will allow researchers at SUNY CNSE/SUNYIT to use nanotechnology-enabled methods and human-cancer cells to identify signals that the environment influences, the school said.

Begley’s research focuses on miscommunications related to information processing among cells, which can lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and autoimmunity issues.

The study of cell signaling, which the school describes as “how cancer cells respond to environmental conditions of oxygen stress and regulate stress response systems,” could lead to methods by which “diseases can be treated more effectively.”

“It’s an honor for those of us leading this project to receive this prestigious grant. The recognition is especially meaningful, given the research’s potential to positively impact the lives of those who suffer from cancer and other diseases,” Begley said in the news release.

Besides his role as a nanobioscience professor, Begley is also associate vice president and director of the systems-toxicology laboratory and lead investigator on the research.

The SUNY researchers will work on the newly funded project in collaboration with Peter Dedon, a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, according to the SUNY news release.

The combined team will provide new technologies and insights that also have the potential “to be exploited for cancer diagnostics,” SUNY CNSE/SUNYIT said.

The SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering (CNSE) focuses on nanoscience, nanoengineering, nanobioscience, and nanoeconomics.

SUNYIT is New York’s public polytechnic institute in Marcy, offering undergraduate and graduate degree programs in technology, professional studies, and the arts and sciences.

The SUNY board of trustees on March 19 unanimously approved Chancellor Nancy Zimpher’s recommendation to merge the system’s two technology schools.

The Research Triangle Park, N.C.–based National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is one of 27 research institutes and centers that comprise the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS).

The NIEHS works to “discover how the environment affects people in order to promote healthier lives,” according to the SUNY news release.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com