Stephen M. Sykes Receives Department of Defense Grant for Pediatric Leukemia Research

PHILADELPHIA (November 1, 2018) — Stephen M. Sykes PhD, assistant professor in the Blood Cell Development and Function Program at Fox Chase Cancer Center, has received a grant from the Department of Defense to support research on targeting the unfolded protein response in pediatric leukemia. The grant will provide approximately $732,000 over two years.

The Sykes laboratory studies molecular pathways and how they are differently regulated in leukemia versus normal cell development. With this grant from the Peer Reviewed Cancer Research Program, they will seek to identify molecular pathways that could serve as a foundation for developing effective therapies for the treatment of pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The lab will conduct studies to assess the therapeutic utility of targeting downstream transcriptional targets and upstream activators within the unfolded protein response (UPR). The specific goals of this project are to identify transcriptional targets of ATF4 and XBPS1S that support MLL-rearranged AML and assess chemical inhibitors of the UPR in MLL-rearranged AML.

There will be an estimated 19,520 new diagnoses of AML in 2018, which accounts for about one third of all leukemia diagnoses.

Fox Chase Cancer Center (Fox Chase), which includes the Institute for Cancer Research and the American Oncologic Hospital and is a part of Temple Health, is one of the leading comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Founded in 1904 in Philadelphia as one of the nation’s first cancer hospitals, Fox Chase was also among the first institutions to be designated a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center in 1974. Fox Chase is also one of just 10 members of the Alliance of Dedicated Cancer Centers. Fox Chase researchers have won the highest awards in their fields, including two Nobel Prizes. Fox Chase physicians are also routinely recognized in national rankings, and the Center’s nursing program has received the Magnet recognition for excellence six consecutive times. Today, Fox Chase conducts a broad array of nationally competitive basic, translational, and clinical research, with special programs in cancer prevention, detection, survivorship, and community outreach. It is the policy of Fox Chase Cancer Center that there shall be no exclusion from, or participation in, and no one denied the benefits of, the delivery of quality medical care on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/expression, disability, age, ancestry, color, national origin, physical ability, level of education, or source of payment.

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