Wei-Xing Zong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology, left, and Emily Chen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, were awarded Susan G. Komen for the Cure® breast cancer research grants.

STONY BROOK, N.Y., May 13, 2008 – Emily Chen, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Pharmacological Sciences, and Wei-Xing Zong, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Molecular Genetics & Microbiology at Stony Brook University Medical Center, have been awarded Susan G. Komen for the Cure® breast cancer research grants for 2008. With more than 1,200 applicants nationwide, the prestigious grants are awarded annually to top researchers whose innovative work show great promise in leading to the discovery and delivery of cures for breast cancer.

Drs. Chen and Zong are the recipients of a new category of grants titled Career Catalyst Research Grants. The award supports junior scientists exploring new ideas and novel approaches to advance breast cancer research. Effective July 1, 2008, the grant awards each investigator $300,000 for two years, with an option of an additional performance-based award of $150,000 in year three. The Susan G. Komen Foundation is funding $10.8 million in Career Catalyst Research Grants for 2008.

Dr. Chen received the grant for her biochemical and molecular research in analyzing how breast cancer cells capable of organ-specific metastasis enter, survive and grow in targeted organs. Dr. Chen discovered a unique pattern of protein expression in brain metastatic cancer cells that distinguish them from other metastatic cells. She also identified a new mechanism for growth control of breast cancer brain metastases and strikingly identified the mechanism in lesions from breast cancer patients, validating her laboratory findings. Results from her findings may lead to novel diagnostic markers and therapeutic targets for patients with advanced metastatic breast cancer.

Dr. Zong was awarded the grant for his work examining the role of autophagy in breast cancer cell death in response to chemotherapy. Autophagy is a process where in response to nutrient poor conditions, cells begin to digest their own contents. Dr. Zong hypothesizes that autophagy plays an important role in tumor cell response to anti-cancer treatment. His research analyzes the how the ability of cells to die by another form of cell death, apoptosis, has critical impact on the outcome of manipulating autophagy as a potential clinical approach to breast cancer treatment. By better understanding the role of autophagy in the breast cancer cell life/death process, Dr. Zong hopes to determine whether autophagy should be inhibited or enhanced in order to achieve specific outcomes in anti-cancer therapy.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is one of the world’s largest breast cancer organizations. This year the organization announced the awarding of $100 million in research grants, its largest single-year outlay of research grants.

Established in 1971, the Stony Brook University School of Medicine includes 25 academic departments, including Pharmacological Sciences and Molecular Genetics & Microbiology. The School centers its mission on education, medical training, and advancing scientific research in the areas of basic, translational, and clinical investigation within all academic departments.

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