Congressman Cohen Announces $1.7 Million in NIH Grants to St. Jude

WASHINGTON - Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) today announced that St. Jude Children's Research Hospital will receive three grants from the National Cancer Institute totaling $1,172,297.

The first, for $475,681, is for research exploring CLK2 as a novel therapeutic target in rhabdomyosarcoma under the direction of Dr. Jun Yang. Rhabdomyosarcoma is the most common soft tissue sarcoma (cancers that originate in the bones and soft tissues) in children and young adults. CLK2 is an enzyme that plays a key role in the regulation of mRNA production, and this enzyme is one of the most highly expressed in rhabdomyosarcoma relative to healthy tissue. The goal of this project is to develop novel therapeutics targeting the CLK2 protein as a therapeutic target in rhabdomyosarcoma. The second, for $647,502, is for research into transcriptional overload unlocking a new anti-cancer paradigm by targeting DDX19A under the direction of Dr. Lillian Guenther. The DDX19A gene encodes an enzyme which binds mRNA, and assists its export from the nucleus, and plays a critical role in ensuring the quality of mRNA, which is important for proper protein production. In cancer, it has been implicated in cell metastasis, particularly in ovarian and cervical carcinomas. Dr. Guenther's group is not only working to better understand the function of this enzyme, but also working to develop new drugs to disrupt its activity in cancerous cells. The third, for $49,114, is a national research service award for work determining how cell state evades standard of care chemotherapy and drives tumor recurrence under the direction of PhD student Samantha Turk.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

"The funding announced today will go a long way in improving our understanding and treatment of cancer. I congratulate Drs. Yang and Guenther and PhD Ms. Turk for their dedication to the science of saving lives."

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