Wasserman Schultz Delivers Federal Brain Cancer Treatment Funds to NSU

Davie, FL - Today, U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) joined Nova Southeastern University (NSU) leaders, including the University President Dr. Harry Moon and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Chad Perlyn, to announce $1.03 million in critical disease fighting funds she fought to secure that will improve the treatment of brain cancer.

To watch the press conference, click here. For B-Roll of the check presentation, click here.

"I'm beyond thrilled to announce that I was able to secure more than $1 million in federal funding for NSU to purchase equipment to learn how to better treat brain cancer," said Wasserman Schultz. "Thankfully, NSU's amazing researchers are working on solving this problem that's plagued patients and doctors for decades. NSU's team will use the federal funds I secured to target brain tumors with precision, while leaving healthy tissue unharmed."

The brain has a natural defense system called the blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier is a cellular layer that lines the brain blood vessels and tightly regulates what can enter the brain tissue. Therefore, the ability to get drug administered in the bloodstream to cross the blood-brain-barrier and reach the tumor at therapeutic levels is a major obstacle for most chemotherapies.

To overcome this obstacle, NSU's Dr. Regina Graham (pink hair in photos) and her team are developing an innovative drug delivery system that can penetrate the blood-brain barrier and directly target brain cancer cells. This approach uses tiny, non-toxic carbon nanoparticles called "carbon dots" to carry chemotherapy drugs directly to brain tumors.

This investment will help NSU and Dr. Graham obtain necessary efficacy and safety data on her new carbon dot drug formulations, improving her ability to translate her exciting findings to the clinical setting