Current Grants
1. Title: American/Australian Mesothelioma Consortium
Objective: The major goal of this consortium is to combine the efforts of multiple investigators in the United States and Australia in bench work investigations and novel protocols for Malignant Mesothelioma through rapid discovery and eventual validation of markers of early mesothelial carcinogenesis.
Investigator: Harvey Pass, MD (PI)
Sponsor: NIH/NCI
2. Title: Role of Cell Mediators in Asbestos-SV Carcinogenesis
Objective: The ultimate goal is to reduce the risk of cancer in individuals exposed to asbestos, by targeting the cellular mediators that favor the co-carcinogenic activity of asbestos with SV40.
Investigator: M. Carbone, PI, Co- investigator, Harvey Pass, MD
Sponsor: NIH/NCI
3. Title: Mesothelioma Pathogenesis/ Clinical Core B
Objective: Accumulation of mesothelioma specimens to be used to develop a successful protocol for harvesting fresh mesothelioma cells from parietal pluera from patients having thoracotomy/thoracoscopy.
Investigator: Harvey Pass, MD
Sponsor: NIH/NCI
4. Title: Collaborative Study for Definition for Biomarker Classification and Use in Therapy Monitoring
Objective: The objective is to use the funding for biomarker validation. In collaboration with Dr. Michele Carbone, serum osteopontin levels have been measured as well as Serum SMRP levels from individuals in Cappadocia, Turkey. There have been three cohorts of data: 1. blood levels drawn from the villages 2. data from serum stored for 12 years from individuals from the villages with 3. or without mesothelioma.
Investigator: Co-investigators, M. Carbone and Harvey Pass, MD
Sponsor: MARF: Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
web site: Curemeso.org
5. Title: Mechanisms of Innate Drug Sensitivity in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Objective: The objective is to understand the mechanism(s) of the mesothelioma innate drug sensitivity in order to develop therapeutic tools for sensitizing tumor cells to specific drugs prior to drug treatment. This approach will help to promote cytotoxicity and significantly augment eradicating effect of drugs.
Investigator: Alla Ivanova, Ph.D.
Sponsor: MARF: Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
web site: Curemeso.org
6. Title: National Virtual Mesothelioma Data Bank: NMVTB
Objective: The objective of the National Mesothelioma Virtual Bank (NMVB) for Translational Research is to maximize the effectiveness of data and biospecimen collection for mesothelioma. NMVB will serve as a resource that will allow researchers real time access to clinical data associated with tissue specimens from the registry, thus expanding scientific discovery and effective treatments to benefit the mesothelioma research and patient.
Investigator: Harvey Pass, MD and Jonathan Melamed, MD
Sponsor: Center for Disease Control
7. Title: Structural and Functional OPN heterogeneity in mesothelioma and ovarian cancers
Objective: The objective of this project is focused on studying the secreted and intracellular OPN (osteopontin) isoforms specific for Malignant Mesothelioma (MM) and EOC (epithelial ovarian carcinoma). Assessment of OPN structural diversity will be performed on the mRNA (RT-PCR with primers specific for all three known splicoforms) and protein (Western blot with antibodies specific for known OPN protein species) levels in MM and EOC cells and their normal counterparts.
Investigator: Harvey Pass, MD and David Fishman, MD
Co-Investigators, Sergey and Alla Ivanova
Sponsor: NIH/NCI
8. Title: Identification of genes associated with early stages and progression of asbestos induced pleural malignant mesothelioma
Objective: Representation Oligonucleotide Microarray Analysis (ROMA) was used as a tool for identification and fine mapping of the chromosomal areas associated with the origin and progression of the asbestos-induced mesothelioma. To complete our search for therapeutical marker and targets, we now plan to produce expression array data and overlay them on the ROMA data with subsequent validation of the selected genes in functional assays on tumorigenicity.
Investigator: Sergey Ivanov, Ph.D.
Sponsor: MARF: Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation
web site: Curemeso.org