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Chad Pecot, MD, assistant professor in hematology and oncology, has received a Mentored Research Scholar Award in Applied and Clinical Research from the American Cancer Society (ACS). Dr. Pecot is one of only two recipients in the United States to receive the award.

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Chad Pecot, MD

Pecot’s research focuses on lung cancer with a particular interest in how RNA interference (RNAi) can regulate cancer metastases. The development of new blood vessels, termed angiogenesis, is critical for cancer to grow and metastasize. The ACS award of $729,000 over five years will support Pecot’s work on how small RNAs, called the miR-200 family, block cancer angiogenesis and metastasis.

Lung cancer has long been the leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Lung cancer’s devastating impact can be attributed to the fact that it is most often diagnosed at advanced stages and current therapies rarely lead to cures in advanced stages. Nearly all lung cancer patients die from metastases to vital organs such as the brain, liver and bones. Innovative research efforts focused on controlling the spread of lung cancer are desperately needed.

“We recently discovered that a small family of RNAs, termed the miR-200 family, blocks angiogenesis – the ability of tumors to form blood vessels,” says Pecot. “This discovery has very important treatment implications, since tumors are unable to survive more than a few millimeters from blood vessels, and blood vessels are the main vehicle through which cancers spread,” he explains. Pecot hopes that delivering miR-200 members in nanoparticles will have dramatic effects on blocking blood vessel formation as well as the spread of lung cancer.

“This funding will help further understanding of how miR-200 works and how to use it therapeutically,” Pecot says. “The studies we propose will seek to understand how miR-200 controls blood vessel formation and how to exploit this understanding for miR-200 based treatment strategies.”

The ACS grant provides support for mentored research and training to full-time junior faculty, typically within the initial four years of their first independent appointment. The goal is for these young investigators to become independent researchers.

The American Cancer Society is a nationwide, community-based, voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering from cancer through research, education, advocacy and service.