March 24, 2021 | Four researchers at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute received a funding boost thanks to newly awarded $50,000 grants, which were announced in a virtual ceremony March 11.
Presented annually since 2009, the Seeds of Science pilot grant awards assist cancer researchers in collecting data and developing projects that have the potential to result in future significant research findings.
One award, presented to Fen Xia, M.D., Ph.D., was made possible by proceeds from the 19th annual Village Walk for Cancer Research, hosted virtually in September 2020. Organized by volunteers in Hot Springs Village, the walk unites the community located one hour southwest of Little Rock in support of cancer research.
“The Village Walk for Cancer Research is instrumental in providing funds for these vital grants. We are so thankful to the dedicated volunteers who make this funding possible each year,” Birrer said.
Xia’s research focuses on determining the way in which the tumor microenvironment suppresses progression of the aggressive brain tumor glioblastoma (GBM) and enhances tumor response to treatment. The overarching goal of her study is to provide evidence supporting novel methods to suppress GBM tumor progression and enhance tumor response to radiation treatment, thereby sparing normal brain tissue from radiation treatment-induced damage.
Xia is professor and chair of the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology.