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Roger Abounader, MD, PhD, Awarded a $2.4M NIH R01 Grant

October 11, 2022 by jta6n@virginia.edu

Roger Abounader MD PhD

Roger Abounader, MD PhD

Roger Abounader, MD, PhD, a professor of microbiology, immunology & cancer biology and neurology, the Arthur and Margaret Ebbert Endowed Chair of Medical Science, and associate director of basic science at the University of Virginia NCI-Designated Comprehensive Cancer Center, was awarded a $2.4 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to study the roles and therapeutic targeting of calcium channels in glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is the most common and most deadly brain cancer. Dr. Abounader’s lab discovered that a specific type of calcium channels is upregulated in glioblastoma, where it drives tumor progression. The NIH R01 grant will support research aimed at understanding the functions and mechanisms of action of theses calcium channels and on developing and testing new experimental therapies for glioblastoma that use an FDA-approved repurposed drug and additional new drugs. Successful completion of this work would increase the understanding of the mechanisms of glioblastoma initiation and progression and lead to new therapies that can be quickly translated into clinical trials to the benefit of patients with glioblastoma.

Read more about Dr. Abounader’s research.

Filed Under: Faculty, Media Highlights, Research