This proposal delineates the principal investigator's plan for development of a career in academic Hematology. The candidate has demonstrated a commitment to research and a long-standing interst in blood-rated diseases, and is completing an academic fellowship in Hematology/Oncology. The University of Pennsylvania and, specifically, the mentorship of Dr. Craig Thompson, Scientific Director of the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute, provides a stimulating and supportive environment for creative thought and rigorous scientific development. In multicellular organisms, extracellular signals are required to maintain survival in normal tissues. One way which these signals prevent programmed cell death in lymphocytes is through the promotion of nutrient uptake and cellular metabolism. Interference with these processes results in programmed cell death. Further-more, malignant tissues utilize glucose abnormally, and we hypothesize that this results from bypass of growth factor signals allowing unregulated glucose uptake and metabolism. The proposed experiments will address both the mechanism of extracellular signalmediated regulation of glucose metabolism in normal lymphocytes and its disruption in lymphoma.
The specific aims i nclude: 1) Study of the regulation of glucose uptake and metabolism in normal human lymphocytes, 2) Determination of the role of Akt in glucose metabolism and its cooperation with Myc and Bc1-XL in transformation in transgenic mice, and 3) Evaluation A the mechanism of increased glycolysis in lymphoma. With the input and participation of an advisory committee including Dr. Abass Alavi, Chief of Nuclear Medicine and Dr. Stephen J. Schuster, assistant professor of Hematology and Director of the Lymphoma Program at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center, this program provides a clear plan for the development of the candidate's projected academic career.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Type
Clinical Investigator Award (CIA) (K08)
Project #
7K08HL070827-07
Application #
7529105
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZHL1-CSR-M (M1))
Program Officer
Werner, Ellen
Project Start
2002-09-09
Project End
2009-01-31
Budget Start
2007-09-01
Budget End
2009-01-31
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
2006
Total Cost
$58,995
Indirect Cost
Name
Weill Medical College of Cornell University
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
060217502
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10065
Elstrom, R L; Leonard, J P; Coleman, M et al. (2008) Combined PET and low-dose, noncontrast CT scanning obviates the need for additional diagnostic contrast-enhanced CT scans in patients undergoing staging or restaging for lymphoma. Ann Oncol 19:1770-3
Elstrom, Rebecca L; Bauer, Daniel E; Buzzai, Monica et al. (2004) Akt stimulates aerobic glycolysis in cancer cells. Cancer Res 64:3892-9