Adam Gromley, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular/cellular biology at Lincoln Memorial University-DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine (LMU-DCOM) has been awarded a $15,000 grant for pediatric cancer research from The Butterfly Fund of East Tennessee Foundation.

Gromleys interest in studying pediatric cancer on the cellular level began at the University of Massachusetts Medical School while researching cell biology. Gromley took a particular interest in a component of the cell called the centrosome. The grant will be used to identify the role the centrosome plays in the development of the rare pediatric cancer rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS).

It was during my postdoctoral studies at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital that I saw firsthand how devastating pediatric cancers are and I decided that I wanted to do whatever I can to contribute to the understanding of how these cancers arise, Gromley said.

According to the American Cancer Society(r), approximately three percent of all childhood cancers are RMS, with 350 new cases occurring annually.

Pediatric cancers like RMS are developed from DNA changes within cells that take place early in life and often before birth. RMS is a type of sarcoma, which are cancers that develop from connective tissues in the body like muscles, fat or bones.

A hallmark of cancer is the accumulation of genetic abnormalities, many of which arise through improper cell division. These dysfunctional cell divisions are typically due to defects in the centrosome. Gromleys research seeks to identify the specific ways by which defective centrosomes lead to cancer by manipulating the protein components of the centrosome.

We will use rhabdomyosarcoma cells in culture to determine if specific centrosome proteins contribute to the unregulated cell divisions that are characteristic of this type of cancer, Gromley said. These studies will help us understand the process by which tumors form, and hopefully this will lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic strategies for combating this disease.

Gromley earned his Ph.D. in biomedical sciences at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in 2004. From 2006 to 2010 Gromley completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Howard Hughes Medical Institute in the Department of Genetics and Tumor Cell Biology at St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. In addition to pediatric cancer research, Gromley is working on a project using genome editing technology to counteract the molecular defects responsible for Angelman syndrome with Jesse Riker, a second-year osteopathic medical student at LMU-DCOM.

The Butterfly Fund of East Tennessee Foundation is a charity based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and was established by the families of two young girls who were diagnosed with rhabdomyosarcoma. This fund supports research, treatment and services dedicated to the defeat of childhood cancers.

The DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine is located on the campus of Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tennessee. LMU-DCOM is an integral part of LMUs values-based learning community, and is dedicated to preparing the next generation of osteopathic physicians to provide health care in the often underserved region of Appalachia and beyond. For more information about LMU-DCOM, call 1-800.325.0900, ext. 7082, e-mail dcom@LMUnet.edu, or visit us online at http://med.LMUnet.edu.

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LMU professor awarded grant to study pediatric cancer - Citizentribune