New NIH Life Science Funding: $1.2M Awarded to Stony Brook

Researchers at Stony Brook University recently received $1.2 million in life science funding from the NIH for a Sphingolipids in Cancer Biology and Therapy project led by Yusuf Awni Hannun. According to Stony Brook University, Dr. Hanuun is a renowned molecular biologist and physician-researcher interested in the molecular mechanisms of cancer. In 2012, he was appointed director of the Stony Brook Cancer Center, and he also serves as the Joel Kenny Professor of Medicine and Vice Dean for Cancer Medicine. The NIH RePORTER gives some background information on the project receiving NIH life science research funding:

“Pathways of sphingolipid metabolism provide a very rich network of bioactive molecules whose emerging functions suggest key roles in the regulation of cell function. In particular, published and preliminary results suggest the global hypothesis that ceramide functions as a tumor suppressor lipid,  that can regulate apoptosis, senescence, and/or migration. As such, pathways of ceramide metabolism play key roles in cancer pathobiology and the response to anti-cancer and other stress agents. On the other hand, the sphingolipid sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) is emerging as a tumor promoting lipid with anti-apoptotic, antisenescence, pro-migration, and pro-angiogenic functions. The study of bioactive lipids is fraught with difficulties and thus necessitates the collaborative interactions of various disciplines and specialized cores.”

The Stony Brook Universities will break the study up into four projects:

• Project 1: Addressing the hypothesis that the acid sphingomyelinase/ceramide pathway is a key mediator of stress inducers
• Project 2: Testing the hypothesis that acid ceramidase plays a significant role in controlling the balance of cellular levels of ceramide and S1P
• Project 3: Testing the hypothesis that sphingosine kinase 1 proteolysis/knock-down mediates at least part of p53 tumor suppressor function
• Project 4: Testing the hypothesis that that LASS6-generated C16-(dihydro)ceramide plays vital roles in the regulation of ER homeostasis

Stony Brook University

Lab suppliers interested in networking within New York markets with life science funding available to researchers, purchasing agents and lab managers may be interested in exhibiting at Stony Brook University life science events. In 2012, the NIH awarded Stony Brook University $59.3 million in research funding. A full list of departments receiving funding is available at the NIH website. In 2012, the NSF also awarded Stony Brook University $22.1 million.

Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. invites lab suppliers interested in meeting researchers with available life science research funding to attend our Stony Brook BioResearch Product Faire™ Event on October 2^nd, 2014. In 2012, the Stony Brook BioResearch Product Faire™ life science event attracted 186 attendees. Forty-two of the attendees were purchasing agents, professors and post docs, and 18 were lab managers. The attendees came from 16 different research buildings and 28 departments across campus.

Biotechnology Calendar, Inc. is a full-service science research marketing and events-planning company that organizes on-campus university life science events across the country. If you are interested in marketing your life science products at other universities with available life science funding closer to home, we encourage you to view our 2014 calendar of events. For more information on our Stony Brook BioResearch Product Faire™ Event, or for detailed funding statistics on Stony Brook University, click on the button below.