Biology
November 22, 2022
National Institutes of Health Grant Funds Three-Year Project
University of Portland students, under the guidance of UP Biology Professor Susan Murray, PhD, will research the role of sex hormones in immune responses to prostate cancer through a $404,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
UP’s first NIH grant award is in collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University. In a three-year study, Dr. Murray and UP students will examine how male sex hormones impact immune responses in healthy subjects, as well as the effects of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) on immune responses in prostate cancer patients. ADT is a standard treatment for metastatic prostate cancer, but this therapy’s impact on the immune system is currently unknown, Dr. Murray says. The proposed studies will provide valuable insight regarding how to best combine ADT with immunotherapy to improve patient outcomes for a disease that kills 30,000 Americans every year.
Biology students from UP’s College of Arts & Sciences will participate in all aspects of the biomedical research — from experimental design and execution to publication of the findings. Select students from the University’s Donald P. Shiley School of Engineering will be recruited to participate in bioinformatics analysis.
“This NIH grant will propel our research program to the next level, and it will foster collaborations between UP, OHSU and across our campus,” Dr. Murray says. “Most importantly, it will provide an exceptional opportunity for undergraduate students to participate in interdisciplinary biomedical science — with implications for cancer, infectious disease and autoimmunity.”
During the study, UP students will participate in lab meetings with Amy Moran, PhD, associate professor of cell, developmental and cancer biology at OHSU’s School of Medicine. These collaborations, Dr. Murray says, will show students their research has clinical relevance in creating a “long-lasting, positive impact” in the field of prostate cancer treatment.
Research reported is supported by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R15CA267840. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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