GSU researcher given $3M grant to study brain cancer

ATLANTA — A Georgia State University brain researcher just received a huge grant.

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The grant is intended to improve treatment outcomes for patients with various types of cancer.

Tricia King was awarded a five-year, $3.6 million grant from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health.

King says she and her colleagues will also study the impact of patients’ genetics on their outcomes.

“We’re looking at what are the most robust environmental resources, the strongest clinical risk factors, and the most important genetic DNA and RNA sequencing that relate to cognitive impairments,” King said.

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King studies medulloblastoma, a form of cancer in which a fast-growing tumor forms at the base of the brain. It requires radiation, chemotherapy and surgery.

King said in some ways, they’ve been building up to this project for 20 years.

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“If we can identify the genetics that put individuals at risk for cognitive problems, we might be able to reduce the chemo and radiation therapy that specific individuals receive so that targeted treatments cure the cancer, yet do not create cognitive difficulties,” King said.

The project will also build a model for personalized treatment plans based on a patient’s environmental, clinical and genetic risk factors.

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