Research

College of Medicine researcher awarded $225,000

HERSHEY, Pa. -- The St. Baldrick’s Foundation, a charity that raises money for childhood cancer research, has awarded a $225,000, three-year St. Baldrick’s Scholar grant to support the work of George-Lucian Moldovan, a researcher at Penn State College of Medicine.

Many factors in the environment can promote leukemia in children by attacking their DNA and inducing mutations. Moldovan’s lab has discovered a novel mechanism employed by cells to repair their DNA, and found that leukemia cells alter this mechanism in order to acquire cancer-promoting mutations. Using the grant, Moldovan will investigate innovative leukemia therapies aimed at reversing the process by targeting this DNA repair mechanism that is specifically altered in leukemia cells.

“This is a crucial time in the pediatric cancer community, with new discoveries on the horizon but limited funding to pursue scientific opportunities,” says Kathleen Ruddy, chief executive officer of St. Baldrick’s.

George-Lucian Moldovan, Ph.D. Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

Last Updated August 5, 2015

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