Newswise — The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) announced today that John A. Martignetti, of Mount Sinai School of Medicine's Department of Genetics And Genomic Sciences, is a recipient of one of the 2006 Competitive Awards Program grants. Sixty-three research investigators from four countries received a total of $6.1 million in awards.
The Competitive Awards Program is an innovative venture-style research funding program that provides financial support to high-impact research projects with the greatest potential to improve survival and reduce side effects and death for men with advanced prostate cancer. The awards are granted to projects in a variety of areas, including biomarkers, genetics and genomics, nutrition, cancer immunotherapy, new drug discovery and survivorship.
Martignetti's research, conducted with Analisa DiFeo, a graduate student, and in collaboration with Dr. Simon Hall, Director of the Deane Prostate Health and Research Center at Mount Sinai, and Dr. Devin Leake at Thermo Fisher Scientific, focuses on the potential therapeutic role of using siRNA to inhibit the expression of a novel gene, KLF6-SV1, in metastatic prostate cancer Said Dr. Martignetti, "The PCF's financial award, and the access to the clinical and scientific experts which comprise and are supported by the largest philanthropic group dedicated to prostate cancer research, represents an important lifeline as we try to move discoveries forward from the bench to the bedside."
With its model of drawing new investigators around the globe to the field and enabling investigators to attract additional significant investment, the Competitive Awards Program has played a unique role in the area of prostate cancer research. To date, more than $81 million has been awarded through the Competitive Awards Program, allowing individual investigators to focus their efforts on discovering new ideas and new pathways for prostate cancer treatment strategies.
Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, striking one in six men. In 2007 alone, more than 218,000 men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer and more than 27,000 men will die of the disease. Baby boomer men are turning 60, bringing increasing numbers of men into the highest-risk zone for the disease. As a result, the number of new cases over the next decade is expected to increase to more than 300,000 annually.
About The Mount Sinai Medical Center
Mount Sinai School of MedicineLocated in Manhattan, Mount Sinai School of Medicine is internationally recognized for ground-breaking clinical and basic-science research, and innovative approaches to medical education. Through the Mount Sinai Graduate School of Biological Sciences, Mount Sinai trains biomedical researchers with an emphasis on the rapid translation of discoveries of basic research into new techniques for fighting disease. One indication of Mount Sinai's leadership in scientific investigation is its receipt during fiscal year 2005 of $174.1 million in research support from NIH. Mount Sinai School of Medicine also is known for unique educational programs such as the Humanities in Medicine program, which creates opportunities for liberal arts students to pursue medical school, and instructional innovations like The Morchand Center, the nation's largest program teaching students and physicians with "standardized patients" to become not only highly skilled, but compassionate caregivers. Long dedicated to improving its community, the School extends its boundaries to work with East Harlem and surrounding communities to provide access to health care and educational programs to at risk populations.
The Mount Sinai Hospital The Mount Sinai Hospital is one of the nation's oldest, largest and most-respected voluntary hospitals. Founded in 1852, Mount Sinai today is a 1,171-bed tertiary-care teaching facility that is internationally acclaimed for excellence in clinical care.
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