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Barrow receives $450,000 to study spinal-cord injuries, brain tumors
Adrienne Scheck, PhD
Scientist studying natural anti-cancer treatments
While the use of natural substances for anti-cancer treatment is not new, research into the field— and at Barrow—is increasing. Adrienne C. Scheck, PhD, senior staff scientist in Neuro-Oncology and Neurosurgery Research, is currently pursuing two such complementary treatments. One project involves studying the extract from a Chinese medicinal herb. Scutellaria baicalensis has long been used in oriental medicine for the treatment of a variety of conditions, including inflammation and allergies. Dr. Scheck’s study, however, marks the first time anyone has researched the herb’s effect on brain tumors. Initial results have been promising: Extracts from the herb have been found to kill cells from brain tumors, including some cells resistant to normal chemotherapy agents. Additionally, scutellaria baicalensis is historically nontoxic and is relatively easy to obtain. The team’s initial findings were published in a recent online issue of BioMed Central’s BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Dr. Scheck is also working with Barrow pediatric neurologist Jong Rho, MD, to study the effects of a ketogenic—or high-fat, low-carb—diet as a complementary treatment for people with brain tumors. Dr. Rho is a clinician and scientist who specializes in studying the diet in children with epilepsy, particularly the biochemical and neurophysiologic effects of ketones. A talk he gave at Barrow stimulated Dr. Scheck’s interest, and the two rapidly found a sound scientific basis for collaboration. The duo has found that treating tumor cells with ketones—and treating others with a combination of ketones and a chemotherapy agent—inhibits cell growth. They have submitted several grant proposals for further research into the mechanism behind their findings. Barrow Neurological Foundation supports Dr. Scheck’s research.
The Arizona Biomedical Research Commission (ABRC) recently awarded Barrow and Arizona State University (ASU) two grants worth $450,000 each to study spinal-cord injuries and brain tumors. Researchers at Barrow and ASU will use one of the grants to develop new hydrogels, or liquids that gel, to stimulate the ends of damaged fiber on the spinal cord to grow and bypass injured or scarred areas. Barrow’s grant application for spinalcord injury research scored the highest of all submitted grants. Surgically placed at the site of spinal-cord damage, hydrogels form into scaffolds, which will hopefully enable the cells and the ends of damaged fiber to cross to the other side of the spinal cord, avoiding additional damage to the injured area. “This study uses the latest in bioengineering materials against one of our most pressing problems in neurosurgery,” says Mark Preul, MD, Barrow Newsome Endowed Chair of Neurosurgery Research, who heads the grant along with bioengineer, Alyssa Panitch, PhD. “Our team is composed of some of the best minds from Barrow and ASU in a practical attempt to help reconnect the damaged spinal cord. Those with spinalcord injuries are often young or in the prime of their lives. Helping to repair the damage is daunting.” The brain tumor immunotherapy grant, a partnership between Dr. Preul, Adrienne C. Scheck, PhD, and researchers at ASU, will be used to develop proteins that stimulate the immune system to attack malignant brain tumors. An additional grant from the Wallace Foundation will allow researchers to investigate if the proteins work with malignant melanoma, which has a high tendency to metastasize to the brain. “The fusion of expertise in neurosurgery research, neurooncology, and some really novel applications of peptides driving the immune system is the key to this work,” says Dr. Preul. “We’re focused on translating new ideas into therapies that will give brain-tumor patients some extra time—the most valuable commodity there is.”
Mark Preul, MD
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