How private support furthers cancer research
THE CHARLES W. HINSON ENDOWMENT FUND
The Charles W. Hinson Endowment Fund at the OSUCCC – James supported the recruitment of Arnab Chakravarti, MD, professor and chair of Radiation Oncology, co-director of the Brain Tumor Program and holder of The Max Morehouse Chair in Cancer Research.
Chakravarti and his laboratory are working to understand the mechanisms of radiation resistance in cancer cells and to develop strategies for overcoming them, particularly in patients with glioblastoma multiforme, one of the most treatment-refractory of all human tumors.
His research has shown that radiation can alter signal transduction pathways in ways that improve cancer-cell survival. His findings have led to novel therapies that are already being studied in clinical trials, and they have suggested new therapies that will be developed and tested at Ohio State in collaboration with colleagues in the OSUCCC – James Experimental Therapeutics Program, the phase I and II clinical trials program and the Department of Neurological Surgery.
“Our ultimate goal,” Chakravarti says, “is to take our basic science findings and apply them to provide optimal and personalized care for all radiation oncology patients.”