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A $7 MILLION SUCCESS STORY
Prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Yet, a basic understanding of the processes and molecular factors of this type of cancer lags behind other carcinomas. What makes the cells in this walnut-sized gland start to grow abnormally out of control? How does the disease progress? These and other questions will be addressed with funds from the grant, designed in part to support existing research, attract new investigators and recruit faculty to the Center. Scientific Director Cory Abate-Shen, PhD, Professor at UMDNJ-Center for Advanced Biotechnology and Medicine, brings a unique blend of expertise in molecular oncology, biochemistry, molecular biology and developmental biology to this effort. At a second clinical level, the grant will aid GPCC in the discovery of approaches to chemotherapy and radiation, the exploration of pharmacological avenues as well as immunological and genetic strategies, and scientific explanations for complementary medicines. Translational research technicians now work under Robert S. DiPaola, MD, Executive Director of GPCC and Associate Professor of Medical Oncology at RWJMS. In the past four years, the clinical prostate program at CINJ has grown to approximately 2500 patient visits a year and more than 12 active clinical trials including new drugs and vaccines. The cancer control area of GPCC, headed by Linda Patrick-Miller, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at RWJMS and Director of Behavioral Science at CINJ, will focus on: educating New Jerseyans about the benefits of early detection; finding novel ways to reach a culturally diverse population; and studying nutritional interventions that might inhibit prostate cancer. The grant will increase awareness by providing more public screenings, by distributing brochures to public places, by establishing a series of public lectures, and increasing everything about the current outreach program. Betty Gallo, who assists Patrick-Miller, is also vice-chair of "100 Black Men of America's" Prostate Cancer Initiative, dedicated to education, early detection and awareness of prostate cancer in the African American community. This particular program, created in 1998 by Betty and Keith DaCosta of "100 Black Men," has been adopted as a national model. As she says, "My goal is to help prevent others from suffering the way Dean did."
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Former U.S. Congressman Dean A. Gallo would have been proud of the $7
million coup. Dead on November 6, 1994, at age 58 of prostate cancer,
he lived long enough after his diagnosis to become a prostate cancer
advocate. Betty Gallo, his wife, was right by his side. As Director
of Public Outreach and Government Affairs for The Dean and Betty Gallo
Prostate Cancer Center (GPCC) at the Cancer Institute of New Jersey
(CINJ), she is still right where he'd want her to be. Last August, GPCC,
the state's only specialized prostate health resource at a National
Cancer Institute (NCI) designated cancer center, won a federal grant
-- the largest being handed at that time to a New Jersey research university
for a single project. In fact, an initial award of $4 million soon grew
to $7 million for their proposed five year multidisciplinary effort
to include basic, clinical and translational research, comprehensive
patient care, education and outreach. 