Angelina Vaseva, PhD Awarded $800K Alex’s Lemonade Stand Grant to Study the “Development of New Approaches to Target MAP Kinase Pathway in RAS-driven Rhabdomyosarcoma.”
![Angelina-Vaseva](https://gccri.uthscsa.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/128/2019/06/Angelina-Vaseva.jpg)
Institution: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Project Description:
Project Goals:
Our proposal focuses on the preclinical development of less toxic and more effective targeted therapies for children with fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma, the more common type of rhabdomyosarcoma, characterized by frequent mutations in a gene family called the Ras genes. Our preliminary data indicates that a novel inhibitor to target signaling pathway called the Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase pathway could have clinical implications for patients with fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma, whose cancer has the Ras mutations. We aim to preclinically validate this inhibitor and define strategies to use it in the clinic in combination with other agents to achieve long-term patient benefit. The accomplishment of our project has the potential to lead to the design of much-needed novel therapies for patients with fusion-negative rhabdomyosarcoma.
Since 2004, UT Health San Antonio, Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute’s (Greehey CCRI) mission has been to advance scientific knowledge relevant to childhood cancer, contribute to understanding its causes, and accelerate the translation of knowledge into novel therapies. Greehey CCRI strives to have a national and global impact on childhood cancer by discovering, developing, and disseminating new scientific knowledge. Our mission consists of three key areas — research, clinical, and education.
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