News

September is National Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. Ovarian cancer is among the most deadly of all cancers, though because of less awareness, most cities won’t be as blanketed in teal (ovarian cancer’s awareness color) as they are bathed in pink for October’s focus on breast cancer. But researchers at the Harper Cancer Research Institute, a collaboration between the University of Notre Dame and the Indiana University School of Medicine South Bend, are working with community partners to not only foster awareness of ovarian cancer but also to develop tests for early detection, create novel chemotherapies, and target a cure.

A mammogram’s ability to detect tumors at early stages has made breast cancer one of the most treatable forms of cancer. Still there are almost 50,000 missed diagnoses every year. Engineering professor Ryan K. Roeder has devised a way in which gold nanoparticles can be injected into the breast and attach to indicators of cancer, so they can be clearly seen.

Notre Dame Research has provided more than 35 researchers with awards from the Internal Grants Program for 2016.

Postdoctoral Research Associate Prakash Nallathamby was awarded a Pfizer Young Investigator Poster Award during a recent retreat held by the Cancer Biology Training Consortium Symposium.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, an annual campaign to increase awareness of the disease and the importance of early detection. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are conducting innovative research aimed at improvements in early detection by molecular imaging.