FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. – Nova Southeastern University (NSU) has received $963,000 in federal funding from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to help detect genetic differences among women that may make some more vulnerable to cancers and other diseases.
“I’m beyond thrilled to announce we have these federal dollars headed to Nova Southeastern University for the purchase of cutting-edge instruments that will be used for the early detection of cancers and other diseases,” said U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25).
“These funds will support critical research to help us recognize and understand genetic differences that may make some patients more likely to develop cancers and other diseases, and enable doctors to intervene sooner with treatments,” said Dr. Harry K. Moon, president-elect, executive vice president, and chief operating officer of NSU. “Early detection and treatment are the most important factors in improving outcomes and reducing mortality. And NSU is uniquely positioned, now with the right, cutting-edge equipment, to provide these powerful and life-changing insights.”
NIST supports innovation, technological advancement, better standards of measurement, and maintains a national clearinghouse of genetic and other information. NSU believes research enabled by the federal funding will provide new measurement techniques, uniform and standardized methods to evaluate data, and evidence-based recommendations for early detection and diagnosis.
Disparities in health outcomes based on ancestry are well established and, for most of today’s major diseases, show people of African ancestry suffer worse outcomes. For example, African American women have a 41 percent higher breast cancer death rate than white women even though their incidence of breast cancer is four percent lower. Other cancers and major diseases show the same trend.
It is estimated 50 percent of human cancers are caused by environmental factors, and individual reactions to toxins vary based on genetic differences. The role of environmental toxins, particularly for cancers, is well established but they also can affect cardiac and brain health.
“NSU’s Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy has the expertise and research resources to conduct the scientific and clinical investigations but requires additional equipment in order to develop and standardize protocols,” said Dr. George Hanbury, NSU president and chief executive officer.
“South Florida is home to a rich blend of people representing multiple cultures, countries, and socio-economic groups,” said Dr. Michelle Clark, dean of NSU’s Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy. “Through genetic and other analysis, NSU scientists will explore how differences among people at the cellular level may contribute to their likelihood to develop cancer and other diseases. Understanding our differences will lead to better diagnoses as well as better treatment options and outcomes.”
Wasserman Schultz, a breast cancer survivor, introduced the EARLY Act, legislation designed to increase breast cancer education and awareness. The EARLY Act became law as part of the Affordable Care Act, signed by President Barack Obama in 2010. Breast cancer is the most common type of cancer among women in Florida, with more than 17,000 women diagnosed with the disease on average every year.
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Nova Southeastern University is the largest private research university in Florida. Its Barry and Judy Silverman College of Pharmacy is ranked first for Hispanic and 14th for African American students earning the Pharm.D. degree. View Fast Facts here.
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