MedImmune, in association with UC San Diego, has awarded Charles Sauer, D.O., a $35,000 grant for research in the area of follow-up care of premature infants as part of MedImmune’s established Fellowship Program.

Sauer, a Neonatology Fellow working in the UCSD Infant Special Care Unit, is researching breast milk fortification for preterm infants. Breast milk is best for preterm infants, but the milk needs to be fortified with extra protein, vitamins, sugars and fat to ensure optimal growth and brain development. Currently, the nutrient content of breast milk varies greatly and therefore it is difficult to determine how much fortifier to add. Sauer’s work will focus on analyzing breast milk and measuring the milk’s protein, fat and carbohydrate content in order to find a consistent fortification that should improve the growth of infants. After discharge from the hospital, the infant’s development and growth will be followed for one year.

MedImmune is a global biotechnology company with a commitment to pediatric research.

The Children’s Digestive Health and Nutrition Foundation (CDHNF) Board of Directors has awarded Mamata Sivagnanam, M.D., the George Ferry Young Investigator/CDHNF/Nestlé Nutrition Research Young Investigator Development Award. The Board has approved funding in the amount of $75,000 per year for two years (total $150,000.00) for her research on Intestinal Epithelial Function of Epithelial Cell Adhesion Molecule.

The CDHNF was established by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), a professional society of more than 1400 pediatric gastroenterologists to promote research and education that will improve the health of children with digestive and nutritional disorders.

Four cancer researchers at the Moores UCSD Cancer Center have received a total of $1.14 million from Susan G. Komen for the Cure® to study the nature, development and spread of breast cancer. These are the organization’s only research and training awards given to scientists in San Diego for 2008.

“We are grateful to Susan G. Komen for the Cure for supporting our cancer center scientists as they strive to better understand the complexities of cancer,” said Moores UCSD Cancer Center director Dennis Carson, M.D. “Our efforts continue to focus on moving our research discoveries out of the laboratory and to the bedside to help our patients.”

The four grants, which will support basic research and training in the development, spread and potential treatment of breast cancer, include:

Randall S. Johnson, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, has received $600,000 for a grant titled, “Hypoxic Response and Inflammation: Role in Breast Cancer Progression.” Johnson’s research will focus on the relationship between low oxygen levels in tumors, inflammation and breast cancer progression.

Marilyn Farquhar, Ph.D., Professor and Chair of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, received $180,000 for a grant titled, “The Role of Giv/Girdin and G Proteins in Metastatic Progression of Breast Cancer.” Farquhar’s team will study the role of a specific group of proteins in the spread of breast cancer. The funding will support research by postdoctoral fellow Mikel-Garcia Marcos, Ph.D.

Michael Karin, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology and Pathology in UC San Diego’s Laboratory of Gene Regulation and Signal Transduction, received $180,000 to support a grant titled, “Role of lkk/Nf-kappab/BMi-1 in Mammary Carcinogenesis and Metastasis.” The work will focus on a group of enzymes and how they potentially affect the development of breast cancer and its spread. The funding will support research by postdoctoral fellow Weizhou Zhang, Ph.D.

Michael G. Rosenfeld, M.D., Professor of Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, has been awarded $180,000 to support a grant titled, “Tumor-Associated Macrophage-Mediated Inflammatory Responses in Serm “Resistant” Breast Cancer as a Therapeutic Target.” The group will study the role of inflammation in treatment-resistant breast cancer, and as a possible target for therapy. The funding will support research by postdoctoral fellow Chunru Lin, Ph.D.

According to Komen, this round of grants is the largest funding commitment for breast cancer research by a single nonprofit organization, with 81 universities and hospitals in 27 states and five countries receiving support. During the past 25 years, Komen for the Cure has raised and distributed $1.2 billion for research and community health programs. Komen is pledging to invest another $2 billion during the next 10 years.