| Research
Burg brings “Era of Hope”
to breast cancer research
 Bioengineer
Karen Burg is one of eight recipients of the Era of Hope Scholar
Award — the U.S. Department of Defense’s acknowledgement
that the Clemson University bioengineer is a rising star among breast
cancer researchers whose “creative, high-risk research . .
. may ultimately lead to the eradication of breast cancer.”
Through
the Era of Hope program, Burg is expanding her research from the
re-growth of breast tissue lost to lumpectomy or mastectomy, to
the growth of breast tissue as a scientific test bed. This work
could lead to faster development of drug-based treatments and prevention
methods, which ultimately could save thousands of lives.
“This
research helps address a problem that has always been noted in the
literature: lack of suitable three-dimensional tissue culture models,”
Burg said. “Until now, we’ve been largely limited by
two-dimensional models, which don’t accurately reflect cell
behavior in the human body.”
A
three-dimensional test bed comprised of human cells will help researchers:
decipher cell-to-cell communication, discern if drugs pose serious
side effects to healthy cells and develop treatments, getting them
to the market and to patients faster.
Working
with Burg on this project from Clemson are Dennis Smith in chemistry,
Bruce Gao in bioengineering and Steve Ellis in animal and veterinary
science as well as Didier Dreau, a cancer biologist at the University
of North Carolina in Charlotte, David Pearlstone, a surgical oncologist
at Palmetto State Surgical Associates in Greenville and Mina Bissell,
a cell biologist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California.
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