U of L receives $6.7 million grant to advance lung cancer research Thursday, Jan 27 2022 

American Lung Association and Dr. John Pierce Wise and Health and Interim President Lori Gonzalez and Kevin Gardner and Lung Cancer and metals and National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and News and research funding and research grant and Revolutionizing Innovative Visionary Environmental Health Research Madelin Shelton 4:16 pm

By Joe Wilson — 

On Jan. 26, U of L announced that the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences will sponsor a $6.7 million grant to research the link between metals and lung cancer.

Dr. John Pierce Wise Sr., professor in the department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, will lead the eight-year research project. Wise will partner with experts from across the U.S., Germany, China and Japan to examine the relationship between metals and lung cancer. The grant will be funded by the Revolutionizing Innovative Visionary Environmental Health Research program.

Although lung cancer is commonly attributed to smoking, other environmental conditions contribute to its development. 1 in 5 women and 1 in 12 men who develop lung cancer have never smoked. Exposure to metals has been established as a cause of cancer, but scientists do not have an extensive understanding of the link between metal and lung cancer specifically.

Wise has dedicated three decades of his career toward research of metals and cancer. In his previous work, Wise studied metal exposure in whale blubber and concluded that while animals are exposed to metals in the ocean, they are less likely to develop cancer as compared to humans. The grant will allow Wise and his team of researchers to understand the discrepancy in rates of cancer between animals and humans.

“U of L is one of the top institutions in the country in research and discovery for how human health is influenced by our environment, and preeminent researchers like Dr. Wise are the reason. This grant is recognition of the incredible contributions Dr. Wise has made to the field and provides ongoing support for continued discovery for years to come,” said Kevin Gardner, U of L executive vice president of research and innovation.

In response to the announcement, U of L Interim President Lori Stewart Gonzalez said, “We are grateful for the institute’s confidence in Dr. Wise and our university to lead this work in addressing such a significant health concern. I am excited to see this amazing research continue and expand at U of L thanks to this grant.”

According to the American Lung Association, Kentucky has the highest rates of lung cancer in the country. Lung cancer in the state is known to be particularly deadly, with only 19 percent of patients alive after five years of diagnosis. This is lower than the national average of 24 percent.

File Graphic // The Louisville Cardinal 

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U of L receives record-breaking $201.5 million for research Monday, Oct 11 2021 

Carnegie Community Engaged and Carnegie R1 and Grand Challenges and Kevin Gardner and News and Research and research funding and Strategic goals Madelin Shelton 5:58 pm

By Madelin Shelton — 

The University of Louisville recently announced a record-breaking $201.5 million in research funding for the 2021 fiscal year.

Kevin Gardner, U of L’s Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation, partly credited this accomplishment to U of L’s blooming status as a research university in the last several years. “We set a record last year that was $170 million in new awards in fiscal year ’20,” he said. That means that between fiscal year 2020 and fiscal year 2021, U of L increased its research funding by $30 million.

University research includes environmental health science, engineering, climate change, liver cancer and COVID-19.

When asked if he thought any areas of U of L research were particularly notable, Gardner said there were so many that he couldn’t choose. However, he noted how U of L’s exceptional research capabilities are contributing to its strategic goals and addressing its identified grand challenges.

The three grand challenges include empowering our communities, advancing health and engineering our future economy. Gardner said U of L has research initiatives in various disciplines tackling these issues.

Gardner also discussed what the record-breaking year signifies about U of L’s role as a research university. “The thing that makes the University of Louisville unique as a research university is that we’re one of only 69 universities that are classified as Carnegie R1 and as a Carnegie Community Engaged university.”

Carnegie R1 refers to the ranking given to universities across America that are classified as having very high research activity. A Carnegie Community Engaged university is seen as contributing to its community in meaningful ways.

“What sets the University of Louisville apart is that we don’t just do research and write a paper and have it sit on the shelf or in an academic journal. We translate that research into practice,” Gardner said. “We’re committed to seeing this research get out into the world to have a positive impact.”

Photo Courtesy // U of L News 

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