Delta Dental Foundation Grant Supports Oral Cancer Research at the University of Michigan
OKEMOS, Mich.-(Business Wire)-February 6, 2009 - The Delta Dental Foundation has awarded a Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant of $24,375 to the University of Michigan School of Dentistry to help expand a repository of saliva samples from patients with head and neck cancer, as well as healthy people, for oral oncology research.
Dr. Carol Anne Murdoch-Kinch, DDS, PhD, and Dr. Nisha D’Silva, BDS, MSD, PhD, are the lead investigators in the project, which is creating a valuable resource nationwide that can support current and future research projects on head and neck cancer.
“Several studies support the presence of specific biomarkers for head and neck cancer in saliva. Our objective is to find biomarkers that are cancer-specific and affected by treatment,” said Murdoch-Kinch, an associate professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery/Hospital Dentistry at U of M. “The repository we’re creating, with its samples from healthy people and cancer patients pre- and post-treatment, would allow us to investigate those biomarkers. A saliva-based test using these biomarkers could provide a sensitive, specific, inexpensive and noninvasive means to monitor for recurrence of head and neck cancer and, ultimately, save lives.”
Despite advances in therapy over the past 30 years, the 5-year survival rate for head and neck cancer remains at approximately 50 percent.
“Early detection of head and neck cancer improves a patient’s prognosis but this cancer in particular has few early warning signs or symptoms,” said Nancy E. Hostetler, senior vice president of the Foundation. “Research projects like this are vital to advancing scientific knowledge to reduce the incidence of this deadly disease.”
The Thomas P. Moore II Memorial Grant was established by the Delta Dental Foundation in 2006 to honor a longtime member of the Board of Directors for Delta Dental of Michigan and Delta Dental of Ohio, and the Board of Trustees for the Delta Dental Foundation. A community leader from the Detroit area, Moore died in 2005. The Foundation awards the grant annually to support research or educational projects that focus on oral cancer.
About Delta Dental Foundation
The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, now Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. The Foundation’s goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science, and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly for those with special needs. For more information, visit www.deltadentalmi.com.
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