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BIDDEFORD, Maine

UNE pharmacologist Todd Vanderah awarded a Maine Cancer Foundation grant to develop promising treatments for breast cancer-induced bone pain

The Maine Cancer Foundation (MCF) has awarded University of New England pharmacology faculty member Todd W. Vanderah, Ph.D., a $105,000 research grant to study the mechanisms of breast cancer proliferation and formation of bone metastases.

The grant, entitled "Non-psychotropic cannabinoid-2 receptor agonists inhibit breast cancer proliferation," is a one-year award.

Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death in women with nearly 200,000 women diagnosed each year in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control, Maine has one of the highest rates of breast cancer in the nation. With bone as the most common site for breast cancer metastases, major changes in the bone microenvironment occur such as bone loss, fractures, anemia and severe pain.

Research Background

Dr. Vanderah notes that the CB2 agonists he is working with have been shown to reduce the pain associated with bone cancer in preclinical animal models. Unexpectedly, these drugs also reduced breast cancer cell proliferation and bone loss associated with the metastases.

The MCF grant will support additional studies to validate the CB2 target as a potential treatment for reducing breast cancer proliferation and the pain often associated with bone metastases.

Data generated from the MCF funding will be used to help attract additional funding from the National Institutes of Health to bring drug candidates forward to clinical trials. The funding also helps support a growing biotechnology community in Maine by providing science-related jobs for the state.

Todd Vanderah

Dr. Vanderah is a faculty member in the College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences. He is an internationally know researcher in the pain field and has authored over 100 scientific publications. He also brings expertise in drug discovery and development to Maine's neuroscience community

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.