Madeira da Silva honored at AACR annual meeting

Luciana Madeira da Silva, Ph.D., a researcher at USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, has received a 2019 Minority and Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Award.

The travel award was presented to 15 researchers at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research held in Atlanta from March 29 to April 3. The AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional association related to cancer research.

Dr. Madeira da Silva presented a poster on experimental anti-cancer compounds discovered at MCI that inhibit cell growth in mice by disrupting the RAS oncoprotein. These first-in-class RAS inhibitors warrant further development as a selective and effective treatment for ovarian cancer, she said.

Dr. Madeira da Silva, who heads the Gynecologic Oncology Lab at MCI, collaborates with Professor of Oncologic Sciences and Pharmacology Gary A. Piazza, Ph.D., who leads the MCI Drug Discovery Research Center.

The purpose of the award is to increase the scientific knowledge base of minority faculty members and faculty members at minority-serving institutions, and to encourage them and their students to pursue careers in cancer research, according to the AACR.

USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute

As the region's only academic cancer center, USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute combines NIH-funded scientific research with comprehensive cancer care serving communities across southern Alabama, southeast Mississippi and portions of northwest Florida. With three locations, more than 50 clinical trials, and five support groups, the Mitchell Cancer Institute guides patients and their families from the moment of diagnosis through survivorship.