We are proud to once again support Virginia Kaklamani, MD, as the Lynn Sage Scholar for a second year. A talented researcher and oncologist, Dr. Kaklamani is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Hematology/Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and is board certified in Medical Oncology with clinical interests in breast cancer and cancer genetics. Dr. Kaklamani completed both her fellowship in hematology/oncology and a Master of Science in Clinical Investigation at Northwestern University in June of 2003.

Our first Lynn Sage Scholar, Jacqueline S. Jeruss, MD, PhD, continues to serve in as breast surgeon at Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Lynn Sage Comprehensive Breast Center and as a basic science researcher at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. Early support from the Lynn Sage Foundation provided Dr. Jeruss the opportunity to pursue research and apply for federal funding to help sustain her research, bringing us closer to eradicating a disease that has affected us all.



May 2010: Dr. Jeruss Update

After peaking in 2004, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget has declined every year in real terms, with only a 1.4% increase from 2009 to the present. Such limits have made it increasingly challenging for talented medical researchers to secure funding for their investigations. In this environment, it is even more impressive that Jacqueline S. Jeruss, MD, PhD, assistant professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, was awarded an NIH K22 Career Transition Award in 2010. Not only a testament to her research expertise and resourcefulness, Dr. Jeruss also credits the funding she received from the Lynn Sage Foundation for preparing her to earn this grant. The grant is valued at over $520,000 over the next three years.

Named the inaugural Lynn Sage Scholar in 2007, Dr. Jeruss benefitted from the Foundation’s program, “conceived as a means to respond to high priority recruitment and retention needs” at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. By providing funding for bi-annual Lynn Sage Scholar awards, the Foundation helps young researchers gain momentum, building on their most promising discoveries to cultivate a steady stream of funding to sustain their ongoing investigations. This critical first step allows investigators to collect the initial data that ultimately results in their ability to compete successfully for larger, external grants from the NIH and other agencies. Thanks to the “seed funding” provided by the Lynn Sage Foundation to Dr. Jeruss early in her career, she was an ideal candidate for this NIH funding.

The NIH Career Transition Awards are granted to outstanding basic or clinical investigators to develop their independent research skills through a two phase program. The award is intended to facilitate the establishment of a record of independent research by the investigator in order to sustain and promote a successful research career.

Dr. Jeruss’ NIH grant will be used to investigate “The Oncogenic Significance of Cyclin Overexpression and Smad3 Tumor Suppression.” The long-term goal of her investigation is to determine how changes in Smad 3 signal transduction affect breast cancer progression to help establish a molecular staging of the disease and to facilitate the discovery of new treatment options.

The Lynn Sage Foundation is committed to the discovery of a cure for breast cancer. By supporting Dr. Jeruss’ early efforts and helping to position her for greater NIH awards, our commitment has been elevated and extended for years to come.

Our current Scholar, Dr. Virginia Kaklamani has been working to identifying patients at high risk for breast, ovarian and colon cancers based on their genetic background. Dr. Kaklamani has been looking at novel genes and individual risk based on changes in these genes and has been working on several genes and their relation to cancer risk, most notably TGF-beta and adiponectin. One change in TGF-beta has been shown to be associated with increased colon and breast cancer risk in individuals who carry it. Also adiponectin, which is also related to obesity and diabetes, has also been found to change breast and colon cancer risk. The result of this research will help identify correctly high risk patients and offer these individuals better preventative measures (such as oophorectomy) or better screening strategies such as colonoscopies, MRIs of breast and more frequent mammograms.

Dr. Kaklamani is also working on identifying risk factors for weight gain in women who are newly diagnosed with breast cancer. It has been shown that women with breast cancer gain weight and this weight gain increases the chance of recurrence of their cancer. Dr Kaklamani has initiated a study to evaluate breast cancer related weight gain, looking at genes that may be responsible for the weight gain as well as treatment related effects.

“The Lynn Sage Foundation has given me the support to examine the role of obesity and obesity related genes in breast cancer. This will help our breast cancer patients live longer and better lives.” -Virginia Kaklamani, MD, DSc, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology