$1 Million Magee Prize Awarded to Team Studying Endometrial Cancers

 The team’s research will focus on a gene called EGFL6, which regulates stem cell growth. When EGFL6 is switched on, it drives metabolic changes that lead animals to become obese and eventually develop obesity-associated cancers, including high-risk endometrial cancers. The team hopes to build a better understanding of the biology behind these cancers to identify biomarkers that will improve the accuracy of diagnoses and develop new therapies to improve outcomes for women with this disease. 

“There is no Super Bowl for cancer research, but getting the support to drive research forward so we can impact our patients’ lives is what motivates me,” said Buckanovich, who is also co-director of the Women’s Cancer Research Center and co-director of the Cancer Biology Program at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. “If I can make a difference that will lead to a cure for even a handful of patients, let alone the large numbers we’re hoping to impact, that will be my Super Bowl, my World Series, my Stanley Cup, all combined in one.” 

The Magee Prize will accelerate the pace of this work by funding interdisciplinary research that leverages the tools, resources and expertise of multiple institutions. Buckanovich’s team includes Bo Rueda, Ph.D., of Harvard University, and Victoria Bae-Jump, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of North Carolina. 

Funded by the Richard King Mellon Foundation, the Magee Prize is among the largest grants in women’s health that is awarded by a non-government institution. To qualify for the prize, teams must include at least one MWRI researcher and at least one collaborator from outside of Pittsburgh or an international institution. 

The winner was chosen from three finalists and announced at tonight’s Magee Prize celebration.