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                           JeffNEWS, June 1, 1995
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JEFFERSON 2000 FUND
Foundation Grants Support Research in Gene Therapy, Diabetes
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Two local private foundations have given their support to Jefferson
scientists for research that may lead to new treatments for cancer and
diabetes.

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust has awarded Jefferson a three-year,
$211,000 grant to fund the work of Eric Kmiec, PhD, a Jefferson Cancer
Institute researcher and associate professor of pharmacology, Jefferson
Medical College (JMC).

Dr. Kmiec's work has led to the development of a novel strategy for advanced
gene therapeutics. He hopes, through the W. W. Smith grant, to find new
treatment options for cancer patients with a genetic predisposition to the
disease, as well as contribute to an eventual cure.

Robert Considine, PhD, instructor in medicine (endocrinology and metabolic
diseases), JMC, has received a one-year, $30,000-grant from the Margaret
Q. Landenberger Research Foundation.

The grant will enable Dr. Considine to continue his research on the cause of 
resistance to insulin, specifically in the liver, that occurs in Type II
(adult onset) diabetes.

He plans to develop better treatment regimens for patients with insulin
resistance and ultimately to help find a way to prevent the disease.

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust is the seventh largest private foundation
in Philadelphia, with a commitment to support basic medical research into
cancer, heart diseases and AIDS in the Delaware Valley. The foundation has
a longstanding history of support for Jefferson's younger scientists, such
as Dr. Kmiec.

The Philadelphia-based Landenberger Foundation was recently established by
Margaret Q. Landenberger to promote scientific research into various
diseases. This is the second year a Jefferson research project has received
support from the foundation.


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Information provided by:  Editor, JeffNEWS
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