The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust
Philip Wedegaertner, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology and Immunology in the Kimmel Cancer Institute at Jefferson Medical College (JMC), will receive a grant of $199,000 over a three-year period from The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust of Newtown Square.

Dr. Wedegaertner is investigating how proteins are delivered to unique locations inside the cell. His recent research established that attachment of a fatty acid known as palmitate is essential for a family of proteins called G proteins to arrive at their proper place in the cell and to function correctly. Several members of these G proteins play critical roles in cellular pathways involved in cancer. This research may lead to novel therapeutic strategies to block cancer-causing proteins from reaching their necessary cellular destinations and thereby combat the growth of tumors. The generosity of the Smith Trust will enable Dr.

Wedegaertner to study the underlying mechanisms of this process.

The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust and the Mary L. Smith Charitable Lead Trust have awarded Jefferson more than $3 million for basic and clinical research in heart disease, AIDS and cancer. In addition, The W. W. Smith Charitable Trust has awarded Jefferson Medical College a special onetime grant of $1.5 million to endow The William Wikoff Smith Chair in Cardiac Research.

The Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation
The Philadelphia-based Margaret Q. Landenberger Research Foundation awarded Jeffrey E. Thomas, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at JMC, a one-year grant of $30,500 to advance his research on a pioneering treatment of vasospasm-induced ischemic strokes. These strokes are characterized by insufficient blood flow to a region of the brain or sometimes to the entire brain.

Vasospasm, which is a narrowing of cerebral arteries several days after aneurysm rupture (which is one of two types of stroke), is the leading cause of neurological disability and death in aneurysm survivors. The vessels may become so narrow as to choke off blood supply to brain tissue and cause a stroke. The technique developed by Dr. Thomas and his colleagues has reversed this dangerous condition in some patients and is now being evaluated for its ability to prevent the condition.

Mrs. Landenberger, whose family has received treatment at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, established her foundation in 1993. Since then, it has provided Thomas Jefferson University with more than $180,000 to support medical research in cancer, diabetes and vascular disease.

Visit The Jefferson 2000 Fund website at http://www.tju.edu/jeffgiving/

News Briefs | Photo Album | Calendar | Announcements | Notables