USA Researcher Receives Nearly $1-Million Grant

A researcher at the University of South Alabama’s (USA) Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine has been awarded a four-year $946,000 grant from the American Cancer Society to study cadmium’s effects on DNA repair. Dr. Aishwarya Prakash, associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the college and a cancer researcher at the USA Health Mitchell Cancer Institute, is leading the research, which will focus on understanding how cadmium interferes with the body’s natural defenses against cancer. Cadmium is an environmental carcinogen found in soil, cigarette smoke and foods such as shellfish and organ meats. The study revolves around a specific DNA repair complex that is crucial for correcting DNA errors. “We aim to uncover the detailed mechanisms by which cadmium interferes with this process,” Prakash said. “Our team will use advanced biophysical and structural methods to examine changes in key enzyme regions when cadmium binds, causing loss of function.”