A newly awarded grant will help associate professor at Ferris State University research medicines that could potentially slow the spread of cancer in the body

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently approved a $377,805 research grant to Ferris State University's Associate Professor of Medicinal Chemistry, Dr. Sonali Kurup. Dr. Kurup's research focuses on novel dual-targeted inhibitors of EGFR (estimated glomerular filtration rate) and aurora kinase, enzymes that promote uncontrolled cancer cell division and create resistance in the body to anticancer agents. The grant will allow multiple undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to participate in cancer treatment research and promote collaboration between departments within the College of Pharmacy at FSU. 

The NIH grant awarded is an R15 REAP, or Research Enhancement Award Program grant. These types of grants are awarded based not only on the merit of the proposed research, but also on the research proposal's plan to allow students to significantly contribute to study. Dr. Kurup explained in a release from FSU, "This is a three-year grant. So, it is my hope to involve between four and six students from the undergraduate and professional ranks each year, over the course of this project. I am grateful for support through the intramural grants that provided a stepping stone for the NIH application. This NIH grant presents an excellent opportunity to expand research at Ferris and provide students training in varied research techniques as they prepare for their careers. It was great to have the support of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and the College of Pharmacy during the application of this grant."

This is not the first time Dr. Kurup has received grants for her research. She also was the recipient of a $47,200 ADVANCE Grant from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation's Entrepreneurship and Innovation Initiative in 2020. Dr. Kurup's work on kinase inhibitors began at Roosevelt University where she completed lab work and presented her findings to the American Association of Cancer Research. She expressed her gratitude for the latest grants and her hope for the future saying, "The National Cancer Institute is under the NIH umbrella, and receiving support for this work is most encouraging. I am very hopeful that the hypothesis can be proven and deemed worthy of further grant support. Ultimately, the intention is to create a product that successfully inhibits pathways and limits the spread of cancer, so that it might one day become an option for the treatment of patients."

Dr. Kurup is working with colleague Dr. Felix Amissah on the research project. The two have been collaborating since 2018 and have presented their work to multiple regional organizations such as the West Michigan Undergraduate Research Symposium and at regional meetings of the American Chemical Society.