Page 34 - WesternU View - Fall 2017
P. 34
Darmani nets record
Darmani nets record
Darmani nets record
$1.5-million grant
$1.5-million grant
$1.5-million grant
Story and photos by
Jeff Malet
N issar A. Darmani, PhD, has been awarded a record long-
sought
WesternU research grant of more than $1.5
million to help cancer patients suffering from
remedy
chemotherapy-evoked nausea and vomiting. for the From left Weixia Zhong, PhD, Denise Rodriguez and MSBS
stubbornly student Denise Henry with Nissar A. Darmani, PhD.
Darmani is Associate Dean of Basic Medical Sciences in awful
the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific syndromes of nausea, particularly as often afflict cancer
(COMP). patients,” said WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD,
PhD. “It is noteworthy he has brought in the largest
The five-year grant is from the National Cancer Institute ‘homegrown’ grant in the history of WesternU, so such an
(NCI) arm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is achievement is all the more impressive in the current NIH
to investigate vomiting signals and era of quite constricted funds.”
crosstalk within brainstem and gut nerves Darmani, originally from Afghanistan, left
as well as cells responsible for delayed- the United Kingdom and immigrated to
phase vomiting in the course of cancer the US in 1988 to pursue postdoctoral
chemotherapy with cis-platinum. research in the field of drug abuse at
“The findings of this proposal will not Medical College of Virginia (MCV).
only help patients suffering from the Reading published literature, Darmani
evoked nausea and vomiting, but will also found that physicians treating marijuana-
introduce several new classes of broad- smoking cancer patients experienced less
spectrum antiemetics, which will lower vomiting than the general cancer
the cost of prevention of nausea and population when treated with cisplatin-
vomiting in diverse patient communities like cancer chemotherapeutics. This
suffering from cancer, HIV or finding led to the idea that marijuana
gastrointestinal disorders,” Darmani said. may have antiemetic effects.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of In 1991 Darmani accepted a faculty
death globally and was responsible for 8.8 million deaths position in the department of pharmacology at A.T. Still
in 2015. The total annual economic cost of cancer University (ATSU), Kirksville College of Osteopathic
worldwide in 2010 was $1.16 trillion, according to the Medicine (KCOM) in Missouri. There he came across a
World Health Organization. laboratory-bred colony of least shrews and found that the
species can also vomit. Least shrews are a small species
Expenses associated with the prevention of the first and about the size of the human thumb, and live in the wild in
delayed phases of chemotherapy-induced nausea and the Midwest.
vomiting (CINV) are costly, especially inpatient
hospitalizations. Strategies to reduce CINV can help to To pursue his marijuana anti-vomit research at KCOM,
reduce health care utilization and costs, according to Darmani obtained several RO1 grants through the
Burke, T.A., Wisniewski, T. & Ernst, F.R. Support Care National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National
Cancer (2011) 19: 131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520- Cancer Institute (NCI), which are major divisions of the
009-0797-x National Institute of Health (NIH). One of his funded RO1
grants for more than $800,000 was transferred to
“This is wonderful news. Not only has Dr. Darmani been COMP/WesternU upon his arrival in 2005. VIEW
awarded a major NIH grant, but his work may will bring a
32 https://news.westernu.edu/record-1-5-million-nci-nih-grant-awarded/
Darmani nets record
Darmani nets record
$1.5-million grant
$1.5-million grant
$1.5-million grant
Story and photos by
Jeff Malet
N issar A. Darmani, PhD, has been awarded a record long-
sought
WesternU research grant of more than $1.5
million to help cancer patients suffering from
remedy
chemotherapy-evoked nausea and vomiting. for the From left Weixia Zhong, PhD, Denise Rodriguez and MSBS
stubbornly student Denise Henry with Nissar A. Darmani, PhD.
Darmani is Associate Dean of Basic Medical Sciences in awful
the College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific syndromes of nausea, particularly as often afflict cancer
(COMP). patients,” said WesternU President Daniel R. Wilson, MD,
PhD. “It is noteworthy he has brought in the largest
The five-year grant is from the National Cancer Institute ‘homegrown’ grant in the history of WesternU, so such an
(NCI) arm of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). It is achievement is all the more impressive in the current NIH
to investigate vomiting signals and era of quite constricted funds.”
crosstalk within brainstem and gut nerves Darmani, originally from Afghanistan, left
as well as cells responsible for delayed- the United Kingdom and immigrated to
phase vomiting in the course of cancer the US in 1988 to pursue postdoctoral
chemotherapy with cis-platinum. research in the field of drug abuse at
“The findings of this proposal will not Medical College of Virginia (MCV).
only help patients suffering from the Reading published literature, Darmani
evoked nausea and vomiting, but will also found that physicians treating marijuana-
introduce several new classes of broad- smoking cancer patients experienced less
spectrum antiemetics, which will lower vomiting than the general cancer
the cost of prevention of nausea and population when treated with cisplatin-
vomiting in diverse patient communities like cancer chemotherapeutics. This
suffering from cancer, HIV or finding led to the idea that marijuana
gastrointestinal disorders,” Darmani said. may have antiemetic effects.
Cancer is the second-leading cause of In 1991 Darmani accepted a faculty
death globally and was responsible for 8.8 million deaths position in the department of pharmacology at A.T. Still
in 2015. The total annual economic cost of cancer University (ATSU), Kirksville College of Osteopathic
worldwide in 2010 was $1.16 trillion, according to the Medicine (KCOM) in Missouri. There he came across a
World Health Organization. laboratory-bred colony of least shrews and found that the
species can also vomit. Least shrews are a small species
Expenses associated with the prevention of the first and about the size of the human thumb, and live in the wild in
delayed phases of chemotherapy-induced nausea and the Midwest.
vomiting (CINV) are costly, especially inpatient
hospitalizations. Strategies to reduce CINV can help to To pursue his marijuana anti-vomit research at KCOM,
reduce health care utilization and costs, according to Darmani obtained several RO1 grants through the
Burke, T.A., Wisniewski, T. & Ernst, F.R. Support Care National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and the National
Cancer (2011) 19: 131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520- Cancer Institute (NCI), which are major divisions of the
009-0797-x National Institute of Health (NIH). One of his funded RO1
grants for more than $800,000 was transferred to
“This is wonderful news. Not only has Dr. Darmani been COMP/WesternU upon his arrival in 2005. VIEW
awarded a major NIH grant, but his work may will bring a
32 https://news.westernu.edu/record-1-5-million-nci-nih-grant-awarded/
