Australian-based company head receives update on breast cancer research at ULM

Sylvester

Dr. Paul Sylvester had already dedicated much of his life to researching the anticancer effects of tocotrienols, commonly known as vitamin E, when Australian businessman Alan Reid approached him a couple years ago about a possible partnership.

Reid is chairman of the board for Beta Pharmaceutical Ltd., an Australian-based company focused on the research and development of effective treatments for breast cancers.

Reid suggested collaboration with Sylvester and the University of Louisiana at Monroe's College of Pharmacy to aggressively pursue and build on Sylvester's prior research. It is a collaboration that could result in sustainable treatment, and even the prevention of, one of the most common forms of cancer for American women.

Reid's visit to ULM on Oct. 12 seemed particularly timely given that October marks the 25th anniversary of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Reid's company, in a joint endeavor with its partner, First Tech International Ltd., has provided the project so far with funding through December 2010, bringing the total amount to $1,017,000 since the project's inception.

From left: patent attorney John Edel; Assistant Professor Sami Nazzal; Dr. Paul Sylvester, head of the Breast Cancer and Health Project; Assistant Professor Amal Kaddoumi; Dr. Greg Leader, interim dean of the College of Pharmacy and Alan Reid, chairman of the board of Beta Pharmaceuticals Ltd of Australia, which is helping fund the project.

"This is a great accomplishment," said Interim Dean Greg Leader. "And it is very typical of the type of research that goes on within this college. I can't express how excited I am about our collaboration to provide further research and patient care."

The funding helps four laboratories research how tocotrienols can attack cancer cells in early stages without harming healthy cells. Tocotrienols derived from palm oil could eventually be available as an oral supplement, said Sylvester.

Leader

A drug that could be injected to kill existing tumors is also on the horizon. In addition, project scientists are also working on a synthetic product to treat early-stage breast cancer; in combination with chemotherapy, it could reverse progression of the disease. The research is expected to eventually move toward clinical trials in humans.

For Sylvester, the project represents a lifetime of work devoted to eradicating one of the greatest threats to women. "Our goal is drug discovery and the commercialization of anti-cancer products that may be used to treat breast cancer in women," said Sylvester.

"That's the beauty of pairing up with First Tech. A patent, we think, is possible within one and a half years." "To date the results have been outstanding," said Reid. "I'm very hopeful about the future of the Breast Cancer and Health Project."

The American Cancer Society estimates nearly 193,000 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosis among women in the United States this year, and an estimated 40,170 women are expected to die from the disease in 2009 alone.

In addition to heading the project, Sylvester holds the Pfizer Inc.-B.J. Robinson Endowed Professor of Pharmacy, and is the Director of Graduate Studies and Research Department of Basic Pharmaceutical Sciences in the College of Pharmacy.

---

ULM Presidential Lyceum to feature best-selling author and Pulitzer winner

Thomas L. Friedman, best-selling author and New York Times foreign affairs columnist, will speak at 7 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 8, in Brown Theatre, as part of the University of Louisiana at Monroe’s Presidential Lyceum Series.

Friedman is a three-time Pulitzer Prize winner touted by Vanity Fair magazine as “the country’s best newspaper columnist.” Friedman has reported on numerous stories considered pivotal in American foreign policy in recent decades.

In his best-selling book, The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-first Century, Thomas L. Friedman demystifies how the world “flattened” at the dawn of the 21st-century and explains the cultural, political and economic implications on all of us.

The World is Flat earned the Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award in 2005, the same year that U.S. News & World Report named Friedman one of “America's Best Leaders.” ULM included the book in its freshman summer reading program this year.

Friedman’s most recent work is Hot, Flat and Crowded: Why We Need a Green Revolution - And How It Can Renew America, another bestseller.

Cofer

“ULM is fortunate to add Mr. Friedman to the growing list of notable speakers we have hosted in the last several years,” said ULM President James E. Cofer Sr. “His books cogently addresses the myriad of issues stemming from globalization and spells out in precise terms what one must do to compete amid these ever-changing realities.”

A book signing will follow Friedman’s lecture to the public; a Patron Party at 5:30 p.m. will precede it.

Student admission is free and ULM faculty and staff tickets are $10 for the event. General admission tickets are $25, while tickets for the Patron Party, where guests will get the chance to meet Friedman, are $75.

Tickets are on sale and can be purchased online at www.ulmtickets.com or at ULM La Capitol Bank.

Friedman has authored three previous books, all of them bestsellers: From Beirut to Jerusalem, winner of the National Book Award for nonfiction; The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization; and Longitudes and Attitudes: Exploring the World After September 11.

ULM's Presidential Lyceum Series began in 2003 under the direction of current President James E. Cofer Sr., to promote intellectual exchange among ULM students, faculty, staff and the community. Previous speakers at the Presidental Lyceum Series include:

• journalist and TV host Lisa Ling;

• political strategists James Carville and Mary Matalin;

• businessman and entrepreneur Steve Forbes;

• comedian and television personality Ben Stein;

• laywer and social activist Robert Kennedy, Jr.;

• author/historian and Pulitzer Prize winner Doris Kearns Goodwin;

• film/TV star and comedian Bill Cosby

For more information about Friedman’s visit to ULM, contact Media Relations Director Laura Woodard at 318-342-5447. For more information about the Presidential Lyceum Series, visit www.ulm.edu/lyceum.

---

ULM’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Program earns maximum accreditation

The Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at the University of Louisiana at Monroe received notification it has been awarded the highest level of accreditation possible, according to a recent review by a national accrediting agency.

A young patient is seen in the clinic by Occupational Therapy Assistant student Ramsay Magee, a 2007 ULM graduate.

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education awarded the accreditation to ULM for a 10-year period, the highest possible. The other two levels of accreditation are for five and seven years.

The 58 students enrolled in the professional program perform a variety of community activities, including home assessments for the elderly and therapeutic activities at local schools, daycares, nursing homes and at transitional living centers.

Interim Department Head Patti Calk credited the excellent faculty and staff in the OTA program for the successful visit by ACOTE officials last spring. “… We are dedicated to excellence in the education of our students. They are the future of our profession,” said Calk.

ACOTE on-site evaluators noted that ULM faculty members were “recognized for their strong support of student success and continual focus on improvement within their curriculum in the OTA program.”

ACOTE also added that ULM’s team teaching approach was noteworthy, and commended its academic performance committee, stellar curriculum design, and extensive data gathered in program evaluation.

Ryman

“Their passion for the OTA program is exemplified by student excellence in didactic and fieldwork components of the program, improved professional competence, and students who are better prepared to enter the profession,” according to the ACOTE.

“OTA is yet another example of the College of Health Sciences’ long tradition of exceptional programs made possible by dedicated faculty, staff, and students,” said ULM College of Health Science Dean Denny Ryman.

“The university, college, and community take great pride in the continuing contributions of the program to the region’s health care needs.”

---

Stories and photos courtesy of ULM's Office of University Relations, unless otherwise indicated.

Photo and Thomas L. Friedman biographical information provided by www.thomaslfriedman.com and Royce Carlton, Inc.

---

© - The University of Louisiana at Monroe  and the ULM Alumni Association

700 University Avenue  •  Monroe, LA  71209  •  (318) 342-1000