UT Tyler Fisch College of Pharmacy Awarded NIH Grant

March 25, 2024 | Elizabeth Wingfield

The University of Texas at Tyler received a $447,195 grant from the National Institutes of Health to support the research of Dr. May Abdelaziz, Ben and Maytee Fisch College of Pharmacy assistant professor, in HER2, a protein that promotes the growth of breast cancer.

The grant is to support research and expose students to research. Only 15% of applicants receive this type of grant.

“The receipt of this NIH grant underscores the impactful research being conducted at the Fisch College of Pharmacy,” said Dr. Amy Schwartz, Fisch College of Pharmacy dean. “Dr. Abdelaziz's innovative work in developing targeted therapy for breast cancer highlights our college's contribution to cutting-edge solutions in health care and pharmaceutical sciences.”

Abdelaziz is working to create a new targeted therapy for breast cancer. Unlike chemotherapy, targeted therapy attacks specific areas, such as HER2, instead of affecting the entire body. While there are targeted treatment options available for breast cancer, some patients don’t respond well to these options or later relapse. This new targeted therapy will help 30% of patients who don’t respond to other therapy options.

“The support from the NIH will greatly facilitate our efforts to develop a novel targeted therapy for breast cancer,” said Abdelaziz. “I am grateful for the opportunity to make a meaningful impact in cancer research and potentially improve outcomes for patients.”

Abdelaziz received her Bachelor of Pharmacy degree and her master’s in pharmaceutical chemistry at Cairo University in Egypt and her PhD in pharmaceutical sciences at Virginia Commonwealth University.

With a mission to improve educational and health care outcomes for East Texas and beyond, UT Tyler offers more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programs to nearly 10,000 students. Through its alignment with UT Tyler Health Science Center and UT Health East Texas, UT Tyler has unified these entities to serve Texas with quality education, cutting-edge research and excellent patient care. Classified by Carnegie as a doctoral research institution and by U.S. News & World Report as a national university, UT Tyler has campuses in Tyler, Longview, Palestine and Houston.