American Veterinary Medical Association - The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has awarded a $1.4 million grant to the Texas Tech University School of Veterinary Medicine. The funds will bring to the veterinary school’s faculty Dr. Klementina Fon Tacer, a postdoctoral researcher at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital since 2016.
The grant will allow Dr. Fon Tacer to investigate novel mechanisms that protect mammalian germ cells against stress and how those mechanisms are co-opted in cancer, with the ultimate goal of advancing cancer treatment and fertility preservation of childhood cancer survivors. The hope is Dr. Fon Tacer's research will establish a strong foundation for a comparative oncology research center at Texas Tech's newly created veterinary school on the TTU Health Sciences Center campus in the Panhandle city of Amarillo.