Boost to Emory medical research

Emory University announced Tuesday that it has received more than $10 million in grants to study colon cancer, bipolar disorder and breast cancer.

Researchers at Emory’s Winship Cancer Institute have earned a five-year, $7.4 million grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, supporting their work examining the links between oxidative stress and colorectal cancer, the second-deadliest cause of cancer in the United States.

Diet, environmental pollutants, radiation and drugs can all influence the body’s oxidative stress level, Emory officials said. Oxidative stress happens when our blood cells cannot process the byproducts of oxygen.

Also, the Avon Foundation has awarded a $950,000 one-year joint grant to the Winship Cancer Institute and Grady Memorial Hospital. The grant will support community outreach, patient navigation and breast cancer research at the Avon Foundation Comprehensive Breast Center at Grady.

In addition, the National Institutes of Health awarded Emory scientists $2.8 million over four years to search for genes that predispose individuals to bipolar 1 disorder.

Bipolar 1 disorder is a severe psychiatric illness that affects approximately 1 percent of the general population. More than 90 percent of cases can be attributed to inherited genetic variation, Emory officials said.