10 | DOCTOR GATOR
T H E I R F U T U R E
Y O U R L E G A C Y
UF HEALTH AMONG ELITE GROUP SELECTED TO CREATE 3D CELLULAR MAP OF HUMAN BODY
UF Health is one of five institutions nationwide
selected by the National Institutes of Health to help
create a groundbreaking 3D cellular map of large
portions of the human body that may one day
transform understanding of diseases.
UF Health officials describe this effort as similar in
ambition to the Human Genome Project. UF Health
and other institutions tackling different organs or
tissue systems will map normal tissue from deceased
donors, from the very young to the elderly.
The NIH awarded a multidisciplinary team at UF
Health a $5.1 million, nearly four-year grant as part of
the Human BioMolecular Atlas Program, or HuBMAP.
Using advanced microscopy, researchers will map key
components of the lymphatic system. The project may
eventually lead to insights in the battle against 80
autoimmune diseases, from Type 1 diabetes to lupus
and some cancers.
DRUG CANDIDATE OFFERS NEW APPROACH TO TREAT PANCREATIC CANCER
A novel drug candidate based on a marine natural
product discovered 20 years ago could be the basis
for a new approach to treating pancreatic cancer.
Pharmacy researchers at UF Health have developed a
novel molecule based on marine cyanobacteria,
Apra S10, to target pancreatic cancer cells. In
laboratory testing, Apra S10 inhibited the growth
of pancreatic cancer cells derived from patients and
maintained high concentrations in the pancreas
compared with other organs. Apra S10 originates from
a family of molecules known as apratoxins, found in
select areas of the Pacific Ocean near Micronesia.
RESEARCH
ROUNDUP
For Christine Lalime, a career as a physician assistant offers the perfect balance of
everything she wants from her professional life.
“I am excited to work alongside a physician as a member of a team providing the best
care possible for patients,” says Lalime, a second-year student at the UF School of
Physician Assistant Studies, adding that she appreciates the opportunity PAs have to
gain experience in a variety of specialties.
A native of Hollywood, Florida, Lalime earned her undergraduate degree at UF and
was recently selected as the first recipient of the Jodi Jones Knauf Scholarship. The
endowed scholarship supports medical and physician assistant students at the UF
College of Medicine, rotating from a PA student to a medical student every few years.
Herbert “Bert” Knauf, MD, a graduate from the UF College of Medicine’s class of 1992,
established the scholarship in honor of his late wife, Jodi Jones Knauf, a graduate of
UF’s PA program who passed away in 2015 from cancer. Knauf, an ophthalmologist in
Clearwater, Florida, and Jodi’s parents, Doris “Dodo” and Glenn Jones, wanted to give
back to UF and create a legacy Jodi would appreciate.
Knauf hopes the scholarship will not only honor his wife’s memory and her
unbreakable spirit, but that it will also encourage students to give back when they
have an opportunity to do so.
“When I was told I was awarded this scholarship, it meant more to me than I can
explain,” says Lalime, who worked as a medical assistant in a cardiology clinic prior
to PA school and hopes to do a rotation in pediatric cardiology while at UF. “I will do
everything I can to live up to the standard established by the Knaufs and dedicate
myself to providing the highest-quality care to my future patients.”
Christine Lalime
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHRISTINE LALIME
PA student receives scholarship
honoring late graduate
Low-dose aspirin
users were about
more likely to have
major bleeding
compared with
those who did not
use aspirin.
DAILY ASPIRIN USE MAY DO MORE HARM THAN
GOOD FOR HEALTHY PEOPLE, RESEARCHERS FIND
Among otherwise healthy people, a daily dose of aspirin does not save lives and
causes additional bleeding, an analysis by UF Health researchers found. Their
meta-analysis of 11 aspirin therapy clinical trials involving more than 157,000
healthy individuals since the 1980s showed the drug doesn’t reduce deaths,
heart attacks and strokes. Low-dose aspirin users were also about 50 percent
more likely to have major bleeding compared with those who did not use
aspirin, the researchers concluded. The findings were published in December
in the European Heart Journal. New guidelines from the American Heart
Association and American College of Cardiology released earlier this year now
advise against daily aspirin use for healthy individuals as a method to prevent
heart attack or stroke.
Hendrik Luesch, PhD, and
Weijing Cai, PhD, from the
UF College of Pharmacy,
led the development and
testing of Apra S10, a
novel drug to treat
pancreatic cancer.