PROVIDENCE – A Lifespan Corp. cancer researcher whose work in molecular neuroscience earned a nearly $4 million grant for studying how epigenetics impact a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer has been honored for his accomplishments.
Dr. Nikos Tapinos is the 2020 recipient of Lifespan’s Bruce M. Selya Award for Excellence in Research, an honor that spotlights high-level biomedical research at the health system’s hospitals.
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Tapinos is director of molecular neuro-oncology research at Rhode Island Hospital and an associate professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University.
In 2019, Tapinos, along with Dr. Steven A. Toms, a Lifespan neurosurgeon, were awarded a $3.9 million grant from the Warren Alpert Foundation to investigate possible treatments for glioblastoma, a stubborn form of brain cancer.
Tapinos’ work in other areas has been widely published, with his papers on how leprosy bacteria interact with the peripheral nervous system appearing in such journals as Science, Nature Medicine, and Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
Dr. Ziya L. Gokaslan, Lifespan’s neurosurgeon-in-chief and clinical director of the Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute, nominated Tapinos for the honor.
In his nomination, Gokaslan describes Tapinos’ work toward advancing cancer treatments. Top achievements include improving the way drugs are administered to patients, discovering techniques to attract migrating cancer cells toward certain areas of the brain and identifying drugs that are being prepared for use in upcoming clinical trials.
“Nikos is one of the most outstanding young researchers in the field of glial cell biology, focusing on mechanisms of epigenetic regulation of sternness and differentiation in peripheral glia (Schwann cells) and human glial cancer (glioblastoma),” Gokaslan wrote in his nomination letter.
“He is one of my finest colleagues – an outstanding researcher and a terrific mentor. I expect that soon he will cement his worldwide reputation as a creative leader in the fields of glial cell biology and neuro-oncology,” Gokaslan added.
Elizabeth Graham is a PBN contributing writer.
