Published Nov. 5, 2020
The Louisiana Cancer Foundation (LCF) added another $10,000 donation for the continuing research by Paul Sylvester, Ph.D., of the University of Louisiana Monroe College of Pharmacy. Since 2005, LCF has contributed
$137,500 to Sylvester’s breast cancer research.
A check presentation was held Oct. 29, 2020, during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Attending were ULM President Dr. Ron Berry; James Adams, executive director of the
Northeast Louisiana Cancer Institute and LCF; Glenn Anderson, Pharm.D., dean of the
College of Pharmacy; Donna Jackson, assistant director of the LCF and Sylvester.
PHOTO: The Louisiana Cancer Foundation presented a check for $10,000 to the University of
Louisiana Monroe Foundation for the breast cancer research of Dr. Paul Sylvester of
the College of Pharmacy. Pictured are, from left, ULM President Dr. Ron Berry, Donna
Jackson, and James Adams of the LCF, Sylvester, and Dr. Glenn Anderson, dean of the
College of Pharmacy.
Sid Gaulee/ULM Photo Services
Adams said 15 years ago the foundation board was seeking a way to fulfill the LCF’s
mission to support cancer research.
“We initially met Dr. Paul Sylvester and were immediately impressed with his research
using tocotrienols for breast cancer prevention and treatment,” Adams said. “Since
we are a local cancer foundation with all monies being raised locally and redistributed
back into our community, we thought it fitting that we supported cancer research being
conducted at the ULM College of Pharmacy.”
Sylvester expressed his gratitude to the LCF, saying, “It has been an honor and privilege
to be part of this long collaborative relationship with the Louisiana Cancer Foundation.
The foundation’s support and interest in our research have not only been of great
benefit to our research efforts but has also resulted in the formation of some very
dear friendships with the foundation’s board members.”
Sylvester and tocotrienols
Dr. Paul Sylvester joined the ULM College of Pharmacy in 2001. He is associate dean
of research and Pfizer, Inc. B.J. Robison Endowed Professor of Pharmacology.
An endocrinologist, his research has focused on endocrine-dependent diseases, particularly
breast cancer. His laboratory is currently examining the anti-breast cancer effects
of tocotrienols, a rare natural form of vitamin E.
“With the support of the Louisiana Cancer Foundation, our laboratory has been able
to conduct seminal research regarding the anti-cancer effects of tocotrienol, with
the goal of developing tocotrienol-based therapies that can be used in the prevention
and treatment of breast cancer in women,” Sylvester said.
Sylvester found tocotrienols “ … display potent anti-cancer effects against breast
cancer cells at doses that have no adverse effects on normal cell growth or viability.”
“Subsequent studies have shown that combined treatment of tocotrienol with other traditional
chemotherapies often results in a synergistic inhibition in cancer cell growth and
viability,” he said,
“Since this synergistic anti-cancer effect was observed using very low doses of each
agent, these findings suggest that combined low dose treatment with tocotrienol and
traditional chemotherapy may have significant value in the treatment of breast cancer
without causing unwanted toxic effects associated with high dose chemotherapy treatment
alone,” Sylvester said.
In addition to LCF, Sylvester has maintained grants from the National Cancer Institute
at NIH, American Cancer Society, American Institute of Cancer Research, and First
Tech International Ltd., among others. Sylvester has authored 145 peer-reviewed research
publications, 22 book chapters, and has presented more than 162 talks at national
and international scientific conferences.
About the LCF
The Louisiana Cancer Foundation for Research and Education was formed in 1999 as a
local 501C3. The mission is to promote quality-of-life for cancer patients and family
members while providing Louisiana citizens with accurate and up-to-date information
on prevention, detection, and cancer treatment.
At ULM, the LCF supports: an endowed scholarship for a student who is a cancer survivor
or has been impacted by cancer in their family, established in 2019, the scholarship
fund is $30,000; Theresa Marsala Memorial Endowed Nursing Fund, since 2009, $30,000
has been funded; and oncology classes for nursing students, since 2008, $22,450 has
been funded.
The Cancer Foundation League, the fundraising arm of LCF, has helped over 5,300 local cancer patients since 2002
with more than $2 million in financial assistance.
Annually, the LCF hosts four free cancer screenings for breast and cervical cancer,
prostate cancer, skin cancer, and colon/rectal cancer. It also funds a mobile mammography
unit to reach underserved areas in the region.
