Younghye Song, assistant professor of biomedical engineering in the U of A's College of Engineering, has recently been awarded a $2.5 million National Institutes of Health R37 grant from the National Cancer Institute to investigate the role of metabolic rewiring in breast tumor innervation.

Song submitted her proposal to the National Cancer Institute as an R01 grant application, but because her proposal received such a favorable evaluation from reviewers, she was awarded the NCI R37 Method to Extend Research in Time Award, or MERIT Award. This prestigious grant will fund Song's independent research for five years with the opportunity to extend funding to seven years, with satisfactory research progress. Song is the first on campus to receive an NIH MERIT Award.

The awarded research project addresses a knowledge gap in breast tumor innervation. It investigates how breast cancer metabolism is regulated and impacts tumor innervation and metastasis. The goal is to gain insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms surrounding tumor metabolic rewiring, innervation and metastasis. This knowledge could then lead to novel strategies for curbing metastatic breast cancer progression by targeting dysregulated cellular metabolism and innervation.

The Song lab utilizes naturally derived biomaterials and innate cellular capabilities in developing pro-regenerative scaffolds and in vitro disease models. These models enhance our understanding of both healthy and diseased states, facilitating the development of innovative therapeutics aimed at improving patient outcomes for various diseases and traumatic injuries. The research platform developed by Song can be expanded in the future to study metabolic regulation of cancer-nerve crosstalk in other non-neural cancers, such as lung, pancreas, colorectal, head and neck, and skin cancers, where tumor innervation contributes significantly to malignancy. 

"This R37 award allows my lab to dive deeper into understanding breast tumor innervation, which has been linked to worse prognosis with higher rates of metastasis," Song said. "We aim to use tissue engineering approaches and resources available at the Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center (AIMRC) to understand better why more nerve fibers are seen in aggressive breast tumors, and how we can use this understanding to develop new therapeutic strategies to curb metastatic progression. 

"Given that cancer-nerve crosstalk is an emerging aspect not only in breast cancer but also across various cancers, I am thrilled to receive this award," Song added. "It will enable my lab to contribute to this vital area of cancer research and continue training future scientists and engineers, who I firmly believe will make exciting discoveries to enhance our understanding of cancer-nerve crosstalk."

Song was among the four inaugural research project leaders at the Arkansas Integrative Metabolic Research Center, and receiving this award enabled her to graduate from the AIMRC project leader program. The AIMRC, led by Kyle Quinn, professor of biomedical engineering, was founded in 2021 with support from the university and an NIH Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence award.

"Dr. Song and her team are developing state-of-the-art research tools to address major health problems that affect thousands of Arkansans," Quinn said. "Dr. Song is a key researcher and leader at the AIMRC, and we are excited to see this project take off over the next seven years with R37 funding."

The AIMRC has established research cores specializing in bioenergetics, imaging and spectroscopy, and data science to aid campus researchers like Song. By combining technical expertise and providing access to advanced equipment in these core areas, along with a cross-disciplinary faculty development and mentoring program, the AIMRC aims to foster a cohort of independent researchers with federally funded projects related to metabolism.

The work funded by Song's R37 grant will be a continuation of the research she began with funding support from the AIMRC beginning in 2021.

"Being a research project leader with the AIMRC was crucial in securing this award and shaping my lab's identity. The center's core facilities expanded our scientific investigation tools, and designated mentors provided insightful feedback not only on this grant but also on navigating this professorship," Song said. "The administrative and proposal development support from the AIMRC allowed me to focus on the science aspect of grant writing, which was a tremendous help."

For more information on becoming an AIMRC project leader, or for other AIMRC funding opportunities, please visit the center website at aimrc.uark.edu or contact Kimberley Fuller at fullerk@uark.edu.