George Mason University researchers and administration welcomed U.S. Rep. Barbara Comstock, R-VA, on Friday to discuss the latest Lyme disease and breast cancer research.
Comstock has long had a strong interest in Lyme disease research. She chairs the House Science Subcommittee on Research and Technology and represents the 10th District, which includes Loudoun County, parts of Fairfax, and counties to the west.
“This is a critical time for medical innovation,” said Comstock, adding it’s essential to bring the right people together to build an ecosystem where medical problems can be solved. “It is my passion and my biggest interest in Congress.”
Plus, she’s close to the university—her daughter attended. “I’m a promoter of George Mason,” Comstock said.
She toured the Institute for Biomedical Innovation on George Mason’s Science and Technology Campus in Manassas with Mason President Ángel Cabrera. She met some of the university’s top researchers, including Lance Liotta, Chip Petricoin, Ginny Espina and Alessandra Luchini.
Mason’s groundbreaking work in Lyme disease testing was highlighted. The Mason-developed test can determine if someone has an ongoing case of Lyme disease. Traditional tests are highly inaccurate, Liotta said.
“We’re totally unique,” Liotta said. “We invented the technology. We commercialized it.”
Mason licensed its nanoparticle technology to Ceres Nanosciences, which provides Lyme disease diagnostic kits to doctor’s offices. Ross Dunlap, Ceres CEO, said Mason’s support of the startup has been instrumental in bringing the product to market.
Breast cancer is also a top research area for Mason. Researchers have used personalized medicine to pinpoint treatments for women with metastatic breast cancer. Researcher Espina recently received a patent for a novel breast cancer treatment that uses the malaria drug chloroquine to target “ductal carcinoma in situ,” or DCIS, the most common type of pre-invasive breast cancer. DCIS is the main precursor to invasive, metastatic, and lethal, breast cancer.
Comstock also learned about Mason’s Aspiring Scientists Summer Internship Program, which started a decade ago with a handful of students. The popular program led by Amy VanMeter Adams recently received 1,000 applications for less than 100 slots.
Vice President for Research Deborah Crawford, Associate Vice President for Entrepreneurship and Innovation Sean Mallon, and Director of Federal Relations Kerry Bolognese were on hand as well as College of Science administration members including Dean Peggy Agouris, Associate Dean of Research Ali Andalibi, and Director of Development Ted Wynn.