Professor Benoit co-PI on NIH funded project: “Salivary gland-specific radio protection”
In collaboration with Associate Professor Catherine Ovitt of the Department of Biomedical Genetics, Professor Danielle Benoit is the co-PI on the recently funded NIH research project: “Salivary gland-specific radioprotection.” Briefly, salivary glands are extremely sensitive to ionizing radiation (IR) used as a curative treatment for head and neck cancers. However, mechanisms governing radiation-damage induced losses in salivary gland function is unknown. Therefore, this work focuses on fundamental understanding of salivary gland radiosensitivity and development of therapeutic approaches to protect against damage. If successful these approaches will lend themselves to translation and the development of novel therapy strategies that would improve the quality of life for survivors of head and neck cancer.