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LAWRENCE -- Paul F. Terranova, an internationally recognized researcher in reproductive biology and a professor of molecular and integrative physiology and of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, is the recipient of the 2002 Chancellors Club Research Award.
The Chancellors Club, established in 1977 by the Kansas University Endowment Association, is KU's major-donor organization. The $5,000 annual Chancellors Club Research Award honors a KU Medical Center researcher whose work has led to significant scientific discoveries. Candidates for the award are nominated by colleagues, students and alumni. Terranova receives the award tonight at the Club's 25th annual meeting, in the Kansas Union ballroom.
"I was surprised and elated when I heard I'd won the award," said Terranova.
At the Medical Center's Center for Reproductive Sciences, which Terranova directs and helped found in 1993, he and his research team are immersed in four initiatives in the area of ovarian physiology.
In the first, he is studying the regulation of follicle development in the ovary, hoping to gain insight into the cause and possible treatment of various ovarian disorders, including polycystic ovarian disease.
Terranova's second initiative examines the regulation of estrogen secretion in the ovary. "The study deals with a protein produced in and outside the ovary called Tumor Necrosis Factor," he explained. "TNF could be an early indicator of a risk for ovarian cancer."
Through his third study, Terranova hopes to discover why epithelial cells, the cellophane-like cells that cover the ovaries, are more likely to become cancerous than other parts of the ovary.
"We took cells off the surface of mice ovaries and kept them dividing, and they transformed into malignancy," he said. "With this mouse model, we're trying to determine why they become malignant, to develop therapeutics for treatment and to study the factors in the early detection of ovarian cancer."
Terranova also is studying the damaging effects dioxin has on the ovary. Dioxin, a carcinogenic environmental hazard, is a by-product of many industrial processes involving chlorine, such as chemical and pesticide manufacturing, and pulp and paper bleaching.
"We have found that dioxin can block ovulation," Terranova said. "This has been a fascinating project, and we've made a lot of advances."
In a letter nominating Terranova for the research award, Joan S. Hunt, university distinguished professor of anatomy and cell biology, wrote: "The hallmark of Paul's work has been imagination and originality. Paul documents an enviable record of achievement in biomedical research, having been funded continuously for his innovative studies on the ovary since 1979. His lifetime research income (direct costs only) totals an impressive $9,260,800."
Over the span of his teaching career, Terranova has served as a mentor and trainer to more than 45 students, from undergraduates to doctoral fellows. He has written or co-written more than 100 peer-reviewed original research papers, 19 chapters in books or symposium proceedings, and numerous articles in international scientific journals. He is a popular speaker at institutional seminars and at regional, national and international meetings. He serves on the editorial boards of several scientific journals and provides leadership to the scientific community by serving on the numerous review panels for the National Institutes of Health, the National Science Foundation and the Environmental Protection Agency.
"The greatest reward of research is the thrill of discovery," Terranova said. "It has been really fun to progress through this maze of discovery, trying to find something. It's kind of like detective work."
Terranova received his bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from McNeese State University and his Ph.D. in zoology and physiology from Louisiana State University. He served as an NIH postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at KU Medical Center. He joined the Medical Center staff in 1977 as an assistant professor in the Department of Physiology and rose through the ranks to become a full professor in 1985.
KU Endowment is an independent, nonprofit organization serving as the official fund-raising and fund-management organization for KU. Through 2004, KU Endowment is conducting KU First: Invest in Excellence, the largest fund-raising campaign in KU history, with a goal of $500 million in funds for scholarships, faculty support, programs and capital projects.
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