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View Printer Friendly           Home | Research | Fellowship and Award Opportunities | David Cory Adamson, MD

2004 NREF Research Fellow - Two Year Award David Cory Adamson, MD Duke University Identification of novel molecular therapeutic markers in glioblastoma multiforme. The malignant glioma, glioblastoma multiforme, represents over 30% of all primary brain tumors. Despite decades of combined surgical and adjuvant therapies, the dismal prognosis remains virtually unchanged. Evidence demonstrates multiple genetic alterations in the initiation and progression of GBMs. Few markers have been identified for clinically useful therapies; therefore, the identification of novel targets may have enormous clinical potential. We will use state-of-the-art procedures to systematically analyze all genetic changes unique to GBMs more thoroughly and at a higher resolution than previously performed. We will identify novel molecular tumor targets and design therapeutic tools using immune- and vaccine-based strategies. Click here to view  Progress Report  (PDF 200KB) About Dr. Adamson 2004 Local News Release regarding Cory Adamson Dr. Cory Adamson, a native of Dadeville, Alabama, has recently been awarded the 2004 Neurosurgery Research Education Fellowship to help continue his laboratory research in the field of malignant primary brain tumors at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, North Carolina. He is the youngest son of Lucy Ashmore Adamson, currently of Dadeville, Alabama and the late Charles Farrell Adamson. Cory was a 1987 valedictorian graduate of Dadeville High School and a 1991 summa cum laude graduate of Bridgewater College, Bridgewater, Virginia where he doubled majored in biology and chemistry. He subsequently matriculated into medical school at Johns Hopkins University where he was awarded M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., and M.L.A. degrees. While a doctorate student in the department of neuroscience at Johns Hopkins he explored the molecular mechanisms of retroviral-induced neurotoxicity in the brain. Over the past five years, he has been completing his neurosurgery residency at Duke. As a 2004 NREF fellow, Cory will be pursuing research integral to the development of future therapies for one of the deadliest tumors known to man. The most malignant primary brain tumor, glioblastoma multiforme, represents over 30% of all primary brain tumors. Despite decades of combined surgical, radiation, and chemotherapies, the dismal prognosis of this tumor remains virtually unchanged. Evidence demonstrates multiple genetic alterations in the initiation and progression of GBMs. Few molecular markers have been identified for clinically useful therapies; therefore, the identification of novel targets may have enormous clinical potential. Cory will use state-of-the-art procedures to systematically analyze the genetic changes unique to GBMs more thoroughly and at a higher resolution than previously performed. This strategy will identify novel molecular tumor targets that can be used to design therapeutic tools. This work will be carried out in collaboration with Drs. Hai Yan and Darrell Bigner in the Brain Tumor Center at Duke. Besides basic science research, Cory is also interesting in translational and clinical research that takes the laboratory discoveries to the patient’s bedside. As a neuroscientist, he is also interested in the molecular characterization of virally-induced cell death pathways and signal transduction pathways that underlie tumorigenesis. As a neurosurgeon, his primary areas of focus include the surgical treatment of primary, secondary and skull base brain tumors. When Cory is not in the operating room or laboratory, he can be found doing one of his many hobbies that he began while growing up in Dadeville. An avid jogger and biker, he regularly competes in road races and triathlons. He can often be found on the racquetball court or softball field, and as a musician, he continues to play the French horn in local ensembles.