Dr. Cheryl Jorcyk is a professor with the Department of Biological Sciences. Dr. Jorcyk’s laboratory’s research interests are directed towards elucidation of the molecular mechanisms that promote tumor progression. She has been working on the effects of the cytokine Oncostatin M (OSM) on breast tumor progression and metastasis. Oncostatin M (OSM), an IL-6 family cytokine, is produced by breast cancer cells and tumor-associated cells of the immune system, including macrophages and neutrophils. OSM has been shown to inhibit the proliferation of breast cancer cells, and this effect initially focused much attention on OSM as a potential breast cancer therapy. Data from her lab, however, suggests that OSM could actually contribute to tumor progression and the development of a metastatic state. She and her colleagues have shown that OSM induces vascular endothelial cell growth factor (VEGF), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), cell detachment, and invasive capacity in vitro. In the fall of 2009, Dr. Jorcyk received a $720,000 Research Scholar Grant from the American Cancer Society (ACS) to support her project, “Breast Cancer Metastasis in Bone: The Role of Oncostatin M.” It is only the second ACS grant in Boise State history. With this distinction, Dr. Jorcyk joins a distinguished group of researchers, including 42 Nobel laureates, to be funded by the ACS over the last 63 years.