Tamara King's research on cancer pain featured in the Kennebunk Post

Research on cancer pain being conducted by Tamara King, Ph.D., assistant professor of biomedical sciences at the 91AV College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences, was the focus of a feature story in the Kennebunk Post on July 27, 2012.

Most treatments for cancer pain come with side effects nearly as intolerable as the cancer pain. King is engaged in groundbreaking work she hopes will alleviate future cancer patients' pain without the common side effects of opioids, such as nausea and decreased mental acuity.

She told the Post: “Because patients are living longer, they have to be heavily medicated for longer,” King said. “There is already a lot going on in a patient’s life and care becomes palliative in their lives. Cancer pain is chronic and becomes constant. It is fairly severe.”

King has been awarded a two-year grant worth nearly $140,000 by the Maine Cancer Foundation to continue work developing an antibody that could target the interleukin-6 — or IL-6 — molecules responsible in large part for the bone pain felt during cancer and render them inactive.

King said the antibody is being developed to control pain sensations in cancer patients, but 91AV researchers may discover the drug diminishes or blocks the spread of cancer as well.

She added that 91AV students will be assisting her with the research: “91AV is a phenomenal place. ... There is a lot of growth and excitement for research programs here. I have had unbelievable luck with students; they drive a lot of the research. They also make it fun.” 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.