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Dr. John H. Heller, Dr. Eugenie Qiark Andl Mrs. Heller At Cape Haze Marine Laboratory Oln, Siesta Key LOCA'TED ON SIESTA KEY New Lab Wing Here To Help Research To Battle Cancer Research leading to medicines that it is hoped will give human bodies a resistance to cancer will be conducted by new laboratory. Iacilities being constructed on BYesta I{ey as a part of' the Cape 8ase Marine Laboratory. The administrative committee of' the,William G: Selby and!Marie Selby Foundation has approved a grant of $14,940 to the laboratoryy for the construction and equippingg of a new wing. The committee, consisting of Mrs: Marie Selby, chairman; Leon Booth: Benton W, , Powell;, Homer W. Whitman, and Richard C. Hinae, approved the grant' for a special l biochem- ical laboratory for processing,the livers of certain apecies of'sharks to obtain a substance of' eritical ltnportance in a new cancer re- search istudy at , the New England Institute for Medical: Research, with whieh,tfie Cape Haze Marine Laboratory is affiliated. 71re New England Institute, Dr.. John H. Heller, executive direc- tor, does basic medicallreseareh at' the molecular level, , Its scien- tists have recently shown, thaY a snbatance derived from shark livers stimulates the resistance af,the body to infections from bac, teria, viroaea. poisona and par- asites: Dr. Helier has been a researc„ associate on the scientific staff' ~ of' the , Cape Haze Marine Labora- tory for, soven years'and spends port of his' time each year work- !ng in Sarasota. His popularr book, "Of' Mice, Men and Mole- cules," contains a colorful chap- ter describing, his work with sharks and the operations and' research activities at the Cape $aze Marine Laboratory: In the new research study, sup- ported by five other national foun- dations, the New England Insti- tote for Medical Research ia un- dertaking' a three-year program to determine whether the body may be stimulated by the sub- stance secured from shark liverss to resist the onset of'cancer:. By far the greatest stimulation of the resistance system yet found is conferred by a chemical derived by lengthy processing of , the livers otcertain speciea of sharks. The work already done at the ' New England Institute for Med- [cal Research in , using this sub- stance for increasing resistance to infectious diseases was made possible by its cooperative pro- grams with the Cape Haze Marine Laboratory. Sharks were caught andl studied: at the laboratory. Shark livers were removed at the, dock, frozen and shipped by air to the institute laboratory in Con- necticut for processing to obtain the lipids. The grant by the Selby Founda- tion will!enable shark livers to bee processed immediately in the new laboratory an Siesta Key: Ttiis, will make available the greatest, possible yield of desired' sub- stance from the shark livers by processing them while, still' fregh and will eliminate the losses on- casioned' by the old system, of shipping them to the research, laboratory in Connecticut'for pro- cessing. The chemical derived from the eharks in the new laboratory will also be made available to investi- gators in other laboratories and' Dr. Heller at anl international col- lbquium called by the Centre Na, Uional' de Is Recherche Scientif'i- que at' Paris. ! The $ew laboratory will greatly, i improve facilities for ather re- search programs at Cape Haze l; Mqine Laboratory for studying i, varioy~'Yluid's in sharks in con-i, junctton with Dr. Il M. Chamlin , of the Physicians Medical i Labor. atory, Sarasota, and Dr6 lfaraball Urist, of' the Univer:,ity of' Cali- fornia., it will also be available to scientists from ottrr.r, research centers to availlthemaelvea:of'the ~' unique opportunity whichSarasatal, will provide for aecuring' these basic substances from aharkk livers and'for biochemical studies of' other substanees from marine life in this area. Some of the scientists p,lanning ' to use the new laboratory faciGl ities are: Dr. John S. Bracken and Dn William F. Mahoney of hospitals throughout the world I the Physicians Medical ILabora- arho have shown keen interest in I tory' in Sarasota who will conduct this new attack, on the problem of'' investigations of problems eon+ eancer. After the new laboratory fs built at the Cape Haze Marine Iceriiing -cytdifferenf'atiou ' and Laboratory, Sarasota probably will be the basic source for somee years to come of the only material l available in useful' quantities which markedly stimulates the re- sistence systemlof'the body. Ffrst' announcement of' the success of, the scientists of', the New, England Institute for Medical' Research In discovering this substance was made in the summer of' 1962 by immunocheniatrg using a variety of marine organisms as subjecSs of their experiments; Dr. Ron, ald R. Cowdeo of the deparhment of' pathob6y, . University of Flor id'a, wlio will investigate blood cells and aernm i proteins of sharks; Dr. Joshua L. F.dward'a;, chaimsan, ofl the department of pathology, , University' of Fla;idar , who will work on immunology of sharks.