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Program funds MUSC-C of C research collaboration MUSC’s Michael Wallace, M.D.,  and Linda Jones, Ph.D., of the College of Charleston, were awarded $72,000 to improve an alternative treatment method for esophageal cancer called photodynamic therapy (PDT).   They are among 17 teams of scientists and engineers from around the state who will receive more than $1 million to work together on research projects that include alternative treatments to cancer and materials for solar-powered space exploration.  The funding is from the South Carolina Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), the South Carolina Biomedical Research Infrastructure Network (BRIN) and the Vice Presidents for Research at Clemson University and the University of South Carolina (USC).   PDT involves the interaction of a photosensitizing dye and red light, neither of which have any effect on cancers alone.  Current treatment options include thermal ablation and surgery, but the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved PDT as an alternative treatment. Wallace and Jones will begin clinical PDT in mid-2002, offering this treatment option for the first time in South Carolina.   The Collaborative Research Program provides an opportunity for research faculty at MUSC, Clemson and USC to collaborate with faculty from the state’s four-year and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).  “This is the first program specifically designed to enhance scientific research and education among all of the public and private colleges and universities in the state,” said Dr. John Baynes, leader of the BRIN program. “This is just the beginning of our effort to network faculty researchers and improve the quality of science research and education.”   Looking to the future, South Carolina researchers are eager to build networks between the numerous institutions. Prior to the Collaborative Research Program, many faculty members at the four-year and HBCU institutions were searching for a way to work with faculty at MUSC, Clemson and USC, but had few options. These awards make collaboration possible not only for faculty, but also undergraduate and graduate students.