Volume 1, Issue 10

• Ali Syed Arbab, MBBS, PhD, brings to the GRU Cancer Center the remaining 3 years, $1.06M of his 5-year NCI/NIH R01 grant, “Understanding mechanisms of resistance to anti-angiogenic treatments” that was awarded during his time at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, MI. Project Description:  The results of this research are expected to lead to a better understanding of the mechanisms of resistance to anti-angiogenic treatments for glioblastoma (GBM, a type of glioma brain tumor) and other solid tumors. Using an experimental model of human glioma, investigators will test a new agent that targets multiple sites of angiogenesis.  Effects of this new compound, alone and in combination with an existing angiogenesis inhibitor, will be measured using dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI (DCE-MRI), an accurate and sensitive non-invasive technique that detects tumor volume, tumor blood volume, and tumor vascular parameters such as perfusion, permeability, and extravascular-extracellular space volume. The research will also examine whether blocking SDF-1 (a pro-angiogenic factor) or decreasing bone marrow-derived precursor cells helps overcome resistance to anti-angiogenic therapy.  At present, survival from malignant GBM is typically less than a year, making even a partial response a potentially relevant lead for therapeutic improvement.

• Yan Cui, PhD, brings to the GRU Cancer Center the remaining 4 years, $1.25M, of her 5-year NCI/NIH R01 grant, “P53 inactivation on MDSC development and tumor progression” that was awarded during her time at Louisiana State University. Trp53 inactivation is one of the leading causes of cancer. Interestingly p53 inactivation is also induced in various physiological and pathological conditions by viral infection, oncogene activation, and aging process, some of which have been linked to tumorigenesis. The novel concepts on the immunological mechanism of p53 dysfunction/inactivation in tumorigenesis developed in this project will not only broaden our understanding of the largely unappreciated immunomodulatory function of p53 in tumor suppression, but also provide valuable insights into new strategies targeting the p53 pathway in the tumor microenvironment that can be implemented to new tumor immunotherapies.

• Daqing Wu, PhD, brings to the GRU Cancer Center the remaining year, $104K, of his 3-year NCI/NIH R21 grant, “EPLIN as a molecular target of genistein in preventing prostate cancer metastasis” that was awarded during his time at Emory University in Atlanta. Consumption of genistein, a major dietary isoflavone, has been associated with decreased rate of metastasis and reduced risk of mortality in prostate cancer patients. However, the mechanism of action of genistein in blocking the metastatic cascade in cancer cells remains largely unknown. This research will perform in vitro and in vivo studies to elucidate a novel mechanism of action of genistein in inhibiting the acquisition of invasiveness in human prostate cancer cells. The proposed studies will provide mechanistic basis and rationale for clinical investigation of genistein in preventing metastasis at early stages of tumor progression, therefore significantly contributing to our efforts of diverting lethal cancer into a chronic disease.

New Clinical Trial

• Shou-Ching Tang, MD, PhD, received $115K from Janssen Research & Development, L.L.C., for “A Phase 1 Study to Evaluate the Safety, Pharmacokinetics, and Pharmacodynamics of JNJ-42756493, a Pan-Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor, in Subjects with Advanced or Refractory Solid Tumors or Lymphomas.

Recent Publications