Under the leadership of the Principal Investigator, W. K. Alfred Yung, M.D. and the Co-Principal Investigator, Oliver Bogler, PhD, the Brain Tumor Center at UT M.D. Anderson Cancer Center has been named by the National Cancer Institute as a new Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE) for the study of brain cancer. M.D. Anderson, in collaboration with the Mayo Clinic and the University of California at San Francisco, has gathered an outstanding multidisciplinary group of investigators whose research is both innovative and translational.
You can see the MDACC press release here.
The following projects and cores are funded under the SPORE mechanism:
Project 1: Tropism Enhanced Oncolytic Adenovirus for the Treatment of Brain Tumors
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Juan Fueyo, M.D.
Applied Sciences Co-Leader: Frederick F. Lang, M.D.
Specific Aim 1: Determine the extent to which Delta-24-RGD can replicate in and spread through gliomas in situ in patients.
Specific Aim 2: Determine the extent to which Delta-24-RGD and temozolomide are synergistic anti-glioma agents and examine the underlying mechanisms of the synergy. Specific Aim 3: Determine the extent to which bone marrow-derived human mesenchymal stem cells can improve the delivery of Delta-24-RGD to glioma.
Project 2: Targeting the PI3K Pathway in Gliomas with PI3K Inhibitors and Rational Combinations
Applied Sciences Co-Leader: W. K. Alfred Yung, M.D.
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Garth Powis, D.Phil.
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Oliver Bögler, Ph.D.
Specific Aim 1: To study PX-866 and rational combinations in improved preclinical culture and animal models of glioma
Specific Aim 2: To initiate clinical trials of PX-866 and rational combinations.
Specific Aim 3: To identify novel synergistic targets for rational drug combinations with PX-866 using siRNA synthetic lethality screening.
Project 3: Predicting Therapeutic Response in Glioblastoma and Targeting
Refractory Tumors
Applied Sciences Co-Leader: Kenneth Aldape, M.D.
Applied Sciences Co-Leader: Howard Colman, M.D., Ph.D.
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Robert B. Jenkins, M.D., Ph.D.
Aim 1: Evaluate the ability of a multi-gene panel to predict patient outcome (progression-free survival) in a retrospective sample of newly diagnosed GBM patients treated with standard therapy (TMZ-CR).
Aim 2: Validate the multi-marker predictor in a prospective, randomized phase III trial of >800 patients (RTOG 05-25) and identify additional robust molecular profiles of refractory tumors.
Aim 3: Utilize samples from clinical trials of newly diagnosed GBM to test the extent to which the multigene set is predictive of response to new targeted therapies.
Project 4: Genetic Modulation of Cognitive Function and Outcomes in Glioblastoma Patients
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Melissa L. Bondy, Ph.D.,
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Christina A. Meyers, Ph.D.
Basic Biological Sciences Co-Leader: Margaret R. Wrensch, Ph.D.
Applied Sciences Co-Leader: Charles A. Conrad, M.D.
Applied Sciences Co-Leader: Susan m. Chang M.D.
Aim 1: To create a customized SNP chip (Golden Gate assay - Illumina platform) focusing on the neurocognitive, metabolizing, DNA repair, and inflammation genes relevant to neurocognitive outcome.
Aim 2: To conduct neurocognitive evaluations on all patients treated and followed at each institution following the standardized testing established for a number of collaborative group and pharmaceutical company sponsored studies.
Aim 3: To integrate the data derived from Aims 1 and 2 to determine if variants in the neurocognitive, metabolizing, DNA repair, and inflammation pathway genes alter the overall QOL.
These Projects are supported by the following Cores:
Core A: Administrative; Co-Directors: Oliver Bogler, Ph.D. and W.K. Alfred Yung, M.D.
Core B: Pathology and Tissue Procurement; Co-Directors: Kenneth Aldape, M.D. and Gregory N. Fuller, M.D., Ph.D.
Core C: Biostatistics; Director: Kenneth Hess, Ph.D.
Core D: Clinical; Director: Mark R. Gilbert, M.D.
Core E: Animal; Co-Directors: Frederick F. Lang, M.D. and Charles A. Conrad, M.D.
The SPORE also has a Career Development and a Developmental Research Program.
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