In The News...

 

  • UVA neuro-oncologist Dr. Benjamin Purow has been awarded a 5-year, $375,000 Early Career Physician-Scientist award from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute for his work in studying glioma. He is one of 19 scientists nationally, and the only one working on brain tumors, to receive this award. For additional information go to http://www.healthsystem.virginia.edu/internet/news/archives08/purow.cfm.

 

  • UVA neurosurgeon Dr. Jason Sheehan's laboratory has been awarded a 3 year grant to study targeted delivery of chemotherapeutic controlled-release nanoparticles to common pediatric brain tumors using contrast agent microbubbles and ultrasound.

 

  • In February 2008 UVA opened a phase 2 clinical trial of the novel angiogenesis inhibitor CT-322 (AngioceptTM) with and without irinotecan for recurrent glioblastoma. UVA is one of approximately eight brain tumor centers testing this anti-VEGF strategy.

 

  • The phase 2 clinical trial of temsirolimus and sorafenib for recurrent glioblastoma, NCCTG N0572, has opened to enrollment at UVA, Mayo Clinic, and the North Central Cancer Treatment Group. This is one of the first study to target two separate key signaling pathways in glioblastoma cells. Dr. David Schiff is the study chair. Additionally, in conjunction with Harvard Medical School, UVA has opened a phase II study that tests the benefit of vandetanib (ZD6474, Zactima®) when added to radiation and temozolomide for newly diagnosed glioblastoma. Additional studies for recurrent glioblastoma expected to open this summer include trials of ANG1005 (a conjugate of Taxol that crosses the blood-brain barrier), BIBW 2992 (an oral inhibitor of EGFR/HER2 receptor), and 131I-TM601 (a scorpion venom derivative that delivers radiation directly to tumor cells).

 

  • Dr. Roger Abounader's laboratory found that PTEN, normally thought to be a tumor suppressor gene, actually can promote tumor development in the setting of certain p53 gene mutations. This provocative result was published in the March 15 issue of Cancer Research. Additionally, his research into the biology of the important pediatric brain tumor medulloblastoma has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Cellular Physiology.

 

  • UVA has joined the North American Gamma Knife research consortium, a group of 8 Gamma Knife centers in the continent that will focus on the conduction of research projects and development of guidelines and treatment algorithms for intracranial stereotactic radiosurgery.

 

  • Several physicians from the UVA Neuro-Oncology Center were recently named to the list of Best Doctors in America by Best Doctors, Inc., including neurosurgeons Mark Shaffrey, John Jane Sr., Jeffrey Elias, John Jane Jr., and Vinko Dolenc, as well as medical neuro-oncologist David Schiff.