Physician-scientists study nano-treatments to fight brain tumors
B
rain cancer is among the most difficult malignancies to treat. Physician-scientists at the University of Chicago Medicine are researching innovative ways to make treatment easier. Maciej S. Lesniak, MD, director of neuro-oncology research at the University of Chicago Medicine, is collaborating with scientists at the University of Chicago’s Center for Nanoscale Materials and the Materials Science Division at Argonne National Laboratory on a novel therapy that uses magnetic nanoparticles to destroy cancer cells. And Bakhtiar Yamini, MD, assistant professor of surgery at the University of Chicago Medicine, collaborated with a Nebraska biotechnology company to design a nanoparticle “shell” capable of selectively targeting therapeutics to brain tumor cells. Lesniak recently was awarded a five-year, $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to begin testing the nanomagnetic therapy in animal models. “There have been advances in therapy for brain cancer, but they haven’t been significant enough to make a tremendous difference in terms of extending life,” Lesniak said. Lesniak and his team are at the forefront of research with a total of $13 million in NIH grants to study brain tumor treatments, including gene therapy, immunotherapy and neural stem cells. The nanomedicine technique developed by the University of Chicago Medicine
Cancer
Pioneers of hormone therapy for cancer and birthplace of modern chemotherapy. 1943. Leon Jacobson, MD, used the first chemotherapeutic agent, nitrogen mustard, to treat leukemia and lymphoma. 1972. Janet Rowley, MD, identified the first chromosomal abnormality in leukemia, leading to the recognition of the genetic basis of cancer.
and Argonne scientists uses magnetic microdiscs so tiny that calling them “microscopic” would be an exaggeration. Antibodies attached to the microdiscs are capable of recognizing brain cancer cells. Once the discs reach their targets, a weak magnetic field — about the same strength as a refrigerator magnet — is applied to the cancer cells. The discs start to rotate, which severely disrupts the cell functions. The cancer cells self-destruct. In theory, this therapy is potentially less toxic than the standard weapons to treat brain cancer such as radiation and chemotherapy, which work by damaging cancer cells’ DNA but also harm healthy cells. “The great thing about this approach is it changes the mindset from trying to use pharmaceutical agents to do something to a cell to actually damaging the cell in a mechanical fashion,” Lesniak said. Yamini’s NIH-funded research with nanoparticles, meanwhile, essentially tags the particles so physicians will be able to monitor their path in the desired area of the brain by MRI. “People have previously used both targeting and image guidance in the treatment of other cancers, but bringing these two strategies together in one vehicle is something that would be really useful,” Yamini said. In Phase II, the team will test the nanoparticle delivery system in animal models. If those experiments are a success, the next step is a clinical trial for dogs that have been diagnosed with brain tumors. uchospitals.edu/physicians/maciej-lesniak.html
A doctor-patient relationship inspired one of the largest donations ever pledged to the University of Chicago Medicine. The Matthew and Carolyn Bucksbaum Family Foundation is giving $42 million to the University of Chicago to create a unique program to improve doctor-patient communication. The Bucksbaums’ longtime physician, Mark Siegler, MD, will lead the initiative. “Our doctor, Mark Siegler, showed us what good doctoring involved, and it was just as much about compassion and communication as his outstanding clinical competence,” Carolyn “Kay” Bucksbaum said. “In Dr. Siegler, I have had a doctor who is interested in my husband and me as persons, not just diseases, although we’ve confronted him with a few of them. I have so valued that. A special mark of Dr. Siegler’s character is his extreme kindness and interest in what makes us tick.” The Bucksbaum Institute for Clinical Excellence will train medical students, junior faculty members and senior clinicians to serve as role models and mentors in communication and shared decision making. According to a 2001 study by the Commonwealth Fund, one in five U.S. adults had trouble communicating with doctors and one in 10 felt they had been treated disrespectfully during a recent health care visit. Kay Bucksbaum hopes the Bucksbaum Institute will address this problem by becoming a clinical and teaching model nationwide, emulated by other academic medical centers. “This is a transformative gift, the kind that has an impact sustained over generations,” said Holly J. Humphrey, MD, dean for medical education at the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine.
uchospitals.edu/physicians/bakhtiar-yamini.html
Fluoridation
Surgery
1930s. Proved most cases of surgical shock are caused by lack of blood, leading to use of blood transfusions during surgery.
Sleep Medicine Developed the technique of all-night sleep recording. Overnight sleep studies reveal that sleep is a complex set of stages. 1963. Identified the first sleep disorder (narcolepsy).
1946-61. University of Chicago research conducted in two Chicago suburbs led to the fluoridation of water nationwide.
Archival Photograph Files, Special Collections Research Center, University of Chicago Library
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uchicagokidshospital.org
INSPIRED
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