Dec. 1, 2018:

Investigator Spotlight

Pavankumar Tandra, MBBS, Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (University of Nebraska)

Educational background

• MBBS: Osmania Medical School
• MRCGP: South East Scotland Deanery
• Fellowship (Hematology-Oncology): University of Nebraska Medical Center

Research interests

My research interests include tailoring the systemic therapies for early stage HER2-positive breast cancer. I believe we should do more studies in the neoadjuvant platform to assess the strengths of new targeted drugs, to identify biomarkers and minimize the toxicity from chemotherapy. It is very promising to see the new drugs studied in the metastatic setting showing positive results.
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Nov. 20, 2018:

Kari Wisinski, MD, a breast cancer specialist with the UW Carbone Cancer Center, has been named to the Steering Committee of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC).

In that role, she will serve as the University of Wisconsin-Madison representative, helping shape the research priorities of the Big Ten CRC. She currently is the co-chair of the consortium’s Breast Cancer Clinical Trial Working Group. Read More

Rutgers trial aims to demonstrate reduction in immune-related adverse events, while adding to anti-cancer immune effects for patients

Nov. 15, 2018:

BeyondSpring Inc. recently announced the opening of an investigator-initiated Phase 1 clinical trial with a triple combination therapy, consisting of BeyondSpring’s lead asset, plinabulin, and Bristol-Myers Squibb’s Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) for the treatment of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The trial (BTCRC-LUN17-127), conducted through the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC), is currently enrolling subjects at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey. Jyoti Malhotra, MD, MPH, medical oncologist at Rutgers Cancer Institute, is the trial’s sponsor-investigator. The trial is expected to enroll approximately 15 patients in the Phase 1 portion of this Phase 1/2 combined study, and an additional 40 patients in the Phase 2 portion. Read More

Nov. 12, 2018:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, we focus on strategies Big Ten cancer centers are using to assist those who have difficulty finding resources for their cancer treatment or prevention. We also highlight some recent discoveries in several cancer types.

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Nov. 1, 2018:

The Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University (cancer.northwestern.edu), one of only 49 National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation, is dedicated to scientific discovery, advancing medical knowledge, providing compassionate, state-of-the-art cancer care, and training the next generation of clinicians and scientists. Outstanding basic, translational, and clinical research complements a full range of prevention, early detection, treatment, rehabilitation, and palliative care programs for all types of cancer. Read More

Oct. 23, 2018:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, we highlight the innovative work of our member cancer centers across a wide spectrum of cancer care: from prevention to new approaches to treatment, from bench science to survivorship. Catch the latest from each member cancer center in this month’s edition.

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Oct. 23, 2018:

Big Ten investigators presented Phase Ib results of the BTCRC-LUN15-017 study during a poster session at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer’s World Conference on Lung Cancer, Sept. 23-26 in Toronto. Read More

Oct. 22, 2018:

Applications are now open for a nationwide integrative oncology training program. The Integrative Oncology (IO) Scholars program brings together oncology professionals in a free year-long course. Designed for the full spectrum of oncology care professionals, the program equips oncologists, nurses, physicians assistants, physical and occupational therapists, social workers, and psychologists with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide safe and evidence-based integration of complementary therapies in conventional oncology care. The course is funded by the National Cancer Institute and developed by researchers and clinicians at the University of Michigan (U-M) Medical School.
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Oct. 1, 2018:

Investigator Spotlight

Borys Hrinczenko, MD, PhD, Breslin Cancer Center at Michigan State University

Educational background

• MD: SUNY Downstate College of Medicine, Brooklyn, NY
• PhD: University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
• Internship and Residency: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN
• Fellowship: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD

Research interests

My main interest is in new therapies for lung cancer, including the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors, the same treatments for which James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo were awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Medicine. At the Breslin Cancer Center, we have Phase I clinical trials using checkpoint inhibitors to harness the body’s immune system against lung cancer. I’m collaborating on other projects with several MSU researchers, including:

• Chemistry Professor Greg Swain, who is developing a device to measure nitric oxide and peroxynitrite in exhaled breath to determine if these are biomarkers for lung cancer.
• Physiology Professor Eran Andrechek, who discovered in a preclinical model that some lung cancer patients with an overlooked mutation might respond well to treatment with tyrosine kinase inhibitors.
• Pharmacology and Toxicology Associate Professor Karen Liby, who is studying rexinoid drugs for potentially treating lung cancer patients who have the KRAS mutation.
• Bryan R. Smith, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, who is interested in using nanotechnology to reverse immunosuppression in lung cancer.

These are just a few examples of how we at MSU are collaborating across many disciplines to fight this devastating disease.
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Sept. 29, 2018:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) has appointed internationally recognized breast cancer physician and researcher Ruth O’Regan, MD, as its chief scientific officer (CSO). Dr. O’Regan is the division head of hematology, medical oncology, and palliative care in the Department of Medicine at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health; and associate director for clinical research at the UW Carbone Cancer Center. Read More