Clinical Trials

FDA grants orphan drug designation to zotiraciclib for the treatment of glioma

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted orphan drug status in December to zotiraciclib for use in patients with glioma, a cancer of the brain that begins in glial cells (cells that surround and support nerve cells). This designation is based on results from an ongoing NCI-sponsored phase 1 trial led by the CCR Neuro-Oncology Branch at the NIH Clinical Center.

Jay Berzofsky and Hoyoung Maeng discuss new vaccine to help men with prostate cancer

Jay Berzofsky, M.D., Ph.D., Chief of the Vaccine Branch, and Hoyoung Maeng, M.D., Assistant Research Physician in the Vaccine Branch, recently discussed their ongoing work to design and develop vaccines and immunotherapy for cancer prevention and treatment with Cancer Therapy Advisor. They share how they are testing a vaccine that may one day delay the need to use androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in prostate cancer patients.

Former Pediatric Oncology Branch patient donates toys to NIH Pediatric Clinic

In December, former patient Julie Jones donated over 1,000 toys to the Pediatric Clinic at the NIH Clinical Center. Jones is a former patient in the Pediatric Oncology Branch who was treated more than 20 years ago for alveolar rhabdomyosarcoma. She says, “I remember what it was like. What these children are going through at such a young age really breaks your heart. I’ve often said there’s nothing greater than seeing the smile on the face of a sick child.”

Ronald Gress discusses therapeutic potential of supercentinarian immune cells

Ronald Gress, M.D., Chief of the Experimental Transplantation and Immunotherapy Branch, was recently featured in a Forbes article about a unique feature of the immune system of supercentenarians—an increased frequency of certain subset of CD4 T-cells that could play a role in the longevity of these individuals. Dr. Gress discussed several important questions that must be investigated to understand the therapeutic potential of these T-cells.

Martha Zeiger elected President of the American Thyroid Association

Martha Zeiger, M.D., Head of the Surgical Oncology Program, was recently elected President of the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and received the association’s 2019 Lewis E. Braverman Distinguished Award. The award is presented annually to an individual who demonstrates excellence and passion for mentoring fellows, students and junior faculty, has a long history of productive thyroid research and is devoted to the ATA.

Newest Lasker Scholars Nirali Shah and David Takeda featured in Intramural Research Program blog

Nirali Shah, M.D., M.H.Sc., Investigator in the Pediatric Oncology Branch, and David Takeda, M.D., Ph.D., Investigator in the Laboratory of Genitourinary Cancer Pathogenesis, are two of the five physician-scientists selected as the 2019 class of Lasker Clinical Research Scholars. In a recent Intramural Research Program blog, they discuss their research and how the resources at NCI and NIH have helped support their goals.

Jonathan Hernandez named one of Washington, D.C.’s best doctors

Jonathan Hernandez, M.D., Investigator in the Surgical Oncology Program, has been selected as one of Washington, D.C.’s 2019 top doctors by The Washingtonian. Top Doctors are selected by nearly 13,000 doctors in D.C., Maryland and Virginia who name a colleague they would recommend in a variety of specialties.

Clinical trial evaluates T-cell therapy for advanced mesothelin-expressing cancers

Some cancer cells express a higher-than-normal amount of mesothelin, which makes them more likely to multiply and spread to other parts of the body. Raffit Hassan, M.D., of the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, is leading a trial that tests T-cell immunotherapy for patients with cancer of the lung and its lining, ovarian cancer and bile duct cancer that express high levels of mesothelin.

Clinical trial will test radiotracer imaging for high-risk localized prostate cancer

Many men with prostate cancer are diagnosed at an early stage of the disease when the cancer is confined to the prostate. However, about 20 percent are diagnosed with high-risk disease, which tends to spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body. William Dahut, M.D., Senior Investigator in the Genitourinary Malignancies Branch, is leading a study using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) with radioactive material to try and identify places in the body where prostate cancer has spread.

Clinical trial tests combination therapy for relapsed hairy cell leukemia

Hairy cell leukemia (HCL) is a rare and slow-growing leukemia in which bone marrow overproduces abnormal B lymphocytes, a type of white blood cell. Under a microscope, these malignant cells appear to be covered with tiny hair-like projections. In this study, patients will receive an immunotoxin called moxetumomab pasudotox to study its effect on relapsed HCL.

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