Identifying the right combination of immunotherapies and understanding how this combination works to eliminate cancer will lead to better patient response rates and prolonged survival.
Yina H. 黄博士The 41st Prouty说 was a record-smashing year for fundraising. Money raised from all Friends events goes to “life-changing research.但这是什么意思呢? Meet the researchers who are underway with exciting new studies.
为什么FLASH有效?
FLASH radiotherapy delivers ultra-high doses of radiation in a fraction of a second. The result is good tumor control with fewer side effects and damage to healthy surrounding tissue compared to conventional radiation therapy. However, exactly how and why this delivery method works so well is still unknown. Building on past laboratory studies, researchers 瓦伦丁·德米多夫博士, 张荣晓，博士, P. 杰克·胡普斯，DVM，博士, Brian W. 波格博士, will look deep into the vessel networks that deliver blood to skin tissues, 称为微脉管系统. Engineering highly specialized light technology, the group will measure microvascular response in real tumors after FLASH therapy. “This knowledge will set the stage for long-term studies of FLASH effects on skin tissue,德米多夫说.
测试房屋的氡含量
氡, 一种无色, odorless gas found in many homes in our region is the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths, killing about 150 NH and VT residents a year. Risk is increased for people who smoke. Yet most homes go untested for radon. 人口科学研究人员 莉婉米. 哈森博士, 朱迪R. 里斯，医学博士，博士, are using their Prouty说 grant to change that. “We’ll engage community partners to learn why homes are not being tested for radon and co-develop a risk-tailored, technology-supported intervention designed to increase testing,哈森说。. The team will then pilot the intervention to evaluate how well it works, use community feedback to prepare for a larger trial.
支持骨愈合
The spread of cancer into bone affects more than half of patients with common cancers and relates to skeletal events such as fracture in up to 400,在美国每年有1000人. 凯瑟琳·R. 钟博士, her team are creating cryogel “scaffolds” made from biomaterials such as silk fiber protein and gelatin. These scaffolds will be tested in the presence of different doses of radiation therapy, 包括闪光辐射, to see whether bones have the potential to regenerate or heal after exposure to radiation. “This work meets a pressing need for improved treatment outcomes in patients with metastatic bone disease,希克森说。.
免疫疗法更好地配合使用
Immunotherapies use the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells. “Immune checkpoint blockade” prevents the immune system from “switching off” our response to cancer. “Adoptive cell therapies” such as CAR-T cell therapy supercharge a patient’s own immune cells to attack cancer. CAR-T cell therapy is very effective in liquid tumors but doesn’t work in solid tumors. Yina H. 黄博士, 亚伦·麦肯纳博士, are looking to change that by combining both forms of immunotherapy and observing how one affects the other in the short and long term. “Identifying the right combination of immunotherapies and understanding how this combination works to eliminate cancer will lead to better patient response rates and prolonged survival,黄说。.
更好的分期技术
The cancer staging system helps oncologists determine how advanced a patient’s cancer is, what disease management options may be available. However, challenges remain in adequately assessing tumor stage. 领导的研究小组 约书亚J. Levy博士, is developing and integrating new AI informatics software with imaging technologies that would provide more accurate, lower-cost solutions to staging challenges. “The sophisticated data this system would generate will greatly improve the understanding of cancer spread and shed new light on optimal therapeutics,利维说。. This project will also provide career opportunities for regional high school students through an institutionally supported internship program. “These students will learn how to use innovative AI technologies and advance translational biomedical research through participation in mentoring, 教程和工作坊,利维说。.
The 42nd annual Prouty说 will take place on July 14-15, 2023. To learn how you can make more pilot projects like this possible, please visit TheProuty说.org.