President’s letter
2021 Metrics
Cycle of Translation
Visionary Gifts
Discovery to Clinic
Innovative Education
Translational Luminaries
Introduction
Jerold B. Katz Academy of Translational Research
Infectious Diseases Research Fund
Houston Methodist Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center
Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics at Houston Methodist
The Food & Health Alliance within the Houston Methodist Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Immunology Center and the Fondren Inflammation Collaborative
Houston Methodist Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics
Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III
Translational Research Initiative
COVID-19 Studies
Outcomes Research
Houston Methodist Researchers Are Developing Mobile Apps to Improve Clinical Outcomes in Patients
Houston Methodist-Developed Algorithm May Improve Management and Outcomes in Critically ill COVID-19 Patients
Wearable Devices May Provide New Treatment Option for Glioblastoma
Restorative Medicine
Houston Methodist Investigators Nanotechnology Investigators Awarded Prestigious Grants from the Department of Defense
Houston Methodist Advances Research into Neural Prosthetics
An Innovative Approach to Treat Even the Most Stubborn-to-Heal Fractures
Cell Encapsulation May Hold the Key to Preventing Cell Transplant Rejection
Noninvasive Spinal Stimulation Works to Restore Movement After Spinal Cord Injury
Houston Methodist, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine Design Noninvasive Tech to Help Remove Brain’s Metabolic Waste
Precision Medicine
Novel Drug Combination Can Target Triple-Negative Breast Cancer for Treatment
Importance of the Coronary Artery Calcium Score in Risk Assessment and Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
A Houston Methodist and Purdue University Breakthrough May Result in a More Effective Tuberculosis Vaccine
Cancer Cell Type (Seed) and Tumor Microenvironment (Soil) Control Therapeutic Antibody Delivery and Efficacy
New Virtual Intensive Care Unit Simultaneously Improves Patient Care and Bed Capacity
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Introduction
Joint Weill Cornell–Houston Methodist Academic Institute Doctoral Program Welcomes its Inaugural Class
Visionary EnMed Program Soars to New Heights
Neural Control of Organ Degeneration and Regeneration (NeuralCODR) Training Program
Faculty and Research Development
Graduate Medical Education
Science in Service
of
Medicineresult
President's letter
2021 Metrics
Cycle of Translation
Visionary Gifts of Hope
Jerold B. Katz Academy of Translational Research
Infectious Diseases Research Fund
Introduction
Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics at Houston Methodist
Houston Methodist Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center
The Food & Health Alliance within the Houston Methodist Lynda K. and David M. Underwood Center for Digestive Disorders, Immunology Center and the Fondren Inflammation Collaborative
Houston Methodist Cockrell Center for Advanced Therapeutics
Paula and Joseph C. “Rusty” Walter III Translational Research Initiative
From Discovery to Clinic
What is "Discovery to Clinic"?
Restorative Medicine
Houston Methodist Advances Research into Neural Prosthetics
Noninvasive Spinal Stimulation Works to Restore Movement After Spinal Cord Injury
An Innovative Approach to Treat Even the Most Stubborn-to-Heal Fractures
Cell Encapsulation May Hold the Key to Preventing Cell Transplant Rejection
Houston Methodist, Rice University, Baylor College of Medicine Design Noninvasive Tech to Help Remove Brain’s Metabolic Waste
Houston Methodist Investigators Nanotechnology Investigators Awarded Prestigious Grants from the Department of Defense
Precision Medicine
New Virtual Intensive Care Unit Simultaneously Improves Patient Care and Bed Capacity
Cancer Cell Type (Seed) and Tumor Microenvironment (Soil) Control Therapeutic Antibody Delivery and Efficacy
Novel Drug Combination Can Target Triple-Negative Breast Cancer for Treatment
A Houston Methodist and Purdue University Breakthrough May Result in a More Effective Tuberculosis Vaccine
Importance of the Coronary Artery Calcium Score in Risk Assessment and Prevention of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease
Translational Luminaries
Discovery to Clinic
Precision Medicine
Novel Drug Combination Can Target Triple-Negative Breast Cancer for Treatment
Novel Drug Combination Can Target Triple-Negative Breast Cancer for Treatment
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In a phase 1/2 clinical trial, Houston Methodist researchers paired a conventional chemotherapy drug with L-NMMA to successfully target triple-negative breast cancer.
A recently published report on a phase 1/2 clinical trial conducted in Houston Methodist could offer renewed hope to patients with triple-negative breast cancer.
In a new study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, the investigators paired, for the first time, an antimitotic medication with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (L-NMMA), a drug previously studied for managing cardiogenic shock, to treat the aggressive cancer. With this formulation, patented by Houston Methodist, the researchers reported that the patients enrolled in their study had an overall response rate of 45%, with 16.7% of them achieving a complete response.
Jenny Chang, MD
"It's an exciting new target, and it's also very nontoxic," said Jenny Chang, MD, the Emily Herrmann Chair in Cancer Research and director of the Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center. "I think this novel target has great potential for not just breast cancer therapy but also for creating a new generation of drugs for treating other cancers as well."
Chang and her team conducted a phase 1/2 clinical trial to test the efficacy and toxicity of different doses of the combination of taxane and L-NMMA in treating patients with metastatic and locally advanced triple-negative breast cancers. The researchers found that the drug was well-tolerated, with only 21% of patients experiencing adverse effects that were largely attributed to taxane. Patients with locally advanced breast cancer, who were unresponsive to chemotherapy before the clinical trials, were the most responsive to treatment (81% response rate), with 27% showing no cancer at surgery. On the other hand, patients with metastatic breast cancer had a response rate of 15.4%.
Metastatic
15%
16%
46%
23%
Locally Advanced
9%
9%
46%
45%
Treatment Failure
Partial Response
Stable Disease
Progressive Disease
Complete Response
Efficacy of L-NMMA and taxane combination therapy on patients with triple-negative breast cancer (13 metastatic; 11 locally advanced) in the phase 2 trial.
The team also found that the immune cell milieu of patients who responded to the treatment was different from those who did not. With this information, Chang speculated that the next phase of the study may include patient blood testing early in the treatment to quickly identify those who are responsive to the therapy (based on their immune profiles) and spare those who are not. The researchers also plan to investigate the efficacy of their L-NMMA-based drug for different subtypes of triple-negative breast cancer.
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