UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center Magazine Winter 2018 | Page 29
ZFAMILY RESOURCE
CENTER
RESE ARCH BRIEFS
The UAB Comprehensive
Cancer Center’s Patient
& Family Resource Center
provides a comfortable place
to find support. If you or a
loved one has been diagnosed
with cancer, our staff can
answer your questions about
the illness, treatment options,
and available support services.
Childhood cancer research at UAB continues with grants
from St. Baldrick’s Foundation
The University of Alabama at
Birmingham was awarded two grants
totaling $262,824 from the St. Baldrick’s
Foundation, a volunteer-powered charity
dedicated to raising money for childhood
cancer research. UAB researchers
Jonathan McConathy, M.D., Ph.D.,
associate professor in the UAB Division of
Molecular Imaging and Therapeutics, and
Corey Falcon, M.D., fellow in the UAB
Department of Pediatrics, were awarded
Jonathan McConathy,
Corey Falcon, M.D.
the grants to continue looking for cures
M.D., Ph.D.
and better treatments for all childhood
cancers.
Dr. McConathy, a scientist at the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, received $99,375
to use a powerful new combination of imaging techniques to guide the treatment of children
with brain tumors, help surgeons plan brain tumor surgery and detect residual tumor after
surgery to plan the next steps in treatment.
Working with a team of physicians at UAB and Children’s of Alabama, this project will
use a novel hybrid PET/MRI system combined with a PET tracer called FET, produced by
the UAB Cyclotron Facility, to visualize increased amino acid transport by brain tumors.
In the long term, this technique has the potential to improve the lives of children with
brain tumors by providing better imaging-guided treatments and speeding the development
of new therapies by providing a more rapid and accurate determination of whether the
treatment is working. The team includes Alyssa Reddy, M.D., professor in the UAB
Division of Hematology and Oncology; Jeff Blount, M.D., professor in the UAB Division of
Neurosurgery and chief of Pediatric Neurosurgery at COA; and Sumit Singh, M.D., pediatric
radiologist at COA.
Dr. Falcon received a $163,449 grant from the Not All Who Wander Are Lost Fund to
continue his research aimed at creating a novel strategy around cellular suicide gene, or cells
that kill themselves through apoptosis. The strategy can be used to eliminate chimeric antigen
receptor (CAR) redirecting human T-cells (CAR-T) that target pediatric acute lymphoblastic
leukemia cells. Unlike low- or average-risk pediatric ALL, a subset of high-risk ALL remains
resistant to traditional chemotherapy resulting in frequent relapse and recurrence of disease.
CAR-T cells are emerging rapidly as an extremely promising treatment for refractory
leukemia. However, the cells do carry the intrinsic risks of excess proliferation, insertional
mutagenesis, anaphylaxis, and “on-target/off-tumor” side effects resulting in potentially severe
cytokine release syndrome, fatal organ damage and death. The development of a reliable
suicide safety switch for CAR-T cells gone wrong could ameliorate these dangerous side
effects on demand and significantly enhance the safety of this promising therapy. Dr. Falcon’s
research team includes Antonio Di Stasi, M.D., assistant professor in the UAB Division of
Hematology and Oncology and the UAB Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cell Therapy
Program Unit, and Frederick Goldman, M.D., professor and director of the UAB Pediatric
Bone Marrow Transplant Program.
Every two minutes, a child is diagnosed with cancer worldwide. One in five kids diagnosed
in the United States will not survive, and of those who survive, two-thirds will suffer from
long-term effects from the very treatment that saved their lives. As the largest private funder
of childhood cancer research grants, St. Baldrick’s supports the best research, no matter where
it takes place, giving hope to every child.
# K N O W U A B C C C
This can include:
n Cancer Prevention
n Dealing with Side Effects
n Clinical Trials
n Complementary Therapies
n Stress Management
n Spirituality
n Support Groups &
One-on-One Support
n Mindful Meditation
n Restorative Yoga
n Art Therapy
n Grief Counseling
n Medical Concierge
n Integrative Medicine
Therapies
PATIENT & FAMILY
RESOURCE CENTER
Wallace Tumor Institute,
Room 220
For more information,
contact
Teri Hoenemeyer,
( 205) 934-5772
[email protected]
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