Mega Doctor News
Bioengineers at Rice tackle ovarian and colorectal cancer. When I learn about this story, I jumped immediately to convey the message to our Rio Grande Valley Community. Rice University bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year.
The researchers used implantable “drug factories” the size of a pinhead to deliver continuous, high doses of interleukin-2, a natural compound that activates white blood cells to fight cancer. The drug-producing beads can be implanted with minimally invasive surgery. Each contains cells engineered to produce interleukin-2 that are encased in a protective shell.
The treatment and animal test results are described online today in a Science Advances study co-authored by Omid Veiseh, Amanda Nash, and colleagues from Rice, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Virginia, and others.
Veiseh, an assistant professor of bioengineering whose lab produced the treatment, said human clinical trials could begin as soon as this fall because one of his team’s key design criteria was helping cancer patients as quickly as possible. The team chose only components that had previously proven safe for use in humans, and it has demonstrated the safety of the new treatment in multiple tests. Exciting story, more in this issue.
Congratulations to Dr. Guillermo Salinas, cardiologist, and medical director of interventional cardiology at Rio Grande Regional Hospital (RGRH), completed 100 robotic-assisted vascular procedures. This accomplishment positions Dr. Salinas as the 11th physician in the country to achieve this milestone. He is currently the first physician in the State of Texas to claim this honor.
DHR Health Institute for Research and Development in partnership with Region One Education Service Center GEAR UP College Ready, Career Set! and GEAR UP College Now – Career Connected! organized a daylong conference to address the evolving workforce challenges in healthcare in the nation and in South Texas.
Over 120 educators composed of classroom teachers, counselors, campus and district administrators, directors of career technical education, and GEAR UP facilitators from 29 independent school districts who attended the conference entitled “Career Pathways in Healthcare”. These educators heard directly from experts on how to better guide students interested in careers in health science. The conference recognized the increase in importance of the burgeoning need for healthcare workers in our region, the state, and the nation. More inside.
Why is Colorectal Cancer on the Rise in Younger People? In recent years, colorectal cancer diagnoses and deaths among individuals younger than 50 years of age have increased. The increase in these diagnoses and deaths has raised many questions about who should be screened for colorectal cancer. These increases have even prompted the United States Preventative Task Force (USPTF) and American Cancer Society to update their recommendations on screenings. Patrick Boland, MD, medical oncologist in the Gastrointestinal Oncology Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey shares insight on this topic. Read more inside.
Enjoy!
