IT'S DRIVE TIME!

GET INTO GEAR TO SUPPORT

PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH!

We are excited to announce the launch of our Pickup Truck for the Cure Raffle , benefiting Dr. Oliver Sartor's Prostate Cancer Research Program at Tulane Cancer Center.

www.pickuptruckforthecure.org .

Asim Abdel-Mageed, DVM, PhD , professor of urology and Marguerite Main Zimmerman Professor of Cancer Research, was recently honored by the journal Scientific Reports for authoring one of the top 100 accessed oncology papers for that journal in 2018 (according to nature.com web analytics, January-December 2018) .

His publication - High-throughput screening identified selective inhibitors of exosome biogenesis and secretion: a drug repurposing strategy for advanced cancer ( Sci Rep . 2018 May 25;8(1):8161 ) - received 3,154 article views, placing it seventh on the list, which features authors from around the world whose papers highlight valuable research in oncology.

The article reveals the results of research supported by a $4.2 million NIH grant awarded to Dr. Abdel-Mageed in 2014. His project involved using a rapid high-volume robotic screening technique to investigate drugs already approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat a large variety of diseases or conditions to see which, if any, could also be effective in preventing prostate cancer metastasis.

For cancer cells to spread to other places in the body - or metastasize - they need to communicate with resident and recruited cells, such as stem cells . One way they do this is through biomolecular messages delivered in exosome cargos. Exosomes are molecules that carry information from cell to cell. “They are routinely biosynthesized and released by cancer cells, including prostate cancer, and are implicated in cancer progression," said Abdel-Mageed.

Currently there are no known drugs that selectively target and inhibit the biosynthesis and release of exosomes by tumor cells. To accelerate the discovery of effective drugs, Dr. Abdel-Mageed and his team, in partnership with investigators at the National Center for Advancing Translational Science, investigated 4,580 known pharmacologically active compounds and found twenty-two — including antibiotics, antifungal medicines and anti-inflammatory agents — wer e effective in preventing advanced prostate tumor cells from releasing exosomes or in blocking their production.

Since the Scientific Reports publication, subsequent research by Dr. Abdel-Mageed's team has further narrowed their investigation to five of these agents, and he hopes in the near future to receive additional funding to support this work.

"Drug repurposing is a golden opportunity," said Abdel-Mageed. " Because drug discovery from concept to market takes an average time of 12 years, our identified drugs - which are already human approved - could be repurposed for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer within a relatively short period of time. It represents a quick way of adding an adjuvant therapy to existing therapies that might curb the progression of cancer."

As a steering committee member of the National Institutes of Health Extracellular RNA Communication Consortium (ERCC), a summary of Dr. Mageed's study was also published as part of the ERCC leading-edge perspective paper in Cell (177(2):231-242, 2019) .

The number of treatment options facing patients with prostate cancer can be confusing and daunting. And the number of different appointments required to explore those options is often time consuming and inconvenient.

 

That's why Tulane Health System recently created the Tulane Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic, which brings patients and family members together with medical oncologists, urologic surgeons and radiation treatment specialists to discuss all possible treatment options in one convenient visit.

 

“We’ve assembled the most experienced and busiest prostate cancer treatment team in the Gulf South region,” said Dr. Spencer Krane , a urologic surgeon at Tulane Medical Center. “We want to share this expertise with patients and families who need us. And we want to try and take away some of the stress of an incredibly stressful time.”

 

The new clinic is for patients who have received a prostate cancer diagnosis and would like to review all possible options or discuss a second opinion of a current treatment plan.

 

“And we know that waiting can sometimes be the most difficult aspect of the treatment process, so it’s important that one of us speaks with any patient who calls within 48 hours of that inquiry,” said Dr. Kendra Harris , chair of Radiation Oncology at Tulane Medical Center. “From there, we can arrange a more in-depth evaluation with the entire group.”

 

The physicians from all three disciplines will meet with patients in one convenient setting. They will also monitor and discuss all cases in weekly reviews. A patient navigator will coordinate any needed follow-up appointments or tests, as well as coordinate any education and support group needs.

 

“And patients will have access to the world-renowned care provided throughout Tulane Health System,” said Dr. Pedro Barata , a medical oncologist at Tulane Medical Center. “That means not only the latest, most comprehensive treatment options, but also access to cutting-edge clinical trials.”

 

The Tulane Multidisciplinary Prostate Cancer Clinic is located within the Tulane Cancer Center. For more information or to schedule an appointment, please call our clinic coordinator at (504) 988-2342, or visit TulaneHealthcare.com .

Dozens of runners and walkers - many sporting festively decorated pink bras - took to the Mississippi River levee on Mother's Day Weekend and strutted their stuff from Historic Gretna to Old Algiers, as they completed the 4th Annual Pink Bra 5K Walk/Run.

The event is organized by Krewe de Pink, (KDP) a local organization that raises funds to support breast cancer research at Tulane Cancer Center. Since 2016, KDP has raised approximately $65,000, which has benefited the breast cancer research of Dr. Bridgette Collins-Burow, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at Tulane University. “It bolsters my research team and me to know that we have such dedicated and enthusiastic partners and friends assisting us along the way to potential new treatment options and hopefully, one day, a cure.”

In addition to the walk/run, the event featured a post-race festival, complete with food, beverages, a dance party and the unforgettable “Best Decorated Bra” contest.

KDP will formally present Dr. Collins-Burow with a check representing the results of their 2019 fundraising efforts later in the year, following their fall fundraiser - the Krewe de Pink Prom. For more information on the Krewe de Pink Prom, including sponsorship opportunities, please click here.

Although their official term as 2018 co-presidents of Cancer Crusaders ended on December 31, Celia Deininger and Cindy Wooderson had one more job to do to complete their time in office - and it was a BIG one! At the organization's May General Membership Meeting, they presented Drs. Prescott Deininger, director of the Tulane Cancer Center, and Augusto Ochoa, director of LSU's Stanley S. Scott Cancer Center, with a check for $171,521.22, representing the results of the group's many fundraising activities last year.

Cancer Crusaders, a non-profit, all volunteer organization with no administrative overhead, was founded in 1976 for the purpose of raising funds for cancer research in the New Orleans area. Proceeds raised by the organization - more than $4 million since 1978 - are donated annually and split equally between Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center Foundation and Tulane Cancer Center.

"There is a saying – No one cures cancer alone! We know that teamwork, communication and collaboration are essential to scientific progress," said Deininger. "That same sentiment can be used to describe our unique relationship with the Cancer Crusaders. The truth is, they are highly valued members of our team – just as impactful as any other. They help to create a foundation and a synergy that propel us to explore new frontiers in our search for cures. We simply could not do it without them, and we thank them all for their hard work and support."

Congratulations to Cancer Center Director Prescott Deininger, PhD , whose work on the human genome project - specifically completing the sequencing of the polyoma virus genome in 1990 - is highlighted in Tulane's Outbreak exhibition - part of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History’s Outbreak project, which convenes global partners to raise awareness of the human, animal and environmental factors contributing to infectious disease epidemics.

Sixth Annual NOLA Bluedoo

benefiting Tulane Cancer Center's

Prostate Cancer Research Fund

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Tulane University - Gibson Quad

9th Annual Blue Ribbon Soiree

benefiting Tulane Cancer Center's Prostate Cancer Research Fund

Thursday, October 3, 2019

Renaissance Hotel Grand Ballroom

Baton Rouge

Tulane offers free prostate screenings - a PSA blood test - on the second Tuesday of each month at Tulane Comprehensive Cancer Clinic, 150 S. Liberty St., New Orleans. To make an appointment, call 504-988-6300 or 1-800-588-5800.