In a major step forward for pandemic preparedness and vaccine development, scientists at the University of Texas Medical Branch and Moderna have developed and tested a groundbreaking mRNA vaccine that provides full protection against the deadly Marburg virus and the closely related Ravn virus in a preclinical animal model.   “The fact that we achieved complete protection in all vaccinated animals is a major leap,” said Dr. Alexander Bukreyev, co-senior author of the study and professor...

New targeted therapies have improved treatment options for elderly patients with IDH-mutant acute myeloid leukemia (AML) who are not eligible for intensive chemotherapy, with two double therapy regimens approved as frontline therapies. However, most patients either do not benefit or will experience a relapse. Therefore, researchers led by Courtney DiNardo, M.D., evaluated new triplet regimens in 60 newly diagnosed, elderly patients with IDH-mutated AML who were ineligible for chemotherapy, including:   Azacitidine, venetoclax and ivosidenib for patients with IDH1 mutation Oral decitabine, venetoclax and ivosidenib...

Many patients with brain metastases receive stereotactic radiation therapy (SRT) – a targeted high dose of radiation – after surgery to remove the metastases. Studies have suggested that pre-surgical SRT may be comparable to standard post-surgical SRT, but little is known about both methods from clinical trials. To address this, researchers led by Debra Nana Yeboa, M.D., conducted a Phase III clinical trial examining the logistics and short-term safety of both pre- and post-surgical SRT in 103 patients with resectable brain metastases. Compared...

Some patients with advanced colorectal cancer develop metastases in the lining of the abdominal cavity, known as peritoneal metastases. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) can help remove most tumors, and it is sometimes combined with heated chemotherapy delivered to the abdominal cavity – a treatment approach called hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) – to eliminate remaining cancer cells. In a retrospective study, researchers led by Michael White, M.D., and Paula Smith, M.D., examined the benefits of HIPEC in 147 patients with colorectal cancer and peritoneal metastases who received...

A major new study led by researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch suggests that standard treatment for hypothyroidism may not fully protect patients from long-term risks such as dementia and premature death—even when thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) levels are within the normal range. The findings highlight potential benefits of combination therapy that includes both levothyroxine (T4) and liothyronine (T3).   Hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder in which the thyroid gland does not produce...

When longtime nurse Riki Granger went in for an abdominal CT scan, she never imagined the results would reveal something life-changing – a small lesion on her lungs. “It was a blessing in disguise,” Granger said. “A miracle.” Within days, she was connected to Houston Methodist Sugar Land Hospital’s lung nodule program medical director Dr. Priya Oolut. Oolut recommended a biopsy using the hospital’s brand-new robotic bronchoscopy system, the first of its kind in Fort...

Researchers at The University of Texas Medical Branch have been awarded a total of nearly $5 million in grants from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas to forward their work.   In all, CPRIT approved 61 grants totaling more than $93 million. The UTMB grantees are:   Abbey Berenson, $2,499,990: Expanding Opportunities for HPV Vaccination in Medically Underserved Areas of East Texas William Russell, $1,999,492: A Targeted Proteomics and Metabolomics Mass Spectrometry Core Facility at...

Chemotherapy and immunotherapy combined with surgery is the standard treatment for patients with early-stage resectable non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), but many still experience disease recurrence. In the Phase II NeoCOAST-2 trial led by Tina Cascone, M.D., Ph.D., researchers enrolled patients with untreated, resectable stage IIA-IIIB NSCLC and examined the efficacy and safety of pre-surgical chemotherapy plus durvalumab immunotherapy in combination with novel monoclonal antibodies oleclumab or monalizumab or with the antibody-drug conjugate datopotamab deruxtecan (Dato-DXd). Of participants who received oleclumab, 15 of 74...

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) natural killer (NK) cells represent a promising experimental cell therapy, but the molecular mechanism regulating their activity is not fully understood. In a new study, researchers led by Katy Rezvani, M.D., Ph.D., and Hind Rafei, M.D., identified a protein – cAMP response element modulator (CREM) – as a critical checkpoint regulator of CAR NK cells that, when upregulated, limits the effectiveness of CAR NK cells. Researchers used CRISPR gene editing to target and knock...

High-risk multiple myeloma is an aggressive disease in which plasma cells grow uncontrollably. It is typically resistant to treatment and the prognosis for patients is poor. However, the genes that contribute to this behavior are not fully understood. Using single-cell transcriptomics, researchers led by Robert Orlowski, M.D., Ph.D., identified that CLPP, a protein in mitochondria, is overexpressed in high-risk cases and may also enable progression from earlier precursor cases to more advanced disease. Inhibiting CLPP genetically or through treatment...