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2014

Frontiers Summer 2014

On July 1, Michael V. Drake, MD, became Ohio State’s 15th president. Dr. Drake is a tremendously accomplished and dynamic individual who came to Ohio State after serving nine years as chancellor at the University of California, Irvine.

Frontiers Summer 2014

    Making History

    This is an especially exciting period at both The Ohio State University and the OSUCCC – James.

    On July 1, Michael V. Drake, MD, became Ohio State’s 15th president.

    Dr. Drake is a tremendously accomplished and dynamic individual who came to Ohio State after serving nine years as chancellor at the University of California, Irvine. There, he also served as a Distinguished Professor of Ophthalmology and of Education and oversaw a significant expansion and development of the university, including new programs in public health, pharmaceutical sciences and nursing science.

    We welcome Dr. Drake – the first medical doctor to serve as president of Ohio State – as we move forward with expansion of our cancer program.

    That expansion will make Ohio State history with the opening of the new James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute in December. Te weekend of Dec. 13-14, we will transfer patients from the original James – the site of cutting-edge, compassionate care since 1990 – to the new James, which will be fully and officially open Dec. 15.

    The new hospital features the nation’s first fully integrated cancer emergency department, subspecialty care by floor, translational research labs on all inpatient floors and much more.

    Finally, I want to mention John Byrd, MD, and his team. The Clinical Research Forum selected them to receive one of its Top 10 Clinical Research Achievement Awards in the United States for 2014 for studies of the drug ibrutinib, a targeted agent for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

    John’s team identified ibrutinib’s mechanism of action, and John led the first early-phase trial of ibrutinib in CLL. The outcome of that trial prompted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to designate the drug a Breakthrough Therapy. Other work by John and his lab has led to phase III trials that could make oral ibrutinib an initial therapy for CLL.

    John is one of nearly 300 researchers and 200 cancer subspecialists at the OSUCCC – James working to help patients and achieve our vision of a cancer-free world.

    View the complete issue in PDF format

    Exercising Control

    Practicing yoga for as little as three months can reduce fatigue and lower inflammation in breast cancer survivors, according to a study at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James).

    Beneficial Findings

    Two genetic and epigenetic studies published in separate journals by OSUCCC – James researchers might improve the treatment of adult acute lymphocytic leukemia (AML) and\other cancers.

    Achilles Enzyme

    A molecule in cells that shuts down the expression of genes might be a promising target for new drugs designed to treat the most frequent and lethal form of brain cancer, according to a new study by researchers at the OSUCCC – James.

    Golden Arches

    A multidisciplinary team at the OSUCCC – James has pioneered a surgical technique that used false pedicles to reconstruct a load-bearing pelvic/spine structure to support and protect the spine following a complex cancer surgery.

    Relevant Research

    In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration expanded the approved use of the drug ibrutinib (Imbruvica®) to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

    Global Research

    Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is responsible for a growing number of oropharyngeal cancers in the United States. OSUCCC – James researcher Maura Gillison, MD, PhD, led a study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology to learn if the same might be true globally.

    Of Note

    A listing of the recent recognitions of OSUCCC – James physicians and researchers.

    Match Game

    “Precision cancer medicine” refers to a new standard of cancer care based on genomics that is making its way into the clinic.

    An Orphan Program

    Like orphan malignancies generally, sarcomas are uncommon, and research into their causes and treatment are underfunded. They are a broad and heterogeneous group of cancers that make up less than 1 percent of adult malignancies and about 10 percent of childhood cancers.

    Tobacco Control

    In September 2013, a joint program between the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute awarded The Ohio State University a five-year, $18.7 million grant (CA180908) to establish the Center of Excellence in Regulatory Tobacco Science (CERTS).

    Need to Know

    A quick look at the stats and features of the new Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute.