Under the direction
of its Scientific Advisory Board, PHLBIhas established an ambitious
plan for conducting novel research in the diagnosis, treatment and
prevention of mesothelioma and asbestos-related lung cancer and
benzene-related hematologic cancers. PHLBI’s research plan also
includes investigation into much-needed administrative improvements in
medical care which will provide patients with additional knowledge,
security and control regarding their treatment.
Mesothelioma and
Asbestos-Related Lung Cancer
PHLBI is committed
to being a worldwide leader in researching mesothelioma, a rare
asbestos-related cancer that is uniformly fatal and in dire need of
novel diagnostic, screening, staging, and treatment approaches.
PHLBI’s
Robert Cameron, M.D. is Chief of Thoracic Surgery at The
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and has been at the forefront
of developing innovative therapies for extending the lives of
mesothelioma patients.
PHLBI’s research plan includes
programs involving Immunotherapy, and Screening/Early
Detection/Prevention.
Immunotherapy. There is significant data and
experience which indicates that mesothelioma may be successfully
treated with manipulation of the immune system. Reports in the
medical literature reveal success using immunotoxins and interferon.
PHLBI plans to aggressively pursue the use of immune stimulating
factors in the treatment of mesothelioma.
Immunotoxin
Immunotherapy Projects. Recent preliminary data indicates that a specific immunotoxin
(interleukin-4 or “IL-4”) has potent anti-cancer activity specifically
in mesothelioma. PHLBIplans to explore combinations of the toxin
with other treatments including chemotherapy, hyperthermia, and
interferon therapy. This will be carried out in the laboratory using
cells grown in culture. The ultimate goal is to apply this promising
therapy in human patients in a clinical trial. This would require
making enough of the toxin in a strict FDA-approved manner which would
cost approximately $500,000 alone. Yet, if the findings in animal work
are borne out by human administration, this toxin could be a key to
significant progress toward a cure for this dreaded disease.
Project #1:
Immunotoxin combinations in vitro (budget need: $100K). This project
will explore treatment combinations such as IL-4 immunotoxin with
chemotherapy, hyperthermia, and interferon therapy conducted in the
“Punch” Worthington Research Laboratory with mesothelioma cells
grown in culture. The results of this project will guide
further research to be conducted in animals (see Project #2 below).
Project #2:
Immunotoxin
combinations in vivo (budget need: $250,000). This project will
explore treatment combinations such as IL-4 immunotoxin with
chemotherapy, hyperthermia, and interferon therapy conducted in the
“Punch” Worthington Research Laboratory with mesothelioma cells
injected into animals (mice). The results of this project will be
used to guide further research to be conducted in humans (see
Project #3 below).
Project #3:
Immunotoxin combinations in human clinical trials (budget need:
$1,000,000). This project will explore treatment combinations such
as IL-4 immunotoxin with chemotherapy, hyperthermia, and interferon
therapy conducted at UCLA and other mesothelioma treatment centers
across the country.
Interferon Immunotherapy Projects.
Interferon alpha has shown promising results in preliminary studies at
UCLA and other clinical trials. The reasons are not clear but may
involve a direct inhibitory effect on tumor cells, stimulation of the
immune system and inhibition of blood vessel formation
(angiogenesis). Interferons are normal messenger proteins that humans
produce in response to viral infections and other specific infections
such as tuberculosis. It is believed that they are also vital to the
body’s ability to fight abnormal cells like cancer cells. PHLBIplans to explore the use of interferons in the treatment of
mesothelioma in both basic science experimentation and human clinical
trials.
Project #1:
Interferon combinations in vitro (budget need: $100,000). This project
will explore the use of interferon with hyperthermia and other immune
stimulating cytokines in the treatment of mesothelioma cells in
culture. These experiments will be conducted in the “Punch”
Worthington Research Laboratory and the results will be used to guide
further research to be conducted in animals (see Project #2 below).
Project #2:
Interferon combinations in vivo
(budget need: $250,000). This project will explore the use of
interferon with hyperthermia and other immune stimulating cytokines in
the treatment of mesothelioma cells in animals (mice). These studies
will be conducted in the “Punch” Worthington Research Laboratory and
the results will be used to guide human clinical (see Project #3
below).
Project #3:
Interferon in
combination with interleukin-2 (budget need: $1,000,000) and/or other
cytokines as defined by Projects #1 and #2 above used to plan human
clinical trials with interferon possibly with interleukin-2 priming
prior to surgical removal of the tumor. This will be conducted at UCLA
and other mesothelioma treatment centers across the country.
Project #4:
COX-2 inhibitors (Celebrex, etc.) in combination with interferon
maintenance therapy (budget need: $1,000,000) and/or other cytokines
as defined by Projects #1 and #2 above used to plan human clinical
trials with COX-2 inhibitors with or without interferon as maintenance
therapy following standard therapy. This will be conducted at UCLA and
other mesothelioma treatment centers across the country.
Project #5:
Angiogenesis inhibition (budget need $1,000,000). Numerous agents
have been tested with and without chemotherapy for the treatment of
mesothelioma and other cancers by inhibition of new blood vessel
formation. This will be explored in the seldom-tested setting of
chronic maintenance and may also be combined with interferon and COX-2
inhibition therapy. This project will be conducted at UCLA and other
mesothelioma treatment centers across the country.
Screening/Early Detection/Prevention. Populations
of people exposed to asbestos, and therefore at risk for mesothelioma
and lung cancer, currently have no way of determining whether they
will develop one of these terrible cancers. Only approximately 15% of
patients exposed to asbestos will actually develop mesothelioma or
lung cancer. In addition, there is no test which can detect
mesothelioma at an early or even pre-malignant stage. In order to
help people at risk detect the disease at an early stage when there
are many more options available for effective treatment, PHLBI plans
an aggressive program for improving screening, early detection and
prevention.
Screening Projects.
Breath
test for volatile hydrocarbons (budget need: $150,000). In order for
persons exposed to asbestos to determine whether they are among the
smaller population of those who are at high risk of actually
developing asbestos-related malignancies, PHLBI plans to examine the
volatile hydrocarbons which are exhaled in people’s breath (breath
testing). Dr. Cameron has already gained significant experience in
breath testing of patients with lung cancer and is eager to expand the
testing to patients exposed to asbestos and at risk for mesothelioma.
The test involves breathing into a tube which collects volatile
hydrocarbons on a filter so they can be analyzed. This project will
be conducted at UCLA and other mesothelioma treatment centers across
the country.
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Early Detection
Projects.
Proteonomics in early detection of mesothelioma (budget need:
$500,000). Normal and abnormal cells in the body generate distinctive
amounts and kinds of proteins. This “protein profile” can be used much
like a fingerprint. PHLBI plans to conduct investigation to
determine the “protein profile” generated by mesothelioma cells so
that simple blood tests can be used to detect mesothelioma at an early
stage. This project will involve analysis of blood and urine from
mesothelioma victims at all stages of disease as well as normal and
asbestos-exposed people to better define protein profiles in these
populations. This project will be conducted at UCLA and other
mesothelioma treatment centers across the country.
Prevention Projects.
COX-2
inhibition as prevention of mesothelioma (budget need: $1,500,000).
Chronic inflammation induced by asbestos fibers has been implicated in
the development of mesothelioma. One way to prevent the development
of mesothelioma in patients with known significant asbestos exposure
is to treat them with COX-2 inhibitors (Celebrex, etc.) of
inflammation. This has already been shown to prevent other cancers,
such as colon cancer, and may be effective in lung cancer. This
project will be conducted at UCLA and other mesothelioma treatment
centers across the country in conjunction with Unions of high risk
workers/patients.
Hematologic Cancers
PHLBI also has an
ambitious plan for researching advancements in the diagnosis and
treatment of hematologic cancers such as acute myelogenous leukemia,
multiple myeloma and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. These particular cancers
have been related to exposure to benzene. PHLBI’s Gary Schiller,
M.D. is Chief of Hematology-Oncology at The David Geffen School of
Medicine at UCLA and has conducted numerous studies which put into
clinical trials new drugs and therapeutics which are developed in the
laboratory for treatment of
acute myelogenous leukemia (“AML”) and other hematologic
malignancies.
Bone Marrow Models.
Ex vivo bone marrow models (budget need: $1,500,000). There is a
desperate need for a laboratory system for studying bone marrow models
in AML and other hematologic cancers. PHLBI intends to develop a
laboratory model of bone marrow diseases using tissue engineering
techniques. There has been preliminary work in this area conducted by
PHLBI personnel and the results have been encouraging. This type of
work can lead to additional applications involving almost every facet
of hematopoiesis (bone marrow growth and maturation), including red
blood cell formation and development, platelet formation, and white
blood cell formation. This knowledge will lead to improved treatments
for AML, anemia, low platelets, bone marrow transplantation, and even
certain infections.
Administrative
Improvements in Medical Care
In addition to its
research into therapeutic and scientific advancements, PHLBI is
committed to investigating ways in which the administration of medical
care can be improved so that patients are vested with additional
knowledge, security and control regarding their treatment.
Electronic Medical
Records System.
(budget need: $500,000). PHLBI believes in empowering patients with
their own medical records for better understanding and control over
their own health and treatment. PHLBI supports an electronic
medical records system which is directly accessible to patients. Such
a system would enable data to be directly entered from point of
generation and allow for the coordinated transfer of medical
information among providers and research studies. This type of system
would result in complete and organized records possessed by all
persons and facilities involved in the treatment, thereby increasing
the time for meaningful discussions of medical problems between health
care providers and patients and improving the quality and efficacy of
patient care.
Health Care Systems.
(budget
need: $1,000,000). PHLBI recognizes the need for development of
novel methods of health care delivery. PHLBI supports a system
founded on a “ability to pay” basis. This means that instead of every
person paying a health-handicapped insurance premium to a “for-profit”
company, people would pay based on their ability to contribute to a
“catastrophic” government fund while using individual savings accounts
for lower cost items. This would allow individual provider-based
pricing but income-based premium payments. This project will involve
collection and analysis of data on individual access and consistency
of access system approach.
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