In addition to providing information that
helps cancer patients to receive the most appropriate, personalized
treatments, the Weisenthal Cancer Group also engages in separate research
studies aimed at discovering new anti-cancer drugs and finding ways to use
existing drugs more effectively.
Functional Cell Profiling is a powerful laboratory tool that makes it
possible to perform drug activity studies that are far more extensive, more
detailed, and much faster than anything that ever could be accomplished in
actual patients. In addition, no
patients are needlessly exposed to toxic agents from which they derive no
anti-cancer benefit. The
important insights gained can then be applied in focusing new drug
development resources and designing more effective clinical trials.
Importantly, many observations about drug activity and drug
interaction - including effective, new drug combinations and drug
administration schedules - made in this manner are shared immediately with
cancer physicians in order to benefit cancer patients now rather than years
down the road.
In addition to appearing as an invited
speaker at international cancer meetings and symposia, Dr. Weisenthal
publishes his study findings in peer-reviewed venues.
Listed below are samples of new discoveries, observations, and
contributions that were made by Dr. Weisenthal.
It should be noted that most of the work Dr Weisenthal has done,
especially with respect to inventing and refining his testing methods, he
has shared openly, choosing to place information in the public domain in
order to afford access to valuable tools that can be used to advance
research and help cancer patients.
He continues to offer assistance freely to researchers worldwide who
wish to use Dr. Weisenthal's methods in their own work.
Recent lectures and publications:
Antivascular activity of
lapatinib and bevacizumab in primary microcluster cultures of breast cancer
and other human neoplasms.
Dr. Weisenthal abstract and poster presentation at the 2008 ASCO Breast Cancer Symposium in Washington, D.C.
Click here to view the abstract.
Click here to view the poster.
September 5, 2008
Functional profiling
with cell culture-based assays for kinase inhibitors and anti-angiogenic
agents.
Dr. Weisenthal presentation at the 41st
Annual Meeting of the European Society for Clinical Investigation in
April 18, 2007.
Functional profiling
with cell culture assays for targeted drug therapy.
Dr. Weisenthal presentation at the American
Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) GI cancer symposium
ASCO web site link (click on "Slides") to view an ASCO Virtual Meeting
slide presentation relating to testing for antitumor and antiangiogenic
activity of gefitinib, erlotinib, sunitinib, sorafenib, and bevacizumab in
primary cultures of fresh human tumors.
January 27, 2007.
Plenary lecture on cell
culture functional profiling in cancer treatment and research.
Dr. Weisenthal presentation at the 5th
International Symposium on Cancer Research and Treatment, presented in
Nov 25,
2006
Long term survival in
relapsed non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is predicted by (EGFR
transduction inhibitor) gefitinib (Iressa) - induced cell death in (fresh
human tumor) cell culture drug resistance testing (CCDRT).
American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting abstracts. (click here to view the abstract). All patients in the study had received prior chemotherapy with 1-3 different chemotherapy regimens. Gefitinib activity in the fresh tumor cell cultures correlated strikingly with the survival of the patients from whom the biopsies were obtained, as shown in representative examples for patients surviving 35 days, 131 days, 414 days, 616 days, and 864 days, respectively (click here for a subsequent news story in European Hospital Journal).
June 5, 2006
