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University Hospital to Get Major Modifications and Expansion

Thu, 28 May 2009 14:27:00 GMT

University Hospital to Get Major Modifications and Expansion

plans include new trauma tower and additional parking garage

To meet the growing needs for lifesaving services, University Hospital in the South Texas Medical Center will build a trauma tower that will bring the total number of patient beds to 721 from the current 498.

The tower also will house expanded services to support the Level I trauma designation that the hospital holds, such as operating rooms, diagnostic areas and inpatient nursing units.

In addition, the busy Emergency Center will be relocated to the new trauma tower, expanded to include 65 bays and reconfigured for efficiency.

New construction also will include a parking garage for 2,150 cars on the west corner of the campus. An additional 1,100 spaces for patient parking will be provided under the new trauma tower or in another parking facility.

Of the current 498 beds, 320 in the original University Hospital, built in 1968, do not meet current industry practices. Following completion of the new trauma tower, that building will be remodeled to house 55 patient beds and other services. The 178 beds in the building constructed in 1981 will be retained.

The master plan calls for doubling the amount of space at University Hospital, based on forecasts of growth during the next 10 years.

Anticipated to be completed in 2012, the trauma tower and parking facility is estimated to cost $629 million. The University Health System currently has about $120 million in available reserves and will fund the balance through a combination of funding options.

After the new addition is completed, renovation to the existing University Hospital buildings is expected to be completed between 2014 and 2017.

To be designed by Dallas architects Perkins + Will with San Antonio firms Garza/Bomberger & Associates, RVK Architects and Richard Sanchez Architects, the trauma tower will use sustainable design techniques. The designers will seek a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.

Medical Foundation to Open Walking/Jogging Trail

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 09:15:17 GMT

Medical Foundation to Open Walking/Jogging Trail

South Texas Medical Center no longer just for medical treatment

The South Texas Medical Center is no longer just a place for medical treatment; walkers and joggers can now work on their fitness programs there as well.

As part of its wellness program, the San Antonio Medical Foundation has constructed a walking/ jogging trail on its property in the Medical Center. The trail officially opens with ceremonies at 9 a.m. on July 14 at the corner of Hamilton Wolfe and Babcock roads.

“The trail meets a need in helping San Antonians stay fit,” said Michael L. Kreager, chairman of the Medical Foundation Board of Trustees. “According to the Metropolitan Planning Organization and San Antonio Parks and Recreation Department, there are no walking/ jogging trails or parks close to the Medical Center.”

The 2.2 miles of paved trail begin at a parking lot off Hamilton Wolff near the corner of Babcock Road. Near that point, the trail also lies close to a bus stop on Babcock Road, a convenient way for people to get to the trail without driving.

Making a loop, the trail runs through wooded areas where city life seems far away. The location for the trail was chosen to accommodate future growth on undeveloped Medical Foundation property.

The trail also can be connected to a planned second phase that would extend the UT Health Science Center’s trail from the main campus to the Greehey Campus. The Health Science Center currently has a track on its main campus that is heavily used by students and citizens.

“With diabetes and obesity as two significant health issues facing San Antonians, exercise is an important component of good health,” said Kreager. “The Medical Foundation wants to be part of encouraging exercise with this trail.”

San Antonio Eye Bank recognizes University Hospital as “Hospital of the Year”

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:56:20 GMT

San Antonio Eye Bank recognizes University Hospital as “Hospital of the Year”

(SAN ANTONIO – July 17, 2009) In 2008, 75 people were given the gift of renewed sight thanks to corneas donated at University Hospital. As the top donor hospital in the south Texas region last year, University Hospital was recognized by the San Antonio Eye Bank as its “Hospital of the Year.” The ceremony, held July 16 at University Hospital, included moving remarks from a woman whose husband was one of those 75 donors and a man who can see today because of his cornea transplant.

“We are committed to organ and tissue donation,” said University Health System president/CEO George B. Hernández, Jr. “I am honored to accept this award on behalf of our staff who has worked so diligently to improve our donation rates. However, I am even more honored to have this opportunity to pay tribute to Mrs. Tina Marie Mireles, who is here today representing the generous family members who make the decision to enable their loved one’s legacies to live on through donation.”

Last September, Mrs. Mireles’ husband Robert Mireles, was brought to University Hospital after a tragic motorcycle crash. After hearing the devastating news that he would not live, she was approached about cornea donation. “I called his brother and all he said to me was ‘Robert was a giving person,’ and then I knew,” recalled Mrs. Mireles, with tears in her eyes. “He was the type of person who would give the shirt off his back.”

San Antonio Eye Bank executive director Jim Wagner applauded her and all donor families. “These people are heroes. In their darkest hour, they’re able to think of somebody else,” he said. “It’s humanitarian giving of the highest order.”

Daniel Jess, 28, told the audience how cornea transplantation changed his life. “I’ve tried to challenge myself, my mind – challenge my body, and be a better person,” he said. “I try every day to really earn the gift that I have been given.” Following his transplant, Jess became an avid runner. He has lost 60 pounds and is currently training to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Trials Marathon.

Dr. Dan Johnson, assistant professor of Ophthalmology at the UT Health Science, routinely performs corneal transplantation at University Hospital. He explained how the cornea focuses light to the back of the eye, and makes vision possible. “People with diseases of the cornea have varying levels of vision problems, including legal blindness,” he explained. “Once medical options are exhausted, we often turn to surgery to replace a layer, or the full thickness, of the cornea.” He says cornea transplant surgery takes about an hour and uses sutures that are thinner than human hair. The success rate is better than 90 percent.

Microbiologists find defense molecule that senses respiratory viruses

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 14:58:46 GMT

Microbiologists find defense molecule that senses respiratory viruses

A cellular molecule that not only can sense two common respiratory viruses but also can direct cells to mount a defense has been identified by microbiologists at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The finding, published online Aug. 23 by the journal Nature Immunology, could lead to new therapies for human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and influenza A (commonly known as flu), both of which are serious threats to people with weak immune systems, particularly infants up to age 1 and senior citizens age 65 and older.

“This molecule could be used to boost host immune defenses and stimulate vaccine efficacy against RSV and influenza A, especially among high-risk individuals,” said senior author Santanu Bose, Ph.D., assistant professor of microbiology and immunology. Dr. Bose’s laboratory team includes graduate student Ahmed Sabbah, a D.D.S./Ph.D. dual-degree student who is supported by the COSTAR Program in the Dental School, and research scientists Te-Hung Chang and Rosalinda Harnack.

The cellular molecule, called NOD2, recognizes these viruses and can instruct cells to defend against them. Researchers found that mice lacking the sensor survive for only 10 days after infection, compared with up to eight weeks for normal animals.

Identifying this sensor and understanding its key role could result in therapies that activate the NOD2 gene during or prior to infection, leading to enhanced protective immunity. The NOD2 sensor also has the potential to recognize other viruses, such as West Nile virus, yellow fever, Ebola and rabies.

Side-by-side cross sections of virus-infected mouse lungs illustrate the critical role of the cellular molecule NOD2 in host defense. The cross section on the left is from a normal mouse with healthy lungs; the one on the right is from a NOD2-deficient mouse with pneumonia.
clear graphic
Side-by-side cross sections of virus-infected mouse lungs illustrate the critical role of the cellular molecule NOD2 in host defense. The cross section on the left is from a normal mouse with healthy lungs; the one on the right is from a NOD2-deficient mouse with pneumonia. clear graphic

Dr. Bose has multiple grants from the National Institutes of Health and the American Lung Association to continue this line of research. “In the future, studies will gear up to find out if NOD2 is a susceptibility gene for respiratory viruses, since frequent mutation of this gene has been found in humans,” he said.

Once the study is designed and clinical partner affiliations are reached, the Bose team hopes to draw blood from severely infected, moderately infected and non-infected patients to test for levels of the sensor, which would allow predictions as to how individuals might respond to respiratory viral infections.

“This is a major breakthrough in understanding respiratory virus behavior and innate immune antiviral factors, and provides the basis for innovative therapies to improve host responses to infectious diseases,” said Joel Baseman, Ph.D., professor and chairman of microbiology and immunology at the Health Science Center.

Dr. Baseman said microbiology and immunology faculty members in the university’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences are doing fundamental and translational research that is the basis for the establishment of an airway disease research and vaccine center. The group includes Dr. Bose’s co-authors on the NOD2 paper, Peter Dube, Ph.D., and Yan Xiang, Ph.D.

The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $668 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $16.3 billion biosciences and health care sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $36 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 25,600 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and other health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, visit www.uthscsa.edu.

University Health System is one of 36 U.S. hospitals recognized for high quality cardiac care

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:12:42 GMT

University Health System is one of 36 U.S. hospitals recognized for high quality cardiac care

San Antonio, October 14, 2009 – University Health System has received the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry–GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award for 2009 – one of only 36 hospitals nationwide to do so.

The award recognizes University Health System’s commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of care for heart attack patients, and signifies that University Health System has reached an aggressive goal of treating coronary artery disease patients with the standard levels of care outlined by the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association.

To receive the ACTION Registry–GWTG Silver Performance Achievement Award, University Health System consistently followed the treatment guidelines in ACTION Registry–GWTG for 12 consecutive months. These include aggressive use of medications like cholesterol-lowering drugs, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors, aspirin, and anticoagulants in the hospital.

“The time is right for University Health System to be focused on improving the quality of cardiovascular care by implementing ACTION Registry–GWTG. The number of acute myocardial infarction patients eligible for treatment is expected to grow over the next decade due to increasing incidence of heart disease and a large aging population,” said Marc D. Feldman, MD, Medical Director University Health System Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories.

“The American College of Cardiology Foundation and the American Heart Association commend University Health System for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols,” said Christopher Cannon, MD, ACTION Registry GWTG Steering Committee chairperson and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “The full implementation of acute and secondary prevention guideline-recommended therapy is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of heart attack patients,” added Gregg C. Fonarow, MD, ACTION Registry, GWTG Steering Committee vice chairperson and director of Ahmanson UCLA Cardiomyopathy Center.

Created by the merger of the American College of Cardiology Foundation’s NCDR ACTION Registry® and the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines-CAD program, ACTION Registry–GWTG combines the best of both programs into a single, unified national registry. The new registry joins the robust data collection and quality reporting features of the ACTION Registry with the collaborative models, unique tools, and quality improvement techniques of the GWTG-CAD program. With the collective strengths of these two programs, ACTION Registry–GWTG empowers healthcare provider teams to consistently treat heart attack patients according to the most current, science-based guidelines; and establishes a national standard for understanding and improving the quality, safety, and outcomes of care provided for patients with coronary artery disease, specifically high risk STEMI and NSTEMI patients.

University Health System, the public hospital district for Bexar County Texas, is the lead Level I trauma center for an area that is geographically larger than 17 U.S. states and home to more than four million people. It is one of just 12 health systems in the U.S. to have a fully integrated electronic medical record and physician order entry system. In 2008, University Health System was named one of the 100 Most Wired Hospitals and Health Systems by the American Hospital Association and Hospitals & Health Networks magazine and named to HealthImaging Magazine’s list of Top 25 Most Connected Healthcare Facilities in 2009. University Hospital, a 498-bed acute care hospital, is the primary teaching hospital for the UT Health Science Center San Antonio and the only trauma center in south Texas equipped to provide lifesaving care to seriously injured children, including severe burn injuries. University Health System also includes 16 community clinics focused on primary, specialty and preventive health services. University Health System is also a joint owner of San Antonio AirLIFE, named best in Texas in 2008 by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Methodist Healthcare Launches Air Transport Service

Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:13:38 GMT

Methodist Healthcare Launches Air Transport Service

San Antonio, Texas – October 21, 2009 – Today, Methodist Healthcare launched Methodist AirCare, an emergency air transport service that provides life-saving 24/7 emergency helicopter service to residents located throughout Bexar county and most of South Texas. The service is a partnership with REACH Air Medical Services (REACH); the helicopter and staff will be housed at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital.

“Methodist Healthcare has a long history of providing quality care to the residents of South Texas. We are now making it more convenient to rapidly transport patients from rural locales to a Methodist Healthcare facility,” stated Geoffrey Crabtree, senior vice president for Methodist Healthcare. “One call can summon a state-of-the-art emergency medical transport helicopter piloted and staffed by a team of highly trained specialists. Whether the need is to rush an infant to a Level 3 neonatal intensive care unit, transport a high-risk expectant mom or stroke patient or a myriad of other medical emergencies, Methodist AirCare is at the community’s call 24/7/365,” added Crabtree.
“Methodist Healthcare is an outstanding partner and provider and REACH is pleased and proud to be a partner in enriching and extending their already-excellent care network,” said Jim Adams, CEO of REACH Air Medical Services. “Collaborations of this quality greatly benefit the communities we serve.”
Methodist has had formalized specialty transport teams in place for over fifteen years. These pediatric, neonatal and maternal transport teams have been experiencing an increase in emergency transports, reaching nearly 800 patients in 2008. Methodist AirCare will begin by dedicating the helicopter to these teams in the first month of service. This increase in continuity of care by flying Methodist specialty care transport teams in a Methodist AirCare helicopter will add a new quality of care dimension not now experienced with current transport services. Shortly, Methodist AirCare will evolve to 911 trauma, scene and adult transports from throughout South Texas to complete the spectrum of air transport care.
REACH was chosen as Methodist’s partner due in part to its extensive experience in emergency air transport. REACH Air Medical Services is well established and experienced with bases throughout California and Oregon. REACH has performed more than 50,000 air ambulance missions since its inception in 1987.
The Methodist AirCare helicopter is the Eurocopter EC-135, a twin-turbine engine helicopter renowned for its outstanding reliability and maneuverability. Its Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) rating gives Methodist AirCare the ability to perform in almost any weather condition, even when others cannot. For added safety, the aircraft is equipped with a Global Positioning System (GPS) and Terrain Avoidance Warning Systems (TAWS). Pilots for Methodist AirCare average over 5,000 hours as a pilot-in-command and are all instrument-rated and current under a rigid training and check-ride program controlled by the FAA. Not only are Methodist AirCare pilots familiar with South Texas terrain, their training with Night Vision Goggles (NVG) technology allows them to perform life-saving operations in the darkest conditions.
The bright yellow helicopter and its crew will be housed at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital, the newest Methodist Healthcare facility. “The staff and doctors at this hospital are pleased that we were chosen to serve as home base for this new transport service,” said Dean Alexander, CEO of Methodist Stone Oak Hospital. “We have only been open seven months yet we have proven we are filling community needs in North Central San Antonio and rural markets to the north of us. From March through September, we have admitted over 2,400 inpatients, 9,030 emergency department visits and 797 outpatient surgeries. We are already adding beds and expanding services, including beginning an open heart program by year-end. Now, we have this much needed air transport service here for all of the residents of South Texas, added Alexander.
Methodist Healthcare is the largest and most preferred health care system in South Texas with 24-facilities. Eight facilities are acute care hospitals: Methodist Hospital; Methodist Heart Hospital*; Methodist Children’s Hospital*; Methodist Specialty and Transplant Hospital*; Northeast Methodist Hospital*; Metropolitan Methodist Hospital*; Methodist Stone Oak Hospital and Methodist Ambulatory Surgery Hospital.

a Methodist Hospital facility

CHRISTUS SANTA ROSA WOUND CARE AND HYPERBARIC CENTER SHOWCASE PROGRAM TO COMMUNITY

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:03:29 GMT

CHRISTUS SANTA ROSA WOUND CARE AND HYPERBARIC CENTER SHOWCASE PROGRAM TO COMMUNITY

(San Antonio, TX – January 15, 2010) CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center and Wound Care Specialists of America recently invited the community to an open house. The Wound Care and Hyperbaric Centers are located at both CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital - City Centre and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital – Medical Center campuses. The Centers provide specialized wound care Monday through Friday for a variety of diagnoses including diabetic foot, venous insufficiency, chronic wounds, non-healing wounds, and failing surgical wounds. Each location has its own Medical Director, Timothy Hursh, MD, at City Centre and Adrianne P. Smith, MD, at Medical Center.

“Some patients require additional Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. The patient breathes 100 percent oxygen intermittently while the pressure of the treatment chamber is increased,” stated Lena Soto, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center Director. Each location has four single chambers to treat necrotizing fasciitis, decompression sickness (bends), gas gangrene, central retinal artery occlusion, osteoradionecrosis, osteomyelitis, radionecrosis, compromised skin flaps/grafts, burns, carbon monoxide poisoning, crush injury/compartment syndrome, exceptional blood loss (anemia), delayed radiation injury with tissue necrosis, and intracranial abscess.”

Providers who have patients requiring specialized wound treatment can refer patients to either location. Patients may also self-refer. Patients come for an evaluation and a plan of care is developed. Based on the plan, the patient is scheduled for wound care and/or hyperparic therapy. When patients have wounds and ulcers which do not repond to conventional therapy, providers can find the expertise required for wound restoration at two CHRISTUS Santa Rosa campuses.
A wound care team is available to care for each patient’s different situation. For more information, providers or patients can call the Wound Care and Hyperbaric Center at City Centre, 210.704.4300 or Medical Center, 210.705.5030.

About CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System:
Founded in 1869 by the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa is a Catholic faith-based, non-profit health and wellness ministry dedicated to extending the healing ministry of Jesus Christ and providing the highest quality medical care and services available. As one of the top health care organizations in South Texas, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa has four hospital campuses, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Hospital City Centre located in downtown San Antonio, in the South Texas Medical Center, in New Braunfels, and CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Children’s Hospital, San Antonio’s first children’s hospital, an academic teaching facility affiliated with the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. In July 2009, we extended our ministry to the fast-growing Westover Hills community with the opening of the area’s first full-service hospital. CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System also owns a majority interest in CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Centers – San Antonio, LLC, a joint venture physician partnership which is comprised of four outpatient surgery facilities in San Antonio including Alamo Heights, Stone Oak, and in the Medical Center area. Additionally, CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Health System owns a majority interest in the CHRISTUS Santa Rosa Physicians Ambulatory Surgery Center in New Braunfels joint venture physician partnership. CHRISTUS Santa Rosa is one of only two hospitals in Texas and the only one in San Antonio to receive the Distinguished Hospital Award for Clinical Excellence™ six years in a row and to be named one of America’s 50 Best Hospitals by HealthGrades®. It is also the preferred health system of the San Antonio SPURS. For additional information on CHRISTUS Santa Rosa, visit www.christussantarosa.org

Heart Alert at Baptist Health System

Fri, 05 Feb 2010 09:05:19 GMT

Heart Alert at Baptist Health System

A groundbreaking program, in place at each of the Baptist Health System hospitals, is saving precious time in diagnosing and treating patients suffering a heart attack. Baptist Health System is the first and only system in San Antonio to implement “Heart Alert,” a program that in most cases gets heart attack patients into the cath lab for life-saving treatment in under an hour… well under the national standard of 90-minutes.

“The process can best be compared to a “NASCAR” style response to treating heart attacks,” said Bill Waechter, who helped implement Heart Alert at Baptist Health System. “Like a well-trained pit crew, the Heart Alert process is a focused collaboration which creates a safe, fast and efficient, but not rushed, method of getting a patient to the hospital and receiving interventional treatment. It’s the integration of care between EMS and hospital emergency and cath lab departments that makes this work.”

The Heart Alert program is part of Baptist Health System’s Chest Pain Center Accreditation. Baptist was the first health system in San Antonio to offer accredited chest pain centers. Each of the 5 Baptist Hospitals is an Accredited Chest Pain Center.

University Health System’s $899.4 million construction program will continue for five years

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:14:38 GMT

University Health System’s $899.4 million construction program will continue for five years

(SAN ANTONIO, TX) With golden shovels in hand, University Health System officials and members of the Bexar County Commissioners Court turned the first bit of dirt in the parking lot of University Hospital, officially breaking ground for a massive parking garage. The event, held Saturday morning, also served to kick off one of the largest construction programs in Bexar County history.
Saturday’s groundbreaking for a 3,300-space parking garage was the first of three celebrations planned for University Health System’s $899.4 million Target 2012: Capital Improvement Program which also includes a new 10-story, one million square-foot tower at University Hospital, a large diagnostic and treatment building at University Health Center – Downtown, as well as parking/landscape enhancements and significant renovations at both locations. Construction on the new clinical building downtown will get underway in December, and the new hospital tower will break ground in January 2011. The first of these new healthcare facilities will begin opening in 2012.

Once completed, University Hospital will have a new Emergency Center that is more than double the size of the existing one, new state-of-the-art operating suites, and 713 single-occupancy patient rooms that will maximize privacy, reduce infection control concerns and provide adequate space for patients’ family members. The new diagnostic and treatment building at University Health Center – Downtown will expand opportunities for patients to receive services, including advanced specialty care, outside the hospital, in a more convenient location. “Our goal is to provide the highest quality care in the most appropriate setting,” said University Health System President/CEO George B. Hernández, Jr. “This project will position our academic medical center and Level I trauma center to meet the needs of Bexar County and the growing South Texas trauma region well into the future.”
The Capital Improvement Program was developed as part of an extensive, multi-year planning process that involved dozens of University Health System staff members and physicians working with a team of consultants. “I am extremely proud of and thankful to everyone involved in the hard work that brought us to this milestone, but I would especially like to recognize the Bexar County Commissioners Court and our Board of Managers,” Hernández added. “Without their leadership and courage, we would not be standing here today embarking on this much-needed expansion and renovation initiative.”

University Health System Board of Managers Chair Dr. Roberto L. Jimenez echoed Hernández’s praise. “We are so fortunate to live in a community, with strong leadership, dedicated to assuring access to high quality healthcare for all. University Health System has a unique mission to provide all levels of care, from preventive health screenings to the most complex surgical procedures,” he said. “And through our partnership with the UT Health Science Center, we are committed to training the next generation of healthcare providers and developing new and better ways to provide care and improve patient outcomes through clinical research. These new facilities will enable your health system to fulfill its mission and make a positive impact on the lives of countless individuals and families for many years to come.”

University Health System is putting $120 million in cash reserves toward funding the $899.4 million project and Bexar County Commissioners approved financing the balance through certificates of obligation. Their decision to allow the project to move forward, without the delay that would have resulted from a county-wide referendum, resulted in University Health System saving more than $45 million in finance costs. The savings are due to market timing and the availability of Build America Bonds, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.

Given the downturn in the economy, market conditions to purchase construction-related goods and services are also very favorable and there has been a great deal of interest on the project. “They say timing is everything,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff. “And that has certainly been the case with this project. We not only have the best national firms working to create facilities that will be efficient, state-of-the-art and the pride of Bexar County, this project also offers local businesses and subcontractors a tremendous opportunity to earn money and gain valuable experience. This is exactly what our community needs today and for the future.”
Questions? Contact: Leni Kirkman, Julie Wiley 210-358-2335/Pager: 203-3300

CTRC study is testing viral therapy for lung cancer

Mon, 12 Apr 2010 17:16:24 GMT

CTRC study is testing viral therapy for lung cancer

A virus that destroys cancer cells but leaves normal cells unharmed may offer hope to those affected by squamous nonsmall-cell lung cancer, according to investigators from the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.

The CTRC has started patient enrollment in a clinical trial using the viral treatment REOLYSIN® in combination with two conventional chemotherapy drugs to treat patients with one of the most deadly form of lung cancer. For most patients, current treatments do not cure the disease.

“The study offers new hope for this group of patients with lung cancer,” said Alain C. Mita, M.D., a medical oncologist and assistant professor of medicine at the CTRC.

REOLYSIN is an experimental treatment derived from a common virus called the reovirus. It directly kills many types of cancer cells and works synergistically with many approved chemotherapies and radiation.

Reovirus targets common cancer mutation
When the reovirus enters a cancer cell, it produces thousands of copies of itself, causing the cell to burst. But the reovirus can replicate only in cancer cells with mutations along a signaling pathway in the cell called the Ras pathway, while leaving normal cells unharmed. Approximately two-thirds of all human cancers express this particular mutation and are therefore a potential target for REOLYSIN treatment.

How to volunteer for the study
As many as 55 patients are expected to be treated in the trial (REO 021), a single arm, open-label, Phase 2 study of REOLYSIN given intravenously with paclitaxel and carboplatin every three weeks. Patients who would like information about the eligibility requirements can call the patient referral line at (210) 450-5798.

The primary objective of the Phase 2 trial is to assess the treatment regimen’s antitumor effect in the study population in terms of objective response rates. Secondary objectives are to assess progression-free survival and overall survival, to determine the proportion of patients receiving the treatment who are alive and free of disease progression at six months, and to assess the safety and tolerability of the treatment.

More CTRC studies are evaluating REOLYSIN for other types of cancer
This trial is part of a broad collaboration with the CTRC that will involve up to five Phase 2 studies exploring the use of REOLYSIN in combination with chemotherapy for various cancer indications. Three other trials are currently open:
Advanced pancreatic cancer — Phase 2 clinical trial using intravenous administration of REOLYSIN® in combination with gemcitabine (Gemzar®). Principal Investigator: Monica Mita, M.D., assistant professor of medicine and clinical research director of the CTRC’s Institute for Drug Development
Metastatic melanoma — Phase 2 clinical trial using intravenous administration of REOLYSIN® in combination with paclitaxel and carboplatin. Principal Investigator: Devalingam Mahalingam, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine
Head and neck cancer — Phase 2 study using intravenous administration of REOLYSIN® in combination with Paclitaxel and Carboplatin. Principal Investigator: Anand Karnad, M.D., professor of medicine
Lung cancer is by far the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women. There were an estimated 159,000 deaths from lung cancer in 2009, accounting for around 28 percent of all cancer deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that of all lung cancer cases, about 25-30 percent are squamous cell carcinomas. For more information about non-small cell lung cancer, visit: www.cancer.org.
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Questions? Contact: Karen Stamm, (210) 450-2020

The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the elite academic cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, and is one of only three in Texas. A leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) conducts one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net