Dataset Information

Grand rounds at the National Institutes of Health: HDAC inhibitors as radiation modifiers, from bench to clinic.

ABSTRACT: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumour. Patients afflicted with this disease unfortunately have a very poor prognosis, and fewer than 5% of patients survive for 5 years from the time of diagnosis. Therefore, improved therapies to treat this disease are sorely needed. One such class of drugs that have generated great enthusiasm for the treatment of numerous malignancies, including GBM, is histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors. Pre-clinical data have demonstrated the efficacy of various HDAC inhibitors as anticancer agents, with the greatest effects shown when HDAC inhibitors are used in combination with other therapies. As a result of encouraging pre-clinical data, numerous HDAC inhibitors are under investigation in clinical trials, either as monotherapies or in conjunction with other treatments such as chemotherapy, biologic therapy or radiation therapy. In fact, two actively studied HDAC inhibitors, vorinostat and depsipeptide, were recently approved for the treatment of refractory cutaneous T cell lymphoma. In this review, we first present a patient with GBM, and then discuss the pathogenesis, epidemiology and current treatment options of GBM. Finally, we examine the translation of pre-clinical studies that have demonstrated HDAC inhibitors as potent radiosensitizers in in vitro and in vivo models, to a phase II clinical trial combining the HDAC inhibitor, valproic acid, along with temozolomide and radiation therapy for the treatment of GBM.

SUBMITTER: Shabason JE

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3112261 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Similar Datasets

Project description:ProblemAs biomedical research and clinical medicine become increasingly complex, physician-scientists and clinically oriented biomedical researchers play important roles in bridging the gap between disciplines. A lack of educational programming that addresses the unique needs of students preparing for careers at the interface of basic science and clinical medicine may contribute to trainee attrition.ApproachThe MD-PhD/LHB Grand Rounds was introduced in 2008 as a trainee-driven collaborative effort of the Harvard/Massachusetts Institute of Technology MD-PhD program at Harvard Medical School (HMS MD-PhD program), Harvard's Leder Human Biology and Translational Medicine (LHB) program, and the Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) Internal Medicine Department. Each of the program's approximately 4 sessions per year begins with dinner, followed by a clinical case presentation led by a BWH MD-PhD resident with a master clinician faculty discussant, then a research presentation by an LHB PhD student or an MD-PhD student on a basic science topic related to the clinical case, and time for socialization.OutcomesIn a July 2017 survey of participating students and residents, respondents reported being highly satisfied with the program. Mean satisfaction ratings were 4.3 (SD 0.5) for 12 MD-PhD students, 4.2 (SD 0.7) for 31 LHB students, and 4.4 (SD 0.9) for 5 residents on a 5-point scale (5 = very satisfied). Free-text responses suggested MD-PhD students valued opportunities for active engagement with the resident presenter and faculty discussant. LHB students appreciated the absence of medical jargon in the clinical presentations. Residents' reported reasons for participating included enjoyment of teaching and interaction with students.Next stepsThe Harvard MD-PhD/LHB Grand Rounds can serve as a template for developing similar programs at other institutions. Research is needed to determine whether such grand rounds programs can help fix the leaky pipeline in the training of future physician-scientists and clinically oriented biomedical researchers.

Dataset Information

Grand rounds at the National Institutes of Health: HDAC inhibitors as radiation modifiers, from bench to clinic.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets