CPRIT Awards Research Grant to TTUHSC’s Reynolds

Funds to Aid Childhood, Adolescent Cancer Study

C Patrick Reylonds MD PhD

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) in February announced a $1,196,214 grant to C. Patrick Reynolds, M.D., Ph.D., director for the School of Medicine Cancer Center at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center (TTUHSC).

The grant, “GD2 Expression and Response to Chemoimmunotherapy in Neuroblastoma,” will provide funding for Reynolds’ ongoing investigations into the way cancer cells escape from therapy with antibodies that bind to GD2, for which preliminary data suggest the mechanism is loss of GD2 from the cancer cells. Dinutuximab, an antibody binding to GD2, can enhance chemoimmunotherapy both in patients and in preclinical models.

Neuroblastoma is the most common cancer outside of the brain in infants and young children and is challenging to treat, especially in patients that relapse after initial therapy. GD2 is a complex molecule highly expressed on neuroblastoma cells and is a target for successfully treating tumors.

“Children with cancer, both in Texas and beyond are fortunate that CPRIT has made funding childhood cancer a priority,” Reynolds said. “This recent grant from CPRIT will enable us to understand how tumor cells escape therapy with an antibody that is effective at treating neuroblastoma. The grant also supports our laboratory here at TTUHSC in analyzing clinical samples from across the U.S. and Canada from patients with neuroblastoma to assess the amount of antibody that binds to their tumor cells.”

Reynolds, a University Distinguished Professor, also directs the South Plains Cancer Consortium and the Childhood Oncology Group Childhood Cancer Repository, powered by Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation. The repository, based at TTUHSC, collects, preserves and distributes validated childhood cancer cell lines to researchers around the world who are investigating childhood cancer.

Related Stories

A Call for Change: Addressing the Invisible Workload of School-Based SLPs

Tobias Kroll, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, discusses the workloads and expectations of school-based SLPs.

Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in Rural Adolescents

Leigh Ann Reel, Au.D., Ph.D., CCC-A, discussed the causes and prevention strategies for noise-induced hearing loss, particularly for adolescents in rural areas.

Willed Body Memorial Service Honors Those Who Donated

On Memorial Day each May, a service is conducted at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center Institute of Anatomical Sciences to pay respect to the Willed Body Program donors and their families.

Recent Stories

A Call for Change: Addressing the Invisible Workload of School-Based SLPs

Tobias Kroll, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, an Associate Professor in the Department of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, discusses the workloads and expectations of school-based SLPs.

Health

TTUHSC Receives $1.3 Million HRSA Telehealth Resource Center Grant to Expand Telehealth in Texas and Louisiana

The TexLa Telehealth Resource Center, based at TTUHSC, has been awarded a $1.3 million, four-year grant from HRSA to strengthen and expand digital health services in Texas and Louisiana.

Health

The Relational Health Center Celebrates Two Years of Care for Families

On Friday, August 22, from 3 - 5 p.m., the Relational Health Center is celebrating its second birthday with an open house event at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock.