Phoenix, AZ, Nov. 10, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Dr. An-Chi Tien, Pharmacodynamics Core Leader of the Ivy Brain Tumor Center, is a recipient of the American Brain Tumor Association’s Discovery Grant, a one-year, $50,000 award, supporting faculty and scientists who propose high-risk, high-impact research with the potential to change current diagnostic or treatment models for brain tumor care.
Dr. Tien is a rising star in translational brain cancer research and PK/PD-triggered early-phase clinical trials.
“I am grateful and honored to receive the ABTA Discovery Grant. This funding will allow us to advance the translational work we’re doing at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center and directly impact patients,” said Dr. Tien. “Genetic analysis of meningioma tumors from patients enrolled in our trial will give us valuable insights needed to provide individualized and rapid care for patients.”
Dr. Tien’s innovative research is focused on performing targeted genomic analysis of meningioma tumors in patients enrolled in a Phase 0 clinical trial at the Ivy Center, Trial #NCT02933736. By identifying the molecular signature of meningiomas, Dr. Tien and his team will be able to predict their response to the investigational drug, ribociclib, a CDK4/6 inhibitor. CDK4/6, or cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6, are two proteins found in cells that accelerate growth and division. Ribociclib has the ability to block these proteins and prevent tumor cells from dividing. Ribociclib is FDA approved to treat advanced breast cancer and is part of a newly-discovered class of targeted therapy that undermines cancer cell division.
Dr. Tien’s research will offer unique insights into meningioma tumors and allow personalized treatment options for patients. Meningiomas are primary brain tumors found in the lining of the brain, known as the meninges. Grade I and II meningiomas are typically slow-growing benign tumors, while grade III is cancerous and likely to spread despite treatment.
Dr. Tien will collaborate with Dr. Wonsuk Yoo, Biostatistician and Associate Professor of the Ivy Center at Barrow Neurological Institute, and Dr. Christopher Plaisier, Assistant Professor of Biological and Health Systems Engineering at Arizona State University. The team will be co-mentored by Nader Sanai, MD, director of the Ivy Center and director of neurosurgical oncology at Barrow Neurological Institute, and Shwetal Mehta, PhD, chief operating officer and deputy director of the Ivy Center.
For details on the current Ivy Center Phase 0 clinical trial for meningioma, click here.
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About Ivy Brain Tumor Center
Ivy Brain Tumor Center at the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, AZ is a non-profit translational research program that employs a bold, early-phase clinical trials strategy to identify new treatments for aggressive brain tumors, including glioblastoma. The Ivy Center’s Phase 0 clinical trials program is the largest of its kind in the world and enables personalized care in a fraction of the time and cost associated with traditional drug development. Unlike conventional clinical trials focusing on single drugs, its accelerated trials program tests therapeutic combinations matched to individual patients. Learn more at IvyBrainTumorCenter.org. Follow the Ivy Brain Tumor Center on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Attachments
- Pharmacodynamics Core Leader and Principal Investigator at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center
- Pharmacodynamics Core Leader and Principal Investigator at the Ivy Brain Tumor Center
