News

Please welcome Dr. Sara Zanivan, Associate Professor, to Experimental Therapeutics

Sarah Zanivan, Ph.D., joins the Department of Experimental Therapeutics as an associate professor and scientific director of the Proteomics Core. Before joining MD Anderson, Dr. Zanivan was Senior PI of the Tumor Microenvironment and Proteomics Lab and Head of the Advanced Technology Proteomics Facility at the Cancer Research UK (CRUK) Scotland Institute and Professor at the University of Glasgow. The Zanivan team studies the molecular mechanisms through which cancer associated fibroblasts (CAFs) modulate tumor-promoting and immunoregulatory functions of the tumor microenvironment. A major focus is the role played by cell metabolism and epigenetic modifiers. They have identified acetyl-CoA and proline metabolism as key regulators of tumor extracellular matrix production by CAFs, which is a hallmark of activation of these cells and of the immunosuppressed TME, and the potential of targeting them to oppose metastatic dissemination in breast cancer. The Zanivan lab also develops innovative mass spectrometry proteomics approaches tailored to cancer research and for the discovery of circulating biomarkers to detect cancer early exploiting systemic metabolic alterations. The long-term goal of the Zanivan lab is to elucidate how changes in metabolism associated with cancer can be leveraged to enable more effective treatments and earlier detection of the disease, ultimately improving quality of life and survival outcomes of patients.

Please welcome Tara Spittler, Sr. Administrative Assistant

Please join me in welcoming Tara Spittler to Experimental Therapeutics. Her first day will be Monday, Oct 28. Before joining Experimental Therapeutics, Tara was a Residency Training Program Coordinator at UTMB–Galveston. She brings twelve years of experience supporting high-level faculty and executives and is looking forward to the opportunity to join the team and contribute to efficient operations. We are excited to have her onboard and look forward to working with her.

Congratulations to Dr. Bast: VICTORY Houston, Inc. has opted to fully fund his request of $150,000 in support of the NROSS II Trial!

Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer: Normal Risk Ovarian Cancer Screening Study 2, Dr. Robert C. Bast and Dr. Denise Nebgen:

• $150,000 for MD Anderson Cancer Center
• Gynecologic Cancer – Research & Discovery/Screening Trial

At present there is no reliable screening test for ovarian cancer. In those cases where disease is detected while still confined to the ovaries (Stage I) or to the pelvis (Stage II), from 70-90% of patients survive five years and a majority can be cured. When disease has spread throughout the abdomen (Stage III) or to other parts of the body (Stage IV), fewer than 50% survive five years and fewer than 20% of patients can be cured. Currently, fewer than 30% of women with ovarian cancer are diagnosed in early stage (I-II). Computer simulations suggest that if we could increase the fraction of ovarian cancers detected in early stage, we could cure 10-30% of women with currently available surgery and chemotherapy.

Over the last two decades, MD Anderson has conducted a screening trial in more than 7,800 postmenopausal women at average risk for ovarian cancer. In this study, a single blood test (CA125) was measured each year to total more than 50,000 woman-years observed. We did this because science shows the CA125 protein tends to rise in the blood of women with progressively growing cancers — but not in women with benign conditions. To that end, when blood levels of CA125 have risen in screening participants, a transvaginal ultrasound has been performed. Abnormal ultrasound results prompted operations in 34 women, and 17 ovarian cancers were diagnosed, with 70% in early stage as a result of these screening methods.

Using the same approach, patients diagnosed with late-stage ovarian cancer have been reduced by 30-34%, compared to other ovarian cancer screening trials that have reduced late-stage disease by no more than 14%. Now it is time to build on this foundation and take the research to greater heights, using four blood tests rather than one to detect cases missed by CA125. A new computer program has been developed to combine all 4 tests. Using this program, we could have detected advanced-stage cases 1.4-to-4-years earlier, at a time before the cancer could spread.

The four-year Early Detection of Ovarian Cancer: Normal Risk Ovarian Cancer Screening Study 2 (NROSS2) trial is just beginning. The more than 4,200 postmenopausal women currently participating in the CA125 screening trial will be reconsented to participate in the new four-biomarker trial. We will recruit an additional 7-10% of participants at each site each year, increasing participation to about 4,500 women and permitting us to accrue 23,709-woman years over the next four years. This will permit an accurate assessment of the percentage of patients requiring ultrasound and the number of operations required to detect each case of ovarian cancer. It will measure the four blood tests each year of postmenopausal women who have an average risk of developing the disease. Blood levels from the four tests will be analyzed with the new computer program to determine whether there is enough of a rise across the four tests to represent an increased risk. We estimate about 2% of women with rising risk will then undergo ultrasound exams of the ovaries and, if an abnormality is found, this may prompt surgery. Proof of concept could radically change how women are screened for this disease.

Congratulations Xi Chen, Ph.D., on being selected as a recipient of the Faculty Scholar Award for fiscal year 2025!

The Faculty Scholar Program was established to recognize eligible assistant and associate professors who exhibit outstanding abilities and excellence in research, education, patient care or prevention. The awards are made possible by the E.N. Cobb Faculty Scholar Endowment and the Dallas/Fort Worth Living Legend Faculty Scholar Award Endowment.

Dr. Xi Chen, associate professor, has made landmark contributions to the emerging field of cancer stress biology and established the first molecular connection between the endoplasmic reticulum stress response and oncogenesis in triple-negative breast cancer, as well as furthering understanding of other cellular mechanisms. His work has resulted in many first-in-human trials and serves as an example for mechanism-oriented science driving clinical innovations.

Dr. Chen and more than 100 faculty were honored at the annual MD Anderson Celebration of Faculty Excellence on August 8.

Please welcome Jennifer Bales, Grant Program Manager

Prior to joining Experimental Therapeutics, Jennifer was a Program Manager – Research at UTHealth Houston. She brings eight years of experience in research administration, specializing in post-award financial management. She holds a master’s in business administration from The University of Texas at Dallas and a bachelor of science in biochemistry from Baylor University. We are excited to have her onboard and look forward to working with her.

Welcome Xi Chen, Ph.D., Associate Professor, our newest faculty member!

Xi Chen, Ph.D., joins the Department of Experimental Therapeutics as an associate professor and the James P. Allison Institute as an associate member. Before joining MD Anderson, he was associate professor and Cullen Duncan McAshan Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Baylor College of Medicine. Funded by multiple NIH, DOD, CPRIT and private foundation grants, the Chen Laboratory studies how cancer and its immune microenvironment sense and respond to stresses and therapeutic insults to evade immune surveillance and develop drug resistance. They identified the ancient endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress sensor IRE1a as a critical mediator of therapy resistance and immunosuppression in solid tumors, which led to the first-in-human clinical trial of IRE1a RNase inhibitor. They discovered proteostasis network reprogramming as a previously unknown process that mediates therapy resistance to targeted therapies. Their efforts on investigating stress responses in immunity and microenvironment defined ER-associated degradation (ERAD) as a protein quality checkpoint that controls hematopoiesis and T cell development. The long-term goals of the Chen Lab are to elucidate the significance and mechanisms of stress responses in therapy resistance and anti-tumor immunity and to develop mechanism-based novel therapies to transform cancer to a manageable chronic disease.

Please welcome Katherine Robinson, Sr. Administrative Assistant

Please join us in welcoming Katherine Robinson to our team! Katherine is a new senior administrative assistant for Experimental Therapeutics. She is an external hire who comes to us from the field of oil and gas. She has extensive experience as an office manager and an executive assistant, with over a decade of experience in administrative support that includes both private sector and university settings. We are excited to have her join the team and look forward to working with her.

Welcome to our newest faculty member Simon Eschweiler, Ph.D., Assistant Professor!

Immunotherapies have become crucial treatment options for a variety of cancer types. However, fewer than 30% of people respond to a given therapy. Hence, as low efficacy and widespread immune-related toxicity severely limit both treatment efficacy and combination therapy options, there is urgent need to develop novel immunotherapy targets with an improved efficacy and safety profile. 

As a CPRIT scholar and R37 MERIT grant recipient, the overarching objective of the Eschweiler research lab is the identification of novel drivers and inhibitors of immunotherapy treatment efficacy. Its goal is to both develop and evaluate immunotherapies that selectively target these opposing cell populations and to rationally combine these therapies with existing treatment modalities to maximize efficacy while minimizing adverse effects. This is the focal point of his research program, aimed at devising and testing novel immunotherapeutic strategies through mechanism-guided approaches. The lab thus strives to translate promising preclinical findings into meaningful therapies and further test their validity in early clinical trials by closely working with established collaborators and by building new clinical connections.