Jesus Delgado-Calle, Ph.D., an assistant professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), has been awarded a National Cancer Institute grant of more than $1.7 million to study ways bone therapy might repair damaged bone and prevent or delay relapse in myeloma patients.
Multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells in the blood, causes cancer cells to accumulate in the bone marrow where they can form weak spots in the bone, leading to breaks and fractures.
The project focuses on bone health in myeloma patients and the effectiveness of bone therapies to block crucial interactions between cancer cells and a tumor’s microenvironment.
“The goal is to slow tumor growth, control dormant cancer cells, repair bone damaged by the disease, and avoid some of the toxic effects of chemotherapy within the body’s systems,” Delgado-Calle said.
The project could provide new ways to guide the development of therapies to prevent or delay relapse in myeloma patients and improve their bone health.
“We will study the effectiveness of a novel bone-targeted drug designed by our lab to interrupt the signaling pathway between cancer cells and tumor’s microenvironment to decrease tumor growth and relapse of the disease,” Delgado-Calle said.
The researchers will also examine the ability to promote bone repair of a neutralizing antibody against sclerostin, a small protein that prevents the rebuilding of bone and is overproduced in bones where myeloma cancer cells are present.
”We will test whether a combination of those two bone-directed agents given together decreases tumor growth, prevents or delays relapse and encourages bone repair,” Delgado-Calle said.
UAMS is the state’s only health sciences university, with colleges of Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Health Professions and Public Health; a graduate school; hospital; a main campus in Little Rock; a Northwest Arkansas regional campus in Fayetteville; a statewide network of regional campuses; and seven institutes: the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, Harvey & Bernice Jones Eye Institute, Psychiatric Research Institute, Donald W. Reynolds Institute on Aging, Translational Research Institute and Institute for Digital Health & Innovation. UAMS includes UAMS Health, a statewide health system that encompasses all of UAMS’ clinical enterprise including its hospital, regional clinics and clinics it operates or staffs in cooperation with other providers. UAMS is the only adult Level 1 trauma center in the state. U.S. News & World Report named UAMS Medical Center the state’s Best Hospital; ranked its ear, nose and throat program among the top 50 nationwide; and named six areas as high performing — COPD, colon cancer surgery, heart failure, hip replacement, knee replacement and lung cancer surgery. UAMS has 2,876 students, 898 medical residents and four dental residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 10,000 employees, including 1,200 physicians who provide care to patients at UAMS, its regional campuses, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and Baptist Health. Visit www.uams.edu or www.uamshealth.com. Find us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.