Streamlining Python Development: A Guide to a Modern Project Setup
Oncology Discoveries, University of Chicago
1. Oncology at the University of Chicago
Available for download at
tech.uchicago.edu/areas
2. Oncology at the University of Chicago
The Cancer Programs at UChicago are at the forefront of discovery. Innovative, bidirectional
translational research moves freely between bench and bedside.
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The University of Chicago is home to more Nobel Laureates than any other university and has
many of the best biological sciences departments in the nation.
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The University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC) has extraordinary resources
with which to develop and apply innovative approaches to performing research and
improving healthcare. Members have received numerous awards for their research, and
their work is consistently published in high-profile publications.
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The University recognizes the need to continuously push the envelope and, through
cooperative, multidisciplinary initiatives, support innovative and unique research
opportunities.
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UCCCC investigators are organized into six integrated scientific programs to harness multidiscliplinary strengths in research and clinical expertise that exist throughout the University
and beyond.
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These multi-faceted efforts have resulted in dozens of groundbreaking technologies for the
treatment of cancer, some of which are currently available for licensing and further
development.
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3. The University of Chicago Medicine
Comprehensive Cancer Center (UCCCC)
To address the complexity of cancer, we use cooperative, multidisciplinary initiatives to support
innovative research.
Clinical Trials Capabilities
• Over 320 active therapeutic clinical trials, spanning
preclinical to investigator-initiated phase I trials, to phase II
trials in regional network, to phase III studies within Alliance
• Leader and participant in regional and national clinical trial
networks
• Areas of expertise include:
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First-in-human studies (phase I trials)
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Combination and drug-drug interaction studies
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Food-effect studies
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Organ dysfunction studies
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Population pharmacology and pharmacogenetics
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Innovative trial designs
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Pharmacodynamic biomarker studies
Core Facilities
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Biostatistics
Cancer Clinical Trials Office
Cytometry and Antibody Technology
Genomics
Human Immunologic Monitoring-cGMP
Human Tissue Resource Center
Image Computing, Analysis, and Repository
Integrated Microscopy
Integrated Small Animal Imaging Research
Pharmacology
Transgenic Mouse and Embryonic Stem Cell Facility
Center for Research Informatics (CRI) Bioinformatics
Epidemiology and Research Recruitment
UCCCC Specialized Programs
The UCCCC scientific community integrates 210 members across 20 academic departments in three University Divisions
(Biological, Physical, and Social Sciences). Our members specialize in fields that span the continuum of cancer research in a
highly interactive environment. Research is organized in six established scientific programs that emphasize translational and
interdisciplinary research, and promote collaboration among a diverse and dedicated team of outstanding scientists and
physicians. UCCCC Centers include:
• Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer
• Hematopoiesis and Hematological Malignancies
• Immunology and Cancer
• Pharmacogenomics and Experimental Therapeutics
• Advanced Imaging
• Cancer Prevention and Control
4. Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer
Program Leaders:
Suzanne Conzen, MD, and Kay Macleod, PhD
35 member basic and translational investigators
from 10 departments with unique experience in
chemistry, cell signaling, systems biology,
developmental biology, and drug discovery
Program Goals:
• Clarify the molecular mechanisms of organ-specific and tumor cell type-specific gene expression
• Determine the cellular mechanisms underlying cell growth/division and cell survival/death
• Understand the multifaceted mechanisms leading to cancer metastases
• Use large-scale, high-throughput and systems biology approaches and genetic evolutionary approaches to
understand cancer biology
• Discover novel developmental pathways relevant to cancer cell signaling
Collaborations between cancer biologists, chemists, and imaging scientists are being leveraged to identify
potential targets and signaling pathways involved in cancer and to facilitate the testing of small molecule
inhibitors of these targets and/or pathways.
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5. Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer
The complexity of oncogenesis requires a
multi-faceted approach to effectively
target the many aspects of misregulation
that occur in malignant cells. These
technologies identify the root causes of
the disease and harness this knowledge to
generate therapies that target multiple
causes and stages of cancer.
Representative Technologies
Ernst Lengyel, MD, PhD
• Ovarian cancer is largely asymptomatic and patients are
often diagnosed at a late stage of disease with
metastases to the omentum and peritoneum. Dr.
Lengyel has developed a novel strategy to prevent
ovarian cancer metastasis.
• Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) has now been
shown to play a key role in ovarian cancer metastasis.
Inhibition of FABP4 prevents ovarian cancer tumor
growth and metastasis.
• Dr. Lengyel is focusing on pre-clinical development of
FABP4 inhibitors and has demonstrated in in vivo models
that FABP4 inhibition has the potential to be a powerful
treatment for ovarian cancer.
Shohei Koide, PhD
• A novel protein engineering platform for developing
high affinity and high specificity antibodies and
antibody-like proteins to difficult to target antigens.
• Using a protein engineering platform, Dr. Koide has
developed novel binding reagents and inhibitors of
key signaling molecules, including those involved in
tyrosine phosphorylation and histone methylation.
These reagents have utility as diagnostics for chronic
myelogenous leukemia, breast cancer, and renal
carcinoma.
6. Molecular Mechanisms of Cancer
Representative Technologies
Ravi Salgia, MD, PhD
Stephen Kron, MD, PhD
• TrueQ microspheres for flow cytometry surfaced
with oligonucleotides are used in tandem with
antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates to quantitate
cellular antigens, allowing for exact calculation of
antibody binding capacity (ABC) for any antibody.
• TrueQ provides a fully quantitative, spectrally flexible
flow cytometric assay that does not require the time
or cost associated with antibody-microsphere
conjugation.
• Antibody-oligonucleotide conjugates have been
successfully pre-hybridized to complementary
oligonucleotide-fluorochrome conjugate detector,
and the resulting antibody-DNA-fluorochrome
construct was used to label cellular surface antigens.
• c-CBL and paxillin mutations as predictive biomarkers
of susceptibility to treatment with a c-MET inhibitor
or cisplatin, respectively
• c-CBL and paxillin represent additional targets for the
development of new cancer therapeutics, and efforts
to identify additional regulatory functions of the
proteins are ongoing.
• A thoracic oncology comprehensive database SOP
and template have been designed to facilitate the
implementation of a database that captures and
stores clinical, basic science, and translational
research data, as well as imaging data.
Richard Jones, PhD
• The Micro-western Array (MWA) is a scalable
method for separating and detecting protein
mixtures following microarray deposition.
• Combining the scalability of array-based technologies
with the molecular weight resolution of conventional
western blotting, MWA enables precision targeting
of 100-1000 proteins from 10-100 of cell samples.
• MWA provides a quantitative and higher- throughput
platform for studies of abundance and modification
of pre-selected protein targets in biological samples,
allowing for high-throughput proteomic studies in
basic research and drug discovery.
7. Hematopoiesis and Hematological Malignancies
Program Leaders:
Wendy Stock, MD, and Michael Thirman, MD
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28 member multi-department effort to define the critical
mechanisms behind hematological malignancy and design
targeted therapeutics
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A proven 30 year history of critical discoveries in the
identification of critical genes involved both in normal
hematopoiesis and in the pathogenesis of leukemias and
lymphomas
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The identification of genetic pathways involved in
hematological malignant diseases has proven to translate
directly into new ways to diagnose and treat these diseases
Program Goals:
• Determine the mechanisms of normal and malignant hematopoiesis
• Define recurring molecular genetic abnormalities in leukemia and lymphoma
• Design molecular targeted clinical trials for hematological malignancies
Basic and translational research efforts provide key insights for the design of novel therapies for patients with
hematological diseases. Members of this program are actively translating their findings from basic research
into novel, molecularly targeted therapeutic approaches for hematological malignancies.
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8. Hematopoiesis and Hematological Malignancies
Groundbreaking technology developed using
chromosomal analysis has changed the landscape
for the diagnosis and treatment of patients with
CML, but much progress remains to be made for
the treatment of other hematological
malignancies. Defining the mechanisms of
normal and malignant hematopoiesis and
mapping recurring genetic abnormalities in
leukemia and lymphoma will point the way to
new, more effective therapeutics.
Giemsa banding and Spectral Karyotype Analysis of a
bone marrow sample from a patient with acute leukemia.
Nowell, Rowley and Knudson. Nature Genetics, 1998.
Available Hematological Malignancy Technology
Michael Thirman, MD
TAT-MLL for the targeted treatment of acute leukemia
• TAT-MLL is a cell permeable peptide which interrupts a key interaction between
MLL and its downstream partner, menin and induces apoptosis in MLL-transformed
leukemic cells.
• Efficacy of TAT-MLL has been tested in a number of murine and human MLLtransformed cell lines and normal hematopoietic cell lines. Apoptosis is induced in
malignant cells, but normal cells are unaffected by treatment
• TAT-MLL is being tested in several murine models of MLL-induced leukemia
generated using human leukemias.
9. Immunology and Cancer
Program Leader: Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD
22 member multi-department effort to identify novel
cancer immunotherapies
Program Goals:
• Fundamental investigations in immunology designed to translate into the clinic as new cancer
immunotherapies
• Preclinical models of antitumor immunity
• Translation of fundamental research discoveries into clinical studies of human antitumor immunity and
novel immunotherapy clinical trials
Observations made in studies of basic immunologic concepts direct the design of preclinical and clinical
investigations, and observations made in early clinical studies have generated new hypotheses that are being
addressed back in murine systems. Thus, the Immunology and Cancer Program has evolved into an important
example of bidirectional translational research, with ideas moving freely between bench and bedside.
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10. New Approaches to Immune Stimulation
Through the non-specific stimulation of
the immune system, the host’s natural
inflammatory response can halt or
even reverse the growth of tumors.
These novel technologies allow for the
treatment of both primary solid tumors
and metastases.
T
Activation/
Clonal expansion
Proinflammatory
Cytokine production
Chemokines/
Adhesion
molecules
Microphage/granulocyte
activation
T
TCR
MHC
TLR
Stromal
cells
Inflammation
Self tissues destruction
T reg
IL-2
Recruitment of immune cells
Altered microenvironment
Autoimmunity
Autoantibody production
Representative Immune Stimulation Technologies
Yang-Xin Fu, MD, PhD
• LIGHT is a TNF family member that enhances the
immune response to tumor cells. It does so by
augmenting the recruiting and priming of naïve T
cells specific to a variety of tumor antigens.
• LIGHT eradicates established, aggressive tumors
(both primary and metastatic) in murine models.
• Establishes immune memory to protect against
future challenge with tumor cells.
• LIGHT-antibody conjugations are a platform for
the creation of a variety of targeted anti-cancer
therapeutics.
Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD
• Stimulation of T-cells for recognition of tumor cells
through unique molecules and diverse pathways.
• Several novel mechanisms for immune recognition
have been identified and characterized in mouse
models.
• These new pathways are targets for developing
immunotherapies that can be used to reactivate
patient immune systems to better treat tumors.
11. Immune Checkpoint Blockade
Immune checkpoints are known to be
altered towards cancerous cells, preventing
native T-cells from generating an effective
response. Reversing these blockades results
in new approaches to effectively treat
cancers alone or in a combinatorial regimen.
Anergy
T
DGK
inhibitor
Tumor
cell
Representative Checkpoint Blockade Technologies
Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD
• Methods of using DGK inhibitors and analogs to
alleviate T-cell anergy for the treatment of cancer.
• T-cell anergy has been reversed using small
molecule DGK inhibitors in mouse models.
• DGK inhibition is a novel immunotherapeutic
method that can be used as an adjuvant to leverage
an immune response in anergic tumors. Possible
first indications include melanoma and breast
cancer.
T
Tumor
cell
12. Immunotherapy Vaccines
The power of the immune system can be
harnessed to mount an anti-cancer response.
Tumor antigen vaccines built using synthetic
proteins or peptides, or encoded by a
plasmid or virus, can evoke an endogenous T
cell response, leading to tumor cell
recognition and an anti-cancer immune
response.
Adeno-LIGHT
Senescence
inducing
compounds
T
Tumor
Representative Immunotherapy Vaccine Technologies
Stephen J. Kron, MD, PhD
• Antitumor immune response to the primary tumor
and/or to gross metastases is generated by tumorderived senescent cell vaccine.
• In an immuno-competent mouse model, this senescent
cell approach promotes reduction of volume in sites
distant to injection, and can act prophylactically.
• The use of oncosenescence is an innovative technology
to evoke self-immune response in prostate cancer
patients.
Maciej Lesniak, MD
• Malignant brain cancer is a difficult to treat disease and
patients with this disease have a poor prognosis. Dr.
Lesniak is investigating several approaches for treating
brain cancer.
• Virotherapy: oncolytic adenoviruses to conditionally
replicate in and eliminate tumor cells. This work is
undergoing extensive pre-clinical development.
• Stem cells: mesenchymal stem cells can selectively
migrate to and eliminate tumors when loaded with
oncolytic adenoviruses. Dr. Lesniak and his
collaborators are preparing to initiate a Phase I clinical
trial of this treatment.
13. Immunotherapy Vaccines
Representative Technologies
Hans Schreiber, MD, PhD
• Optimized sequences for novel antibodies that
specifically identify cancer cells via abnormally
glycosylated protein epitopes have been developed.
• In vivo POC of several of these antibody sequences
in a mouse Chimeric Antigen Receptor T cell (CART)
model showed strong anti-tumor activity.
• These optimized antibody sequences can be built
into existing therapeutic backbones, such as CARs
and BiTES, to generate broadly effective, novel
anticancer agents.
14. Immunotherapy Diagnostics
Cutting edge DNA and protein diagnostics can
identify patients who need particular
immunotherapies in order to have a
successful anti-cancer response to therapy.
These diagnostic markers can also include
new targets for development of additional
immunotherapies.
Available Immunotherapy Diagnostic Technologies
Yusuke Nakamura, MD, PhD
• Dr. Nakamura is a leader in genomic research, with
a proven track record in genomic research and
cancer.
• Current efforts include large scale screening
capabilities and a focus on identifying key
biomarkers involved in the immune response to
cancer.
• Identification of critical immunotherapy
biomarkers will create an opportunity for effective
personalized medicine strategies for cancer
patients.
Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD
• EGR2-based gene signature differentiates between
immune responsive and non-responsive tumors.
• Validated studies comparing gene expression
profiling have identified a key set of genes involved
in the immune response to cancer.
• This diagnostic would be useful for identification of
patients in need of immune-stimulating therapy for
successful treatment of cancers.
15. Pharmacogenomics and Experimental Therapeutics
Program Leaders:
Walter Stadler, MD, and M. Eileen Dolan, PhD
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50 member multi-department effort focusing on drug
development at all phases of clinical testing, including
pharmacogenetics
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Trials range from preclinical development, to
investigator-initiated Phase I clinical trials, to Phase II
trials in the regional Phase II network, to Phase III
studies with Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB)
Program Goals:
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Pursue a broad program of preclinical, translational, and clinical research in pharmacogenomic,
molecular target, and biomarker research
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Collaboration among basic and clinical investigators that leads to innovative and effective therapies
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Integrate new drugs into the development of multi-modal therapies for patients with advanced solid
tumors
The translational nature of much of the work emanating from this program, the coordinating center role the
UCCCC plays for multi-institutional studies, and the leadership role assumed by many program faculty in
studies conducted by national clinical cooperative groups, illustrates the impact of this program in developing
new therapies for oncology.
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16. Pharmacogenomics and Experimental Therapeutics
An understanding of the underlying genetic factors that
influence an individual’s cancer risk and possible
response to therapy is critical to developing effective,
personalized approaches to treating cancer. Integrating
pharmacogenomics into all phases of therapeutic
development, from pre-clinical testing to clinical trials,
will help to refine drug development and better
address cancer therapy at the individual level.
Pharmacogenomics
Molecular
Targets
Multimodal
Therapy
Clinical
Trials
Representative Technologies
Yusuke Nakamura, MD, PhD
• Dr. Nakamura is a world leader in genomic
research, with a proven track record in genomic
research and cancer.
• Current efforts include large scale screening
capabilities and a focus on identifying key
biomarkers involved in the response to cancer.
• Identification of critical cancer biomarkers
creates an opportunity for effective personalized
medicine strategies for cancer patients.
Chuan He, PhD
• Epigenetics plays a key role in cell signaling and
methods for detecting DNA and RNA epigenetics
are important for understanding cancer signaling
and in identifying new therapeutic targets.
• Dr. He has developed a suite of methods and tools
for determining precise epigenetic modifications in
DNA and has recently determined the mechanisms
for reversible RNA epigenetic modifications.
• Dr. He has developed methods to detect and
sequence methylated DNA and methylated DNA
derivatives, which will be critical for identifying new
therapeutic and diagnostic targets in cancer.
17. Pharmacogenomics and Experimental Therapeutics
Representative Technologies
Russell Szmulewitz, MD
• A novel strategy to inhibit the glucocorticoid receptor (GR)
to enhance the effect of treatment with AR antagonists in
castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).
• In vitro and in vivo data demonstrate that GR expression
and activation in prostate cancer cells facilitates cell
survival despite potent AR inhibition, thereby enabling
progression. The GR antagonist mifepristone was able to
reverse the pro-survival effects of glucocorticoids.
• Clinical trials using ezalutamide (MDV3100) in conjunction
with mifepristone in treating castration-resistant prostate
cancer are commencing shortly. The combination of GR
antagonists and ezalutamide may ultimately provide an
effective first-line therapy.
Ralph Weichselbaum, MD
• An empirically derived genetic signature which correlates
with the response of breast cancer patients to both
radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
• The signature has been observed in both flash-frozen and
formaldehyde-fixed paraffin embedded samples, using a
variety of extraction techniques, and has been confirmed
in multiple sample sets.
• Partnership for a larger-scale retrospective analysis is
desired.
Philip Connell, MD
• DNA damage repair is critical for maintenance of
chromosomal DNA. Failure to repair DNA damage
results chromosome instability and cell death.
• Rad51 is a key enzyme for the repair of DNA damage,
including double strand DNA breaks. Dr. Connell has
hypothesized that inhibition of Rad51 can be used in
conjunction with DNA damaging agents as an anticancer therapeutic.
• Various Rad51 inhibitors have been discovered and lead
compounds are currently undergoing extensive preclinical investigations.
Anthony Kossiakoff, PhD
• A fundamental challenge in developing effective cancer
therapeutics is achieving efficient, specific delivery of the
agents to the affected tissues.
• Two receptor-mediated delivery systems have been
developed in order to target and deliver Fab antibodies
or siRNA to the cytosol of cancer cells.
• A Substance P-synthetic Fab antibody conjugate has been
used to deliver Fabs to live cells expressing the NK1R
receptor, which include breast and colon carcinomas,
astrocytomas, and glioblastomas.
• Human prolactin-siRNA conjugates that deliver
therapeutic nucleic acids to ovarian cancer cells, which
overexpress prolactin receptor.
18. Advanced Imaging
Program Leaders:
Greg Karczmar, PhD, and Heber MacMahon, MB, BCh
29 member multi-disciplinary team with advanced
imaging capabilities ranging from animal models of
cancer, in vitro tissue studies, and clinical research
Program Goals:
•
Improve understanding of cancer biology and physiology.
•
Enhance risk assessment and early detection.
•
Guide therapy.
•
Develop and implement new approaches to image reconstruction and analysis to support the above
aims.
Imaging is a key diagnostic tool on many levels, useful for diagnosing tumors, assessing response to therapy
and guiding clinical trials, as well as facilitating the development of customized, optimal therapies for
individual patients. The program strives to achieve these goals by integrating and focusing the work of
investigators with established research programs and by promoting collaborations.
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19. Advanced Imaging
Medical imaging enables screening, facilitates
diagnosis and staging of cancer, guides therapy,
allows ongoing assessment of therapeutic efficacy
and monitoring of cancer recurrence, and
facilitates medical research, particularly in such
critical areas as drug discovery. This team of worldclass medical physicists and biologists works
together to optimize imaging by developing novel
software and agents.
Representative Technologies
Ernst Lengyel, MD, PhD
• Ovarian cancer is largely asymptomatic, and patients are
often diagnosed at a late stage of disease with
metastases to the omentum and peritoneum. Effective
diagnosis and imaging of ovarian cancer is critical for
treating ovarian cancer.
• Prolactin receptor is highly expressed on ovarian cancer
cells and labeling of the prolactin receptor ligand human
placental lactogen (hPL) can be used as a tool to image
ovarian cancer.
• Dr. Lengyel and his collaborator Dr. Joe Piccirilli have
developed a method to utilize hPL as an MRI contrast
agent for ovarian cancer imaging. Pre-clinical tests have
shown significant advantages over existing MRI contrast
agents.
Gregory Karczmar, PhD
• New software implementing methods of combining data
from T2-weighted spin echo and ADC measurements for
the imaging of prostate cancer and other solid tumors.
• Initial POC studies in mouse models suggests that hybrid
multi-dimensional MRI produces new parameters that
could increase the clinical value of MRI.
• This new combination may enable the detection of small
or diffuse cancers, allowing early diagnosis and more
accurate staging of prostate cancer, and reducing the
number of unnecessary biopsies and surgeries.
20. Advanced Imaging
Representative Technologies
Bulent Aydogen, PhD
• AuNP-DG: Deoxyglucose labeled gold nanoparticles
used as x-ray computed tomography (CT) contrast
agents for cancer imaging.
• AuNP-DG allows for high-resolution metabolic
imaging in conjunction with necessary anatomical
data acquisition using CT scanning. In vitro and
early in vivo studies have demonstrated that these
particles are readily taken up by cancer cells, which
are highly glycolytic. The enhanced CT method
represents a faster, lower-cost option as compared
with positron emission tomography (PET) scanning,
the standard technique used to gather functional
data on tumors and suspected malignancies.
• Dr. Aydogan is seeking commercial partners to help
move the technology along the regulatory path and
further develop this imaging agent for cancer
diagnosis, staging, and monitoring and the targeting
of radiotherapy.
21. Cancer Prevention and Control
Program Leaders:
Habibul Ahsan, MD, and Andrea King, PhD
•
44 member multi-department team focused on local and
global health disparities research, which serves as a crosscutting theme for all programmatic goals
Harness the intellectual capacity at UChicago to determine
the environmental, genetic, psychological, biobehavioral,
and economic factors underlying the etiology, risk,
prevention, diagnosis, prognosis, and survivorship of cancer
Program Goals:
•
•
Identify novel genomic, nutritional, and environmental determinants and their interactions in cancer risk
•
Identify the biological and behavioral basis for tobacco and alcohol use, and apply this knowledge to
develop prevention and cessation-related treatment strategies
•
Examine biological and behavioral factors related to screening, early detection, and prevention of cancer
•
Investigate the bio-behavioral, psychosocial, and environmental determinants of cancer-related health
outcomes, including survivorship
•
Examine cost-effectiveness and economic factors related to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and
survivorship
The Cancer Prevention and Control Program is known for its strengths in molecular, bio-behavioral, and
clinical research, as well as its strengths in epidemiology and environmental health and genetics.
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22. Available Technologies
Small Molecule Inhibitors
UCHI 2006
(Lengyel)
Inhibition of FABP4 for the treatment of ovarian cancer.
UCHI2105
(Smulevitz)
A novel strategy to inhibit the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) to enhance the Ongoing Phase I clinical trial using ezalutamide (MDV3100) in
effect of treatment with AR antagonists in castration-resistant prostate
conjunction with mifepristone in treating castration-resistant prostate
cancer (CRPC)
cancer
UCHI 1524
(Connell)
Rad51 inhibitors as an adjuvant with DNA damaging agents for the
treatment of cancer
Preclinical testing of several Rad51 inhibitors and additional
development of lead compounds
UCHI 1460
(Thirman)
TAT-MLL for the targeted treatment of acute leukemia
Preclinical testing of TAT-MLL ongoing, in vivo studies with a humanderived leukemia cell line planned
UCHIs
1418/1670
(Kossiakoff)
Receptor mediated intracellular delivery of bioactive payloads, including
Pre-clinical in vitro testing of fab and siRNA conjugates. Composition of
synthetic antibodies and siRNA, to tumor cells for the treatment of cancer matter and methods patents available for licensing.
Pre-clinical testing of FABP4 inhibitors in in vivo models
Biologics
Immunotherapies
Preclinical studies demonstrate that LIGHT eradicates established,
aggressive tumors (both primary and metastatic) in murine models alone
and in combination with antibodies
UCHI 1563
(Fu)
LIGHT for the treatment of primary tumors and metastatic disease
UCHI 2261
(Schreiber)
UCHI 1184
(Gajewksi)
Novel cancer-specific, optimized antibody sequences for use in adoptive
immunotherapy
Immune response regulation via DGK inhibitors for the treatment of
cancer and autoimmune disorders.
UCHI 1999
(Kron)
A senescent cell vaccine induces an anti-tumor immune response
In an immuno competent mouse model, this vaccine promotes reduction
of volume in sites distant to injection
UCHI 1965
(Lesniak)
Mesenchymal-derived oncolytic viruses for the treatment of brain cancer
Preclinical development of mesenchymal-derived oncolytic adenoviruses
ongoing
UCHI TBD
(Gajewski)
Validated preclinical studies comparing gene expression profiling have
An EGR2-based gene signature for the identification of patients who would
identified a key set of genes involved in the immune response to cancer,
benefit from immune-stimulating anti-cancer therapy
and additional in vivo confirmation is ongoing
Preclinical testing in animal models is ongoing
T-cell anergy has been reversed using small molecule DGK inhibitors in
murine models
23. Available Technologies
Platform Development and Informatics Technologies
UCHIs 1412/2089 Platform for generating renewable, high affinity and specificity antibodies and
(Koide)
antibody-like proteins
Binding reagents useful for the diagnosis of chronic
myelogenous leukemia, breast cancer, and renal carcinoma have
been developed. Platform, composition of matter, and method
of use patents are available for licensing.
UCHI 1618
(Jones)
The Micro-western Array (MWA): a scalable method for separating and
detecting protein mixtures following microarray deposition, for use in highthroughput proteomic studies in basic research and drug discovery
Method well developed and several POC studies performed
UCHI 2037
(Kron)
TrueQ microspheres for flow cytometry surfaced with oligonucleotides, useful
for exact calculation of antibody binding capacity (ABC) for any antibody
POC studies performed to demonstrate the effectiveness in
quantitating antibody ABC
Tools for identifying epigenetic modifications in DNA
Methods developed and POC studies ongoing
UCHI 2136
(He)
ONT-OO37
(Olopade)
UCHI 1894
(Salgia)
CancerIQ: An oncology-specific big data platform that allows for researchers and Web-based interface developed, development team in place for
providers to build actionable intelligence in cancer
technology commercialization
Thoracic oncology comprehensive database SOP and template designed to
facilitate the implementation of a thoracic oncology database that captures and Available for licensing, in use by >60 cancer researchers
stores clinical, basic science, and translational research data, as well as imaging
throughout the US
data
Biomarkers
UCHI 1944
(Salgia)
c-CBL mutations as predictive biomarkers of susceptibility to treatment with a cMET inhibitor; Paxillin mutations as predictive biomarkers of susceptibility or
resistance to treatment with cisplatin
Cell line drug sensitivities vary with the presence of c-CBL or
paxillin mutations
UCHI 2228
(Rosner)
Prognostic gene signature for survival of triple negative breast cancer
Further stratification of patients identified as having a poor
prognosis by the Mammaprint and Oncotype clinical tests
A genetic signature which correlates with the response of breast cancer patients
to both radiotherapy and chemotherapy
Initial retrospective studies have confirmed the signature, a
larger scale analysis is planned
UCHI 1374
(Weichselbaum)
24. Available Technologies
Advanced Imaging Technologies
UCHI 1418
(Lengyel)
UCHI 1364
(Karzmar)
UCHI 1849
(Aydogan)
Labeled prolactin as an MRI contrast agent for ovarian cancer imaging
New software implementing methods of combining data from T2-weighted spin
echo and ADC measurements for the imaging of prostate cancer and other solid
tumors
AuNP-DG: Deoxyglucose labeled gold nanoparticles used as x-ray computed
tomography (CT) contrast agents for cancer imaging
Pre-clinical tests have shown significant advantages over existing
MRI contrast agents
Pre-clinical testing performed using murine models
Pre-clinical in vitro and early in vivo studies have demonstrated
that these particles are readily taken up by cancer cells
25. How to Partner with the University of Chicago
Contact UChicagoTech, the Center for Technology Development & Ventures,
to learn more.
We build strong industry partnerships to successfully bring innovation to the
marketplace. UChicagoTech can connect you to emerging technologies and fieldadvancing researchers that may inform and enrich your own innovation efforts. We
value your involvement at every stage of the invention pipeline, from idea to tangible
asset. For more information, visit us at tech.uchicago.edu or contact anyone on the
Oncology team.
Steven Kuemmerle, PhD
Deputy Director
Phone: 773-834-3211
skuemmerle@tech.uchicago.edu
Divya Varshney, MBA
Chief Marketing Officer
Phone: 773-702-8696
dvarshney@tech.uchicago.edu
Thelma Tennant, PhD
Project Manager
Phone: 773-834-4020
ttennant@tech.uchicago.edu