Sarcoma / Bone Cancer
Profile: Sylvester Expert Using AI to Develop Better Models to Predict Bone Fractures
July is Sarcoma and Bone Cancer Awareness Month and Brooke Crawford, M.D., M.B.A ., is at the forefront of research into metastatic bone cancer. As Sylvester's chief of orthopaedic oncology, she is leading a project that aims to use AI and images of healthy bones to develop a model that more accurately predicts fractures in sarcoma patients and helps guide their future therapy. Crawford and colleagues are also looking for biomarkers in tumor genetics that correlate with patients' skeletal outcomes.
Firefighter Cancer Risk
Sylvester Researchers Fight Cancer Risk By Training as Wildland Firefighters
Researchers from Sylvester's Firefighter Cancer Initiative (SFCI) recently took an unusual step to strengthen the scientific rigor and relevance of their work: They completed wildland firefighter training alongside cadets from the Florida Forest Service. Their effort reflects a broader organizational commitment to translational, worker-centered research that shapes prevention strategies and improves population health. "It gave us a deeper appreciation for the scientific, physical and operational complexity of wildland firefighting," explained Alberto Caban-Martinez, Ph.D., D.O., M.P.H. , co-deputy director of SFCI.
Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic Cancer Discovery Advances Toward First-of-Its-Kind Clinical Trial
Blocking a receptor, IL1RAP, that sits at a key control point in inflammatory signaling can disrupt the tumor-driven network that helps pancreatic cancer resist treatment, according to new research from Sylvester and collaborators. Their findings , published last month in JCI Insight, are progressing now toward a first-of-its-kind neoadjuvant clinical trial combining IL 1-RAP-targeted therapy with chemotherapy in patients with operable pancreatic cancer before surgery. "When we target IL 1RAP, we are blocking a shared 'helper' receptor that many inflammatory signals rely on to transmit their message," said Jashodeep Datta, M.D. , senior study author.
New Tumor Model Shows How Pancreatic Cancer Hijacks Immune Cells
A new "tumor-on-a-chip model developed by Sylvester researchers is giving them a live look at how pancreatic cancer can recruit the body's own immune cells to help tumors survive and progress. The research , part of the Engineering Cures Cancer collaboration between Sylvester, the Miller School of Medicine and UM's College of Engineering, appeared in Biofabrication, an Institute of Physics journal. It reveals potential new targets to weaken the cancer's defenses and make treatments more effective. "For the first time, we can watch pancreatic cancer rebuild its environment in real time," explained Ashutosh Agarwal, Ph.D. , co-director of the collaboration and senior study author.
Brain Cancer
Study Reveals Sex-Specific Immune Pathway in Deadly Brain Cancer
A Sylvester-led study has identified a critical difference in how glioblastoma develops in male and female laboratory models, pinpointing an immune pathway that fuels tumor growth only in females. The study , published last month in Nature Cancer, showed that the neurotransmitter GABA boosts the cancer-protecting activity of immune cells in female models – but not male ones – and blocking that signal improved outcomes. Targeting this GABA-driven immune suppression could one day lead to therapies for women with this deadly brain cancer.
Former Bodybuilder Finds Hope at Sylvester Fighting Brain Cancer
Keeping fit and eating right have always been life pillars for Angela Keim, personal trainer and former bodybuilding champion. But last year, after experiencing headaches and fatigue, she received a shocking diagnosis: glioblastoma. Keim underwent a novel, minimally invasive procedure at Sylvester called Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy. This precision approach to brain cancer was performed by Ricardo Komotar, M.D. "Getting rid of this cancer is my next competition," Keim declared.
Cancer Outreach
Mother's Cancer Journey Inspires Teen to Start Dani's Promise
Inspired by her mother's journey with triple-negative breast cancer, Dani Duensing founded Dani's Promise to provide necessities and comfort items for patients undergoing chemotherapy for any cancer at Sylvester's Plantation campus. Now a nonprofit, Dani's Promise has plans to expand to more Sylvester locations. "My goal is just trying to make as positive an impact on as many people as I can," said Duensing, a 17-year-old high school junior who hopes the items might ease their burden and give them comfort and hope.
