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Research Interests
Professor Tony Reid’s main career goals are to develop novel therapeutic approaches to diagnose, prevent, and treat tumors with gene therapy vectors. He has focused on elucidating the underlying molecular mechanism that causes cancer, focusing primarily in gastrointestinal tumors including colorectal, pancreatic, esophageal and hepatobillary cancers. His research group conducts basic science research to study disease at the molecular level and then facilitates the translation of novel scientific discoveries into practical therapeutic applications to the clinical to benefit patients. His contributions embody the scientific approach of “bench-to-bedside” medicine, promoting greater understanding of cancer and personalized disease therapies. He has a wide range of publications on the uses of new agents for the treatment of tumors and conducts a variety of clinical trials focusing on early phase therapeutics and he also uses gene therapy strategies to enhance the immune response to these tumors. He is the lead investigator and has pioneered the use of adenoviral and vaccine vectors to the treatments of cancer and is always thinking on how he can be instrumental in developing new therapies in the laboratory and how to export them to help those suffering from cancer. His speculative nature has leaded him to explore the scientific underpinnings of cancer and to make new therapeutic options available to patients by developing new clinical trials.

Clinical Trials: Currently there are many clinical trials on-going at the Moores Cancer Center. Professor Tony Reid’s innovative “thinking out of the box” philosophy of using highly tailored therapies for patients to directly deliver therapeutics specifically to the tumors has led to highly effective outcomes (see section b). One of the pioneering clinical trials for colon cancer patients with mainly liver metastases called the Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) Trial using Yttrium-90 (Y-90) Radioactive Microspheres is a Phase II study. This successful clinical trial has been developed to treat patients whose disease has progressed after failing their first-line chemotherapy. Preliminary results so far have shown remarkable differences to patient health having stable disease and progression free survival (PFS) greater than thirty five months.

b. Past findings and achievements

i. Study Shows Liver an Excellent Target for Cancer Gene Therapy Using Viral Vectors:
A Nature Cancer Gene Therapy paper explains the scientific research where the cancer cells in the liver are excellent targets for gene therapy using adenoviral vectors, based on a fundamental new understanding of the differences between cancerous and normal liver cells. The findings showed a new way to treat cancers that have spread to the liver, such as metastatic cancers of the colon and breast.

ii. Clinical Trial Evaluates Engineered Smallpox Vaccine as Potential Liver Cancer Killer: As part of a multicenter clinical trial, researchers at University of California, San Diego School of Medicine are evaluating Pexa-Vec (JX-594) to slow the progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer.

iii. AACI Clinical Research Initiative:

The Right Drug for the Right Patient: Optimizing Clinical Trials Management

iv. Spring Sprint Triathlon & Duathlon / MILLIE Award:
Dr. Reid understands that patients undergoing anti-cancer treatments are doing their “personal best” in the fight against their disease, as are athletes doing their “personal best” as they compete in sporting events such as triathlons. This event will recognize the courage, determination, and strength that cancer patients demonstrate in their daily pursuits to achieve their personal bests.

c. Current projects and their specific aims
d. Our exciting new preliminary data proved that when microspheres were administered between first and second line chemotherapy to improve the lives of patients suffering from colorectal cancer. e. Title: A Phase II Study of Yttrium-90 Radioactive Resin Microspheres in the Treatment of Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Metastatic to the Liver After Failure of First-Line Combination Chemotherapy

Specific aims:
1) The primary objective is the assessment of progression-free survival of patients with colorectal adenocarcinoma metastatic to the liver after failure of first line combination chemotherapy with Yttrium-90 radioactive resin microspheres.
2) Secondary objective/outcomes: The secondary objectives are the evaluation of overall survival, tumor response rates, and long-term safety of microspheres in sequence with chemotherapy.

The Selective Internal Radiation Therapy (SIRT) Trial using Yttrium-90 (Y-90) Radioactive Microspheres inclusion and exclusion criteria can be found by following the hyperlink. We are currently enrolling patients on this trial. For further details please contact us.

Research 2 -- Erlotinib
a. Overall focus of the research:
Title: A Phase I, Open-label, Dose Escalation Study of Gemcitabine and Pulse Dose Erlotinib in Second Line Treatment of Advanced Pancreatic Cancer

Survival of pancreatic cancer patients remains poor, and treatment with erlotinib remains one of the few agents that have demonstrated increased survival. Alternative dosing schedules for erlotinib should be explored since chronic low dose therapy fails to achieve therapeutically effective concentrations for many patients and leads to increased skin toxicity and may induce acquired resistance without significantly impacting the tumor. Therefore, higher doses given for shorter periods of exposure, similar to the dosing of most chemotherapeutic agents, may achieve more effective therapeutic doses of than chronic low dose therapy and may minimize skin toxicity observed with erlotinib.

Current findings and achievements
Preclinical studies performed in the laboratory of the principal investigator Professor Tony Reid support the hypothesis that the currently prescribed erlotinib dose in not optimal for achieving the most effective therapeutic dose range for pancreatic cancer as well as for minimizing skin toxicity. Therefore, our data suggests that acquired resistance can occur rapidly after exposure to erlotinib, and therefore, pulsed high-doses can help to maximize the clinical benefit of the use of erlotinib with having limited adverse effects. We have achieved to complete the first cohort in this clinical trial and we are showing some promising clinical data.
b. Upcoming research projects
We have many other projects in the pipeline for colon and pancreatic cancer.
Please check the following website for further information.