CME Speakers Role Models of Physician Scientist
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T.-C. Wu, M.D., Ph.D. Speaker
Dr, T.-C. Wu is a Professor of
Pathology, Oncology, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Molecular Microbiology and
Immunology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Wu is a
gynecologic pathologist, board certified in anatomic and clinical pathology and
an HPV molecular virologist through his Ph.D. training at Hopkins. He has
extensive experience in the study of HPV biology and the development of
HPV-associated cervical cancer vaccines, with several HPV vaccines in clinical
trials that are currently underway or will soon commence. Dr. Wu has
contributed over 200 scientific articles related to HPV vaccines and cervical
cancer research. He serves as the director of the Cervical Cancer SPORE program
at Johns Hopkins.
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Each year,
approximately 500,000 women worldwide develop cervical cancer and 200,000 women
die from this cancer. We are currently developing vaccines and
immunotherapeutic strategies for human papillomavirus (HPV)-related
cervicalcancer and are running a molecular diagnostic lab for the diagnosis of
HPVinfection.
My research focus has been
in the area of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine development. I have created a
unique preclinical murine tumor model that expresses HPV-16 oncogenic proteins,
E6 and E7, and simulates specific molecular events in the progression of HPV+
precancerous lesions(CIN 3) to invasive cancer. This preclinical tumor model
has been widely used and tested by researchers worldwide for HPV vaccine
development. I have focused on identifying vaccine and immunotherapeutic
approaches to enhance antigen processing and presentation by dendritic cells,
including intracellular targeting and intercellular spreading strategies, for
the purpose of prevention and treatment of cervical lesions and cancers.
Intracellular targeting directs antigen to different subcellular locations to
enhance antigen processing and presentation. Meanwhile, intercellularspreading
facilitates the distribution of antigen to neighboring cells by taking
advantage of unique intercellular transport properties, allowing for an
increase in the amount of antigen presented to effector cells. Recently, I have
created an innovative approach that combines both antigen-specific
immunotherapy and anti-angiogenesis to treat HPV E7-expressing tumors. The
continued development of these strategies will facilitate the development of
vaccines that generate a potent immune response and antitumor effect against
cervical cancer. I am also actively involved with investigating mechanisms of
immune evasion of tumors, identifying new tumor-specific antigens, and applying
vaccine strategies to other cancer systems with tumor-specific antigens.
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Dr. Tom F.
Lue graduated with highest honors from the Kaohsiung Medical College in Taiwan
in 1972. He is Professor and Vice-Chair of Urology at
UCSF. He also is Director of the Knuppe Molecular Urology Laboratory, a
recipient of NIH MERIT Award for his translational research in penile
physiology and erectile dysfunction. His team discovered the anatomical
mechanism of venous compression during penile erection, published the first
article implicating TGF beta in the formation of Peyronie’s plaque, and developed
the animal models for the study of Peyronie’s disease and stress urinary
incontinence. His clinical research "firsts" include authorship of
the New England Journal of Medicine
paper describing the landmark clinical trial introducing Sildenafil (Viagra®)
for erectile dysfunction, and the development of four diagnostic tests for
erectile dysfunction: the penile injection and stimulation test, the duplex
ultrasound test for penile arterial flow, pharmacologic cavernosography for
venous leakage, and the use of duplex ultrasound to diagnose priapism. He also
developed seven new surgical procedures for Peyronie’s disease, priapism and
erectile dysfunction. He has been the recipient of the American Urological
Association's Gold Cystoscope Award and the American Foundation of Urological
diseases’ Most Innovative Researcher Award. He Chaired the International
Consultation on Sexual Medicine held in Paris in July 2003 serving as lead
author of its published proceedings. He was the honorary president of the same
meeting in Paris in July, 2009.
Dr.
Lue's current basic science research projects involve the development of animal
models for research in erectile dysfunction due to hormone deficiency,
cavernous nerve injury, diabetes mellitus and hyperlipidemia. Regarding Peyronie’s disease, he
is currently testing the hypothesis that prolonged inflammation/autoimmune
reaction is involved in the pathogenesis of Peyronie’s disease. His lab also
has 10 years of experience in basic cell biology research of mesenchymal stem cells
[MSC]. His lab is one of the first to show evidence that MSCs are vascular stem
cells existing in various tissues and paracrine effect may be involved in the
action of implanted MSC in addition to cellular differentiation. Using animal
models, Dr. Lue also is exploring the feasibility of using adipose tissue
derived adult stem cells as a source of stem cells for the treatment of stress
urinary incontinence, neurogenic impotence and functional recovery after spinal
cord injury. The application of MSC in erectile dysfunction is scheduled for
clinical trial soon.
Besides being listed in The Best
Doctors in America and America’s Top
Doctors for many years, he was named one of the 8 top doctors for men by Men’s Health Magazine in 2003. He has
published more than 360 peer reviewed articles and more than 100 book chapters.
His research team has trained more than 70 postgraduate doctors and most of
them are continuing research career in academic institutions in many
countries.
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K. S. Clifford Chao, M.D. Speaker
KS Clifford Chao, M.D. is a pre-eminent expert in the use of image-guided targeted
radiotherapy and intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) for the
treatment of cancers, has been named Chu H. Chang endowed Professor and Chair of Columbia
University Medical Center and is the Chairman of the Combined Program in
Radiation Oncology at New York- Presbyterian Hospital, Weill Cornell
Medical College and Columbia University Medical Center. Dr.
Chao came to New York from The University of Texas M. D. Ander- son Cancer
Center in Houston, where he was a professor and the director of
Image-Guided Therapy of Radiation Oncology. Before joining M. D. Anderson in 2002, Dr.
Chao was an associate professor at Washington University School of Medicine
in St. Louis. He received his medical degree from Kaohsiung Medical
School in Taiwan. His postgraduate training included a Radiation
Oncology residency and fellowship at Washington University School of
Medicine and a fellowship in the department of surgery in the Cancer Research Institute in
Tokyo, Japan. In
addition to serving as the Principle Investigator of multiple NIH
research grants and publishing more than 100 peer-reviewed papers, he is
the author of two widely read textbooks, “Management Decisions in
Radiation Oncology” and “Practical Essentials of IMRT”. Dr. Chao’s
research focus includes combining positron emission tomography (PET) and
computed tomography (CT) images to construct individualized treatment
plans that address the molecular characteristics of each tumor. Dr. Chao’s clinical specialties include Head and Neck, Brain, Prostate, Digestive and Breast cancer.
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