Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD, FACP

Drs. Hortobagyi and Hung plan to develop a breast cancer-specific targeted therapy by using a fusion protein, namely, endostatin-cytosine deaminase. Multiple clinical trials have been performed with endostatin, and this protein has been approved by regulatory authorities as an anti-cancer drug in China.

The endostatin portion targets the tumor cells and carries the protein (CD) with it. The cytosine deaminase is important because it can take 5-fluorocytadine (5-FC), which is a well tolerated drug used to treat fungal infections, and change it to a very important and well-studied chemotherapeutic agent, 5-flourouracil (5-FU). By administering both the Endo- CD and 5-FC, the researchers' data demonstrated the Endo-CD effectively targeted the tumor cells and converted the prodrug, 5-FC to chemotherapeutic 5-FU that is delivered directly to the tumor cells. This would not only block the growth, but also kill the tumor cells and decrease the side effects that patients may suffer when exposed to chemotherapy instead of just targeting the tumor cells.

Based on promising preclinical results in cell culture and models showing that the anti-tumor activity of Endo-CD is much stronger than either component alone, thus it is worthy of moving into clinical trials. Success of this project will be translated into multiple clinical trials for metastatic breast cancer patients.

Bio:
Gabriel N. Hortobagyi, MD, FACP is Professor of Medicine, Chairman of the Department of Breast Medical Oncology and Nellie B. Connally Chair in Breast Cancer at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He is also the Director of the Breast Cancer Research Program at the same institution. Dr. Hortobagyi has over 400 full-length publications in peer-reviewed journals; more than 300 invited papers; and over 100 book chapters to his credit.

He is recipient of the 1997 Brinker International Award, the 1999 Vermeille Medal of the City of Paris, France, and was named Chevalier of l'Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur de France in 2001. Dr. Hortobagyi received the Glen Robbins Award in Breast Cancer Research from the New York Cancer Society and the Metropolitan Breast Cancer Group in April 2003, the Bristol-Myers Squibb 2003 Horizon Scientific Award; in 2004 Dr. Hortobagyi was the Jeffrey A. Gottlieb Memorial Award recipient, and was honored as the first recipient of the Umberto Veronesi Award for the Future Fight Against Breast Cancer.

His professional society activities include membership in the American Society of Clinical Oncology, where he has served on various task forces, chaired committees, served on the Board of Directors, and in 2005 was elected President for the term 2006-2007. He chairs the Data and Safety Monitoring Committee of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project; and served as President of the International Society of Senology. He served as a member of the U.S. National Committee for the International Union Against Cancer, and the National Cancer Institute’s Breast Cancer Progress Review Group. Dr. Hortobagyi is on the Medical Advisory Board of The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, chairs the Steering Committee of the Breast Health Global Initiative and the Health Advisory Board of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, and was a member of the Integration Panel of the Breast Cancer Research Program of the Department of Defense.