Evaluation of innate immune response inhibition in Mucopolysaccharidosis IIIB
Name:
Dr. Coy Heldermon
Email
chelderm@ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 273-7497
Faculty Department/Division
Hematology & Oncology
This project is primarily:
Translational
Research Project Description:
Mice with MPS IIIB will be treated with drugs that inhibit innate immune activation and will have blood draws performed for serum collection to test for cytokine levels. They will also have hearing tested at 7-8 months of age and tissues harvested at two endpoints to determine if the drug affected immune infiltration and altered morphology
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Effect of Timing of First-Cycle Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Infusion on Survival Outcomes in Patients with Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Name:
Dr. Daniel Araujo
Email
daniel.araujo@ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 219-8250
Faculty Department/Division
Hematology & Oncology
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer care, and emerging retrospective data suggest that the time of day (ToD) of ICI administration may influence clinical outcomes, potentially through circadian regulation of antitumor immunity. However, given the long half-life of ICIs, it remains unclear whether this effect is driven primarily by the timing of the first infusion. We hypothesize that earlier ToD administration of the first cycle of ICI therapy is independently associated with improved overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS). We will conduct a retrospective cohort study of patients treated with ICIs at UF Health, classifying first-cycle infusion timing as early versus late in the day (before vs after 12:00 PM) and also modeling timing as a continuous variable. Outcomes will include OS, PFS, treatment response, and immune-related adverse events, analyzed using Kaplan–Meier methods and multivariable Cox regression adjusting for key clinical covariates. The funded medical student will play an integral, mentored role in cohort identification, structured data abstraction, REDCap database management, data cleaning, and preliminary analyses, and will contribute to interpretation of results and manuscript preparation. Funding is requested solely to support the student’s protected research time, as no additional resources are required to conduct the study. This project addresses a timely, pragmatic question with potential to inform future prospective studies and optimize immunotherapy delivery, with planned dissemination through national meetings and peer-reviewed publication.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
A pilot study to estimate early clinical efficacy signals of a glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) administration in conjunction with Levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) in obese patients with endometrioid intraepithelial neoplasia or grade 1 endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma
Name:
Dr. Amy Sheer
Email
asheer@ufl.edu
Phone
(954) 732-1070
Faculty Department/Division
Hematology & Oncology
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
The incidence of endometrial intraepithelial neoplasia (EIN) and endometrial cancer is increasing, driven in part by the rising prevalence of obesity. Although hysterectomy remains the standard treatment for early-stage disease, many patients require non-surgical management due to severe obesity, medical comorbidities, or the desire for fertility preservation. In these cases, hormonal therapy with a levonorgestrel intrauterine device (LNG-IUD) is commonly used as a temporizing or fertility-sparing strategy. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs) have demonstrated significant benefits in weight reduction and metabolic health and emerging evidence suggests they may reduce risk of obesity-associated cancers, including endometrial cancer. However, their role in the treatment of EIN or early-stage endometrial cancer has not been well studied. This study will evaluate whether the addition of a GLP-1RA to LNG-IUD therapy improves clinical outcomes in obese patients with EIN or grade 1 endometrioid endometrial adenocarcinoma who are either poor surgical candidates or pursuing fertility-sparing management. We hypothesize that GLP-1RA therapy will improve metabolic health and accelerate readiness for definitive treatment or pregnancy while enhancing response to progestin therapy. The primary objectives are to assess clinical efficacy of combined GLP-1RA and LNG-IUD treatment, measured by time from GLP-1RA initiation to clearance for staging hysterectomy in patients previously deemed poor surgical candidates, time to clearance for pregnancy pursuit in fertility-sparing patients, and endometrial pathologic response (progression, partial response, or complete response) at 6 and 12 months. Secondary objectives include evaluating the impact of GLP-1RA therapy on metabolic comorbidities, treatment tolerability, perioperative outcomes, and patient-reported quality of life. Secondary endpoints include changes in body weight, body mass index, hemoglobin A1c, and blood pressure; surgical outcomes such as operative time, length of hospital stay, and postoperative complications; GLP-1RA-related adverse effects; and quality of life measured by the EORTC QLQ-C30. Exploratory analyses will examine histologic and molecular changes in the endometrium with combined therapy, including spatial transcriptomic profiling, immunohistochemistry for hormonal receptor expression, and assessment of GLP-1 receptor expression in endometrial tissue to explore potential mechanisms of response.
The role of the medical student for the MSRP would include participant selection, recruitment, and working with the physicians and research team. When we recruit enough patients, the student can assist in writing abstract/manuscript and even with submitting for presentations locally and nationally.
Already IRB approved and started recruitment this month.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No