BTTC Annual Meeting
The Fifth Annual BTTC Meeting was held at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX on February 18, 2011. It was attended by over 50 participants representing 19 institutions and organizations.
At the meeting, our members and guests learned about the progress that we’ve achieved throughout the past year, as well as the planned projects for the future of the consortium. Below is the summary of the proceedings of the meeting.
Current Research
Thanks to the participation of the member institutions, BTTC member Dr. Jeffery Raizer of Northwestern University’s protocol has come closer to completion. The protocol is for the treatment of Glioblastoma (GBM) and will determine the overall survival for patients with newly diagnosed GBM treated with a drug combination after being treated with radiotherapy and Temozolomide.
As Dr. Mark Gilbert’s Temodar Combination Study has completed its accrual, we are now awaiting the conclusions that the study results will give us.
Future Research Efforts
The past year has seen an increase in research activities by member institutions. As a result, we are expecting at least four new research concepts to be conducted under the auspices of the BTTC. These new protocols and concepts were discussed during the meeting by their respective authors.
One such concept boasts an innovative design in clinical research, and was presented to the consortium by Dr. Vinay Puduvalli from MD Anderson. The study is undergoing some modification in order to adapt it from its original single institution conduction, to the multi-institutional structure of the BTTC.
Another will be a study headed by Drs. Jeffery Raizer and Sean Grimm from Northwestern University. The study will involve the testing of two drugs in the treatment of Patients with Recurrent High-Grade Gliomas.
One other protocol concept is a very exciting trial headed by MD Anderson’s own Dr. Morris Groves. This study will involve monitoring multiple Investigational New Drugs (INDs)-a novel concept in Cancer clinical research.
Several other studies were presented as potential protocols, and they will involve collaborations on the management of the disease through drug therapy combinations.
Progress
The consortium has seen a significant growth over the past year; the attendees of the meeting were presented with highlights of that progress.
The consortium has now grown to encompass 16 Institutions that will be participating in clinical trials. That is a major point of progress for our fledgling organization. We are proud to welcome to the fold the Cleveland Clinic, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Henry Ford Health System, and University of Utah. Respective members from those institutions were present at the meeting, and got to meet the rest of the membership.
A very positive sign for the future of the consortium came at the presentation by Mr. Matt Anthony, the global Chairman of VML, Inc. and President of the Head for the Cure Foundation. In it, he reaffirmed the commitment of the Head for the Cure Foundation to the cause of the BTTC.
Overall, the meeting highlighted the tremendous effort and commitment that the members of the consortium have exhibited throughout the previous year, as well as their commitment to its future and the goal of stamping out brain tumors.
