UH, Baylor researchers make breakthrough with new pediatric leukemia treatment device

childhood cancer

Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston have developed a new blood-filtering machine that poses fewer risks to pediatric patients with hyperleukocytosis. Photo courtesy UH.

A team of Houston researchers has developed a new microfluidic device aimed at making treatments safer for children with hyperleukocytosis, a life-threatening hematologic emergency often seen in patients with leukemia.

Dr. Fong Lam, an associate professor of pediatrics at Baylor College of Medicine and a pediatric intensive care physician at Texas Children’s Hospital, partnered with Sergey Shevkoplyas, a professor of biomedical engineering at UH, on the device that uses a large number of tiny channels to quickly separate blood cells by size in a process called controlled incremental filtration, according to a news release from UH.

They tested whether performing cell separation with a high-throughput microfluidic device could alleviate the limitations of traditional conventional blood-filtering machines, which pose risks for pediatric patients due to their large extracorporeal volume (ECV), high flow rates and tendency to cause significant platelet loss in the patient. The results of their study, led by Mubasher Iqbal, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical engineering at UH, were published recently in the journal Nature Communications.

“Continuously and efficiently separating leukocytes from recirculating undiluted whole blood — without device clogging and cell activation or damage — has long been a major challenge in microfluidic cell separation,” Shevkoplyas said in a news release. “Our study is the first to solve this problem.”

Hyperleukocytosis is a condition that develops when the body has an extremely high number of white blood cells, which in many cases is due to leukemia. According to the release, up to 20 percent to 30 percent of patients with acute leukemia develop hyperleukocytosis, and this places them at risk for potentially fatal complications.

The new device utilizes tiny channels—each about the width of a human hair—to efficiently separate blood cells through controlled incremental filtration. According to Lam, the team was excited that the new device could operate at clinically relevant flow rates.

The device successfully removed approximately 85 percent of large leukocytes and 90 percent of leukemic blasts from undiluted human whole blood without causing platelet loss or other adverse effects. It also operates with an ECV that’s about 1/70th of conventional leukapheresis machines, which makes it particularly suitable for infants and small children.

“Overall, our study suggests that microfluidics leukapheresis is safe and effective at selectively removing leukocytes from circulation, with separation performance sufficiently high to ultimately enable safe leukapheresis in children,” Shevkoplyas said in the release.

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Rice and MD Anderson scientists are researching new methods for treating brain cancer by overcoming the blood-brain barrier. Photo via Getty Images.

Rice, MD Anderson receive $1.5 million to further brain cancer research

fresh funding

Rice University chemist Han Xiao, who also serves as director of the university’s Synthesis X Center, and cancer biologist Dihua Yu of The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the Robert J. Kleberg Jr. and Helen C. Kleberg Foundation.

The funding will allow them to continue their research on treating brain metastasis by overcoming the blood-brain barrier, or the BBB, according to a news release.

Brain metastasis is the leading form of brain cancer, with survival rates below 20 percent within a year of diagnosis, according to the National Library of Medicine. It commonly originates from breast, lung and melanoma cancers.

The BBB typically acts as a protective barrier for the brain. However, it prevents most drugs from being able to directly reach the brain. According to Rice, only 2 percent of FDA-approved small molecule drugs can penetrate the BBB, limiting treatment options.

Xiao and Yu’s approach to dealing with the BBB includes a light-induced brain delivery (LIBD) platform. The advanced system employs nanoparticles that are embedded with a near-infrared dye for the transport of therapeutic agents across the BBB. The research will evaluate the LIBD’s ability to improve the delivery of small-molecule drugs and biological therapies. Some therapies have shown potential for reducing cancer growth in laboratory studies, but they have struggled due to limited BBB penetration in animal models.

“Our LIBD platform represents a novel strategy for delivering drugs to the brain with precision and efficiency,” Xiao said in a news release. “This technology could not only improve outcomes for brain metastasis patients but also pave the way for treating other neurological diseases.”

The Kleberg Foundation looks for groundbreaking medical research proposals from leading institutions that focus on “innovative basic and applied biological research that advances scientific knowledge and human health” according to the foundation.

“This research is a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation,” Xiao said in a news release. “Together, we’re pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in treating brain metastasis and beyond.”

Rice launched the Synthesis X Center, or Synth X, last spring. It was born out of what started about eight years ago as informal meetings between Xiao's research group and others from the Baylor College of Medicine’s Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center. It aims to turn fundamental research into clinical applications through collaboration.

“This collaboration builds on the strengths of both research teams,” Xiao said in the release. “By combining SynthX Center's expertise in chemistry with Dr. Yu's expertise in cancer biology and brain metastases, we aim to create a transformative solution.”

Houston hospitals and universities have been granted millions from the CPRIT to advance cancer research and bring leading scientists to the state. Photo by Dwight C. Andrews/Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Texas institute grants $12M to bring leading cancer researchers to Houston

cha-ching

Rice University has recruited a prominent Swedish cancer researcher thanks to a $6 million grant from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.

It’s among $68 million in research grants recently awarded by the state agency, and six recruitment grants totaling $16 million to bring leading cancer researchers to Texas.

A news release from the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) describes Pernilla Wittung-Stafshede of the Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden, as “an accomplished and highly gifted biophysical scientist tackling complicated biological questions regarding the role of metals and metal dysregulation in various diseases. She pioneered a new research field around the role of metal ions in the folding and function of metalloproteins.”

Metalloproteins account for nearly half of all proteins in biology, according to the National Institutes of Health. They “catalyze some of the most difficult and yet important functions in [nature], such as photosynthesis and water oxidation,” the federal agency says.

Wittung-Stafshede, a professor of chemical biology and life sciences at Chalmers, is a former professor at Rice.

Aside from the money for Wittung-Stafshede, Houston recruitment grants also went to:

  • University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: $2 million to recruit Rosalie Griffin of the Mayo Clinic
  • Baylor College of Medicine: $2 million to recruit Dr. Nipun Verma of the Yale University School of Medicine
  • Baylor College of Medicine: $2 million to recruit Xin “Daniel” Gao of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology

In Houston, cancer research grants were given to:

  • Baylor College of Medicine: $7.8 million
  • M.D. Anderson Cancer Center: $20.7 million
  • Rice University: $ 1 million
  • University of Houston: $1.2 million
  • University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston: $4.5 million

“The awards … represent the depth and diversity of CPRIT funding for cancer research in Texas,” says Kristen Doyle, CEO of CPRIT. “These grants develop new approaches to preventing, diagnosing, treating, and surviving cancer for all Texans.”

See the full list of awards here.

A team of researchers at the University of Houston is working to develop a new treatment for Rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer with a higher incidence in young children. Photo via Getty Images.

UH research team receives grant to fight aggressive pediatric cancer

cancer research

Researchers at the University of Houston have received a $3.2 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to help find innovative ways to treat Rhabdomyosarcoma, or RMS.

According to a statement from the university, RMS is a malignant soft tissue sarcoma that has a higher incidence in young children and is responsible for 8 percent of pediatric cancer cases with a relatively low survival rate.

One way UH is working on the issue is by studying how and why RMS cells, which are found most often in muscle tissue, divide uncontrollably without ever maturing into normal muscle cells. The researchers aim to tackle a target inside RMS cells known as TAK1, which plays a key role in regulating cell growth.

“By targeting TAK1, we aim to stop the cancer at its source and help the cells develop normally,” Ashok Kumar, the Else and Philip Hargrove Endowed Professor of Drug Discovery at the UH College of Pharmacy and director of the Institute of Muscle Biology and Cachexia, said in a news release. “This approach could lead to new and better treatments for RMS.”

According to UH, preliminary results demonstrated that TAK1 is highly activated in embryonal RMS cells, which are found in younger children; alveolar RMS cells, which are found in older children and teens; and human RMS samples. This suggests that the protein plays a major role in the development of this form of cancer.

The team still aims to uncover how the protein helps RMS cancer grow and plans to evaluate how blocking TAK1 can be used as a therapeutic.

“Blocking TAK1, either by changing the genes (genetic approaches) or using drugs (pharmacological approaches), can stop certain harmful behaviors in cancer cells,” Kumar added. “This was tested both in lab-grown cells and in living models, showing that TAK1 is a key target to control RMS cancer’s spread and aggressiveness, and inhibits tumor formation.”

Dr. Jenny Chang's cancer research has generated more than $35 million in funding for Houston Methodist. Photo courtesy Houston Methodist

Houston hospital names leading cancer scientist as new academic head

new hire

Houston Methodist Academic Institute has named cancer clinician and scientist Dr. Jenny Chang as its new executive vice president, president, CEO, and chief academic officer.

Chang was selected following a national search and will succeed Dr. H. Dirk Sostman, who will retire in February after 20 years of leadership. Chang is the director of the Houston Methodist Dr. Mary and Ron Neal Cancer Center and the Emily Herrmann Presidential Distinguished Chair in Cancer Research. She has been with Houston Methodist for 15 years.

Over the last five years, Chang has served as the institute’s chief clinical science officer and is credited with strengthening cancer clinical trials. Her work has focused on therapy-resistant cancer stem cells and their treatment, particularly relating to breast cancer.

Her work has generated more than $35 million in funding for Houston Methodist from organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, according to the health care system. In 2021, Dr. Mary Neal and her husband Ron Neal, whom the cancer center is now named after, donated $25 million to support her and her team’s research on advanced cancer therapy.

In her new role, Chang will work to expand clinical and translational research and education across Houston Methodist in digital health, robotics and bioengineered therapeutics.

“Dr. Chang’s dedication to Houston Methodist is unparalleled,” Dr. Marc L. Boom, Houston Methodist president and CEO, said in a news release. “She is committed to our mission and to helping our patients, and her clinical expertise, research innovation and health care leadership make her the ideal choice for leading our academic mission into an exciting new chapter.”

Chang is a member of the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) Stand Up to Cancer Scientific Advisory Council. She earned her medical degree from Cambridge University in England and completed fellowship training in medical oncology at the Royal Marsden Hospital/Institute for Cancer Research. She earned her research doctorate from the University of London.

She is also a professor at Weill Cornell Medical School, which is affiliated with the Houston Methodist Academic Institute.

The Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative announced the projects that were selected for its first round of seed grants. Photo via Rice.edu

2 Houston health innovation leaders award grants to cancer-fighting researchers

dream team

Five cancer-fighting research projects were named inaugural recipients of a new grant program founded by two Houston institutions.

Last summer, Rice University and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced they were teaming up to form the new Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative. The shared initiative, created to form innovative technologies and bioengineering approaches to improve cancer research, diagnosis and treatment, recently launched with an event at the TMC3 Collaborative Building in Helix Park.

At the gathering, the Cancer Bioengineering Collaborative announced the projects that were selected for its first round of seed grants.

  • “Enhancing CAR-T immunotherapy via precision CRISPR/Cas-based epigenome engineering of high value therapeutic gene targets,” led by Isaac Hilton, associate professor of biosciences and bioengineering at Rice and a Cancer Research and Prevention Institute of Texas (CPRIT) scholar; and Michael Green, associate professor of lymphoma/myeloma at MD Anderson.
  • “Nanocluster and KRAS inhibitor-based combination therapy for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma,” led by Linlin Zhang, assistant research professor of bioengineering at Rice; and Haoqiang Ying, associate professor of molecular and cellular oncology at MD Anderson.
  • “Engineering tumor-infiltrating fusobacteriumas a microbial cancer therapy,” led by Jeffrey Tabor, professor of bioengineering at Rice; and Christopher Johnston, associate professor of genomic medicine and director of microbial genomics within the Platform for Innovative Microbiome and Translational Research at MD Anderson.
  • “Preclinical study of nanoscale TRAIL liposomes as a neoadjuvant therapy for colorectal cancer liver metastasis,” led by Michael King, the E.D. Butcher Professor of Bioengineering at Rice, CPRIT scholar and special adviser to the provost on life science collaborations with the Texas Medical Center; and Xiling Shen, professor of gastrointestinal medical oncology at MD Anderson.
  • “Deciphering molecular mechanisms of cellular plasticity in MDS progression,” led by Ankit Patel, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Rice and of neuroscience at Baylor College of Medicine; and Pavan Bachireddy, assistant professor of hematopoietic biology and malignancy and lymphoma/myeloma at MD Anderson.

The event was a who’s who of Houston-based cancer specialists. Speakers included our city’s favorite Nobel laureate, Jim Allison, director of the James P. Allison Institute, as well as MD Anderson’s vice president of research, Eyal Gottlieb. Attendees were welcomed by the leaders of the initiative, Rice’s Gang Bao and MD Anderson’s Jeffrey Molldrem.

“This collaborative initiative builds on the strong foundation of our existing relationship, combining Rice’s expertise in bioengineering, artificial intelligence and nanotechnology with MD Anderson’s unmatched insights in cancer care and research,” Rice’s president Reginald DesRoches says at the event. “This is a momentous occasion to advance cancer research and treatment with the innovative fusion of engineering and medicine.”

The collaboration is part of Rice’s 10-year strategic plan for leadership in health innovation, called “Momentous: Personalized Scale for Global Impact.” Its goals include a commitment to responsible use of cutting-edge AI.

“As both institutions continue to make breakthroughs every day, we hope this collaborative will enable us to tackle the complex challenges of cancer care and treatment more effectively, ultimately improving the lives of patients here in Houston and beyond," Carin Hagberg, senior vice president and chief academic officer at MD Anderson, adds. "Whether our researchers are working on the South Campus or within the hedges of Rice, this collaborative will strengthen each other’s efforts and push the boundaries of what is possible in cancer.”

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Houston XR training company lands $5.8M contract with Air Force

taking flight

The U.S. Air Force’s AFWERX innovation arm has picked Houston-based HTX Labs to provide AI-enabled immersive training for workers who maintain Boeing KC-135 refueling tankers.

HTX Labs, an extended reality (XR) company and provider of immersive training programs for U.S. armed forces, will receive as much as $5.8 million in military funding for this project.

The new initiative comes on the heels of HTX Labs completing the second phase of a virtual KC-135 maintenance training program in partnership with Mildenhall, a Royal Air Force station in England. HTX Labs received Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) funding for the second-phase project.

Under the new initiative, part of its EMPACT training platform, HTX Labs will develop a virtual AI-powered classroom for workers who maintain the KC-135’s F108 engine. In conjunction with this project, HTX Labs will collaborate with the Maine Air National Guard’s 101st Air Refueling Wing Maintenance Squadron on improving EMPACT.

Major Ryan Wing of the Maine Air National Guard says KC-135 maintenance workers “have limited opportunities to perform some of the more complex aircraft and engine repairs in a training environment. Providing immersive training to our warfighters is essential to ensuring mission readiness.”

In January, HTX Labs tapped Brian Reece as vice president of strategic accounts for the Air Force. In this role, he oversees HTX Labs’ relationship with this military branch. Reece is a retired Air Force colonel.

In 2022, Dallas-based Cypress Growth Capital invested $3.2 million in HTX Labs, which was founded in 2017.

5 Rice University-founded startups named finalists ahead of prestigious pitch competition

student founders

Five student-founded startups have been named finalists for Rice University's prestigious pitch competition, hosted by Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship later this month

The teams will compete for a share of $100,000 in equity-free funding at the H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge (NRLC), a venture competition that features Rice University's top student-founded startups. The competition is open to undergraduate, graduate, and MBA students at Rice.

Finalists will pitch their five-minute pitch before the Rice entrepreneurship community, followed by a Q&A from a panel of judges, at Rice Memorial Center Tuesday, April 22.

The first-place team will receive $50,000 in equity-free funding, with other prizes and awards ranging from $25,000 to $1,000. Apart from first-, second- and third-place prizes, NRLC will also name winners in categories like the Outstanding Achievement in Artificial Intelligence Prize, the Outstanding Achievement in Climate Solutions Prize, and the Audience Choice Award.

Here are the five startups founded by Rice students are heading to the finals.

Haast Autonomous

Haast Autonomous is building unmanned, long-range VTOL aircraft with cold storage to revolutionize organ transport—delivering life-saving medical supplies roof-to-roof faster, safer, and more efficiently than current systems.

Founders: Jason Chen, Ege Halac, Santiago Brent

Kinnections

Kinnections' Glove is a lightweight, wearable device that uses targeted vibrations to reduce tremors and improve motor control in Parkinson’s patients.

Founders: Emmie Casey, Tomi Kuye

Labshare

Labshare is an AI-powered web app that streamlines lab inventory and resource sharing, reducing waste and improving efficiency by connecting neighboring labs through a centralized, real-time platform.

Founders: Julian Figueroa Jr, John Tian, Mingyo Kang, Arnan Bawa, Daniel Kuo

SteerBio

SteerBio’s LymphGuide is a patented, single-surgery hydrogel solution that restores lymphatic function by promoting vessel growth and reducing rejection, offering a transformative, cost-effective treatment for lymphedema.

Founders: Mor Sela Golan, Martha Fowler, Alvaro Moreno Lozano

Veloci

Veloci Running creates innovative shoes that eliminate the trade-off between foot pain and leg tightness, empowering runners to train comfortably and reduce injury risk.

Founders: Tyler Strothman

Last year, HEXASpec took home first place for its inorganic fillers that improve heat management for the semiconductor industry. The team also won this year's Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition during CERAWeek in the TEX-E student track.

Dow aims to power Texas manufacturing complex with next-gen nuclear reactors

clean energy

Dow, a major producer of chemicals and plastics, wants to use next-generation nuclear reactors for clean power and steam at a Texas manufacturing complex instead of natural gas.

Dow's subsidiary, Long Mott Energy, applied Monday to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission for a construction permit. It said the project with X-energy, an advanced nuclear reactor and fuel company, would nearly eliminate the emissions associated with power and steam generation at its plant in Seadrift, Texas, avoiding roughly 500,000 metric tons of planet-warming greenhouse gas emissions annually.

If built and operated as planned, it would be the first U.S. commercial advanced nuclear power plant for an industrial site, according to the NRC.

For many, nuclear power is emerging as an answer to meet a soaring demand for electricity nationwide, driven by the expansion of data centers and artificial intelligence, manufacturing and electrification, and to stave off the worst effects of a warming planet. However, there are safety and security concerns, the Union of Concerned Scientists cautions. The question of how to store hazardous nuclear waste in the U.S. is unresolved, too.

Dow wants four of X-energy's advanced small modular reactors, the Xe-100. Combined, those could supply up to 320 megawatts of electricity or 800 megawatts of thermal power. X-energy CEO J. Clay Sell said the project would demonstrate how new nuclear technology can meet the massive growth in electricity demand.

The Seadrift manufacturing complex, at about 4,700 acres, has eight production plants owned by Dow and one owned by Braskem. There, Dow makes plastics for a variety of uses including food and beverage packaging and wire and cable insulation, as well as glycols for antifreeze, polyester fabrics and bottles, and oxide derivatives for health and beauty products.

Edward Stones, the business vice president of energy and climate at Dow, said submitting the permit application is an important next step in expanding access to safe, clean, reliable, cost-competitive nuclear energy in the United States. The project is supported by the Department of Energy’s Advanced Reactor Demonstration Program.

The NRC expects the review to take three years or less. If a permit is issued, construction could begin at the end of this decade, so the reactors would be ready early in the 2030s, as the natural gas-fired equipment is retired.

A total of four applicants have asked the NRC for construction permits for advanced nuclear reactors. The NRC issued a permit to Abilene Christian University for a research reactor and to Kairos Power for one reactor and two reactor test versions of that company's design. It's reviewing an application by Bill Gates and his energy company, TerraPower, to build an advanced reactor in Wyoming.

X-energy is also collaborating with Amazon to bring more than 5 gigawatts of new nuclear power projects online across the United States by 2039, beginning in Washington state. Amazon and other tech giants have committed to using renewable energy to meet the surging demand from data centers and artificial intelligence and address climate change.

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This story appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com.

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