Theodore S. Lawrence, M.D., Ph.D.
Isadore Lampe Professor
Chair of Department of Radiation Oncology
Improved Targeting of Liver and Pancreas Cancer
Liver cancer is a major worldwide health problem with more than 500,000 new cases diagnosed yearly. It is the only cancer that has shown more than a 10 percent increase in the United States during the past 15 years. Pancreas cancer strikes more than 30,000 people a year in the United States and is the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths. Although some patients can be cured by surgery, only a small fraction can have their tumor removed. Better treatments are urgently needed.
Ted Lawrence has devoted his career to developing new treatments for patients with liver and pancreas cancer. His newest research focuses on two complementary approaches: 1) picking the right drug, and 2) combining this drug with the most powerful, safe radiation approach. To pick the right drug, he and his colleagues are studying how to combine radiation with “molecularly targeted drugs.” Cancer cells often hijack one of many normal growth signals and use that one signal to grow out of control. This new generation of molecularly targeted drugs can block the hijacked signal, which tends to shut down the cancer cell but leave normal cells relatively unaffected. Lawrence has found that combining radiation with these targeted therapies shows great promise for improved treatment.
To develop the most powerful, safe radiation approach, Lawrence and his team are incorporating “functional” imaging techniques, which can reveal the physiological activities of organs. For instance, it can show which regions of a tumor are more aggressive than others and which portion of normal surrounding tissues is functioning better. Functional imaging offers the potential to target the highest doses of radiation to the regions of a tumor that are most aggressive.
Lawrence is convinced that combining molecularly targeted drugs with functional imaging to both enhance and guide radiation therapy will greatly increase our ability to control and cure pancreas and liver cancers.
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Taubman Emerging Scholars Program
Request for applications
Applications are being accepted for the Taubman Institute Emerging Scholars Program.
The applicant must be a junior member of the faculty at the University of Michigan; generally, that means holding an assistant professor title. The applicant must have either an M.D. or an M.D./Ph.D. It is required that candidates both conduct basic research and treat patients.
Applicants should submit a two-to-three page research proposal, as well as a current CV. Priority will be given to proposals involving translational research. Please submit material to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. . The deadline is May 7, 2012.
Young Friends host festive NYC fundraiser
Reception introduced scholar candidate Dr. Parag Patil
About 125 supporters of cutting-edge medical research mixed socializing and science May 9 at a cocktail party in Manhattan hosted by the Young Friends of the Taubman Institute's New York City chapter.
The event introduced Dr. Parag Patil, a University of Michigan physician-researcher and a prospective Young Friends Emerging Scholar. Here's a clip from Dr. Patil's appearance on the TV program "The Doctors," where he demonstrates how deep-brain stimulation has helped a patient with Parkinson's disease.
Emerging Scholars are early-career clinician-scientists who show great promise in research aimed at new cures or treatments; through the Taubman Institute, donors support them with three-year grants while their labs earn the credentials to win broader funding support.
The Young Friends event, which raised a significant contribution toward the Emerging Scholars program, was held at the ABC Carpet & Home showrooms at 888 Broadway, Attendees enjoyed cocktails, appetizers, a silent auction and a presentation by Dr. Patil. The silent auction included jewelry, fashion items, a Botox consultation and treatment, Morgan Hotel Group rooms and the opportunity to bid on a meeting and photo with former President William Jefferson Clinton.
Taubman Research
Dr. Max Wicha: Some treatments actually increase cancer stem cells
Avastin and Sutent have been found to increase the growth of breast cancer stem cells in mice, according to Taubman Scholar Dr. Max Wicha, director of the U-M Comprehensive Cancer Center.
