Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States. The candidate has devoted to clinical and translational research of lung cancer with the hope of improving outcomes for this devastating disease. An area of accomplishment is in the treatment with chemoradiotherapy for poor-risk patients with lung cancer. Another area of expertise of the investigator is in capitalizing the radiosensitizing and antiangiogenic properties of taxol for improving chemoradiotherapy of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The candidate was the first researcher to report the in vivo antiangiogenic property of taxol. Clinical trials have demonstrated the feasibility and efficacy of twice-weekly taxol and carboplatin with concurrent radiation for stage III NSCLC. In basic and translational research, the candidate has identified peptide ligands specific for surface receptors of lung cancer cells using the technology of combinatorial chemistry and cell-growth-on-bead assay. A pilot study is being supported by a R21 grant to test the feasibility of using these peptides to capture cancer cells from malignant pleural effusion. The candidate is applying for a K-24 award to support his endeavor of achieving the following aims: 1. To conduct a NCI-sponsored phase II trial in the California Cancer Consortium to test the tolerance and efficacy of tirapazamine in combination with the previously established regimen of twice-weekly taxol and carboplatin with concurrent radiation for stage III NSCLC. A correlative study will explore the feasibility of measuring plasma hypoxia-induced proteins, plasminogen activator inhibitor type I (PAl-l) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), in association with tumor response before and after chemoradiotherapy. 2. To further develop the peptide-bead technology as a high-yield and high-throughput clinical procedure for isolating and enriching lung cancer cells from pleural fluid. This technology may facilitate the diagnosis of lung cancer. 3. To identify novel peptide ligands specific for lung cancer. The long-term goal is to develop these peptide ligands as molecularly targeted therapy for lung cancer. 4. To recruit and train hematology and oncology specialists in clinical research of cancer therapy.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Midcareer Investigator Award in Patient-Oriented Research (K24)
Project #
1K24CA100014-01A2
Application #
6819929
Study Section
Subcommittee G - Education (NCI)
Program Officer
Gorelic, Lester S
Project Start
2004-07-15
Project End
2009-06-30
Budget Start
2004-07-15
Budget End
2005-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$113,902
Indirect Cost
Name
University of California Davis
Department
Internal Medicine/Medicine
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
047120084
City
Davis
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
95618
Lau, Derick; Guo, Linlang; Liu, Ruiwu et al. (2006) Peptide ligands targeting integrin alpha3beta1 in non-small cell lung cancer. Lung Cancer 52:291-7