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CINCINNATI—Isaiah Fidler, DVM, PhD, one of the world’s leading experts in brain metastasis, has been recruited to head the University of Cincinnati Brain Tumor Molecular Therapeutics Program’s new Scientific Advisory Board.

Dr. Fidler is the Distinguished Chair in Cell Biology and Head of the Metastasis Research Laboratory in the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. He will serve as an external advisor to the Molecular Therapeutics Program, which was established in March 2011 with a $2 million gift from the Harold C. Schott Foundation and an additional $4.5 million in funding from UC. The Molecular Therapeutics Program is a collaboration between the UC Cancer Institute and the UC Neuroscience Institute.

Dr. Fidler will be on the UC Academic Health Center campus Nov. 2-3 to lecture about brain metastasis, to evaluate grant presentations by UC researchers, and to offer insight into future research strategies and recruitments.

“Dr. Fidler is likely the world’s No. 1 expert on metastasis,” said Olivier Rixe, MD, PhD, Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program and Professor of Medicine in UC’s Division of Hematology-Oncology. “In the 1980s he discovered all the key mechanisms to explain how a primary tumor can metastasize to another organ. More recently, he has focused on brain metastasis and has put forth explanations for why brain metastases are more difficult to treat and how they develop drug resistance.”

“We are fortunate to have Dr. Fidler visit to help us set our new Molecular Therapeutics Program on the right path,” said George Atweh, MD, Director of the UC Cancer Institute and Head of the Division of Hematology-Oncology. “We look forward to interacting with him and using his expertise to bring our program to the next level.

“In addition to establishing the Scientific Advisory Board,” Dr. Atweh continued, “we are in the process of recruiting three new scientists who will focus their research on brain metastasis to complement the existing strengths in our institution in this field of research.”

Each year more than 170,000 Americans experience brain metastasis, the spread of cancer from its point of origin to the brain, according to the National Cancer Institute. The UC-based Molecular Therapeutics Program, which is dedicated exclusively to tackling the growing problem of brain metastasis, is believed to be the first comprehensive brain metastasis-specific translational research program in the United States. Translational research is the process of converting laboratory research into therapies that can benefit human beings.

Specifically, the Molecular Therapeutics Program seeks to translate laboratory findings about brain metastasis into original clinical trials for patients whose tumors have metastasized to the brain from tumors of the breast, lung, colon or skin (melanoma).

“By asking prominent researchers like Dr. Fidler to become external advisors who evaluate and sometimes guide our research, we hope to accelerate our efforts and improve our ability to help patients who suffer brain metastasis,” said Ronald E. Warnick, MD, Medical Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center and Chairman of the Mayfield Clinic.

Other members of the Scientific Advisory Board are:

• Drs. Atweh, Rixe and Warnick


• John Breneman, MD, Associate Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center and the Charles M. Barrett Professor of Radiation Oncology


• Jean-Yves Blay, MD, PhD, President, European Organisation for Research & Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)


• L. Thomas Hiltz, Trustee, the Harold C. Schott Foundation


• Roger Stupp, MD, Vice President, European Organisation for Research & Treatment of Cancer (EORTC)


• Bin Tean Teh, MD, PhD, Professor of the Center for Cancer Genomics and Computational Biology at the Van Andel Institute, Grand Rapids, Mich.


• John M. Tew, MD, Clinical Director, UC Neuroscience Institute and Mayfield Clinic neurosurgeon


• George Thomas, PhD, Scientific Director of UC’s Metabolic Disease Institute and the John and Gladys Strauss Professor in Cancer Research

Dr. Fidler, a native of Jerusalem, chaired the Department of Cancer Biology at MD Anderson from 1983 to 2008. Prior to joining MD Anderson he served as head of the Biology of Metastasis Section at the National Cancer Institute’s Frederick Cancer Research Facility in Maryland. He earned his doctorate in human pathology at the University of Pennsylvania.

He has authored or co-authored more than 795 scientific publications and has won numerous national and international awards, including the World Health Organization Medal for Biological Science, the American Cancer Society Distinguished Service Award, and the Nature Publishing Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Fidler is the creator of the “seed and soil hypothesis.”

“You need a perfect seed in a perfect soil to develop metastasis,” Dr. Rixe explained. “The cancer cells are important, but the micro-environment of the surrounding tissues is also important to the development of metastasis, and especially brain metastasis. It turns out that the micro-environment in the brain is different from that of other organs.”

The difference, Dr. Fidler has hypothesized, can be attributed to cells – astrocytes -- that exist only in the brain and that play a critical role in brain metastasis. Like double-agents in a spy novel, these astrocytes communicate with the enemy cancer cells and then turn against their homeland (the brain) by making the enemy cells resistant to chemotherapy.

“When these astrocytes in the brain’s micro-environment interact with the metastatic cells, they can cause the metastatic cells to become drug resistant,” Dr. Rixe said. “They induce something bad for the patient. This is a new hypothesis. The tumor blood brain barrier, quite possibly, does not exist.”

During his visit to UC, Dr. Fidler will present the inaugural scientific lecture for the UC Brain Tumor Molecular Therapeutics Program. The presentation, titled, "The Biology and Therapy of Brain Metastasis: Targeting the Astrocytes," will take place at 12 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 2, in the Medical Sciences Building, Room 4051, on the UC Academic Health Center campus.

Reporters, photographers and videographers are invited to meet with Dr. Fidler during the following times:

• 3:30-5 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 2


• 10-11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 3


• Another mutually agreeable time on Nov. 2 or 3

CINCINNATI—The 2011 Midwest Regional Brain Tumor Conference, a free educational event for patients, caregivers and family members, will be held from 8 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 1, at Westin Cincinnati downtown. The conference, entitled "Hope, Innovation, Progress, Support,"is presented by the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute, in partnership with the National Brain Tumor Society.

A team of nationally recognized faculty members will provide patients, survivors and caregivers with the latest information about treatment and maximizing quality of life. Topics will include the origins of brain tumors, surgery and radiation therapy, the future of brain tumor treatment, nutrition and exercise and financial and emotional resources.

Breakout sessions will focus on brain tumor types, including pituitary adenoma, acoustic neuroma, meningioma, glioma and metastatic.

Fifteen-minute physician consults also will be available. Patients wishing a consult should contact Nancy McMahon at (513) 475-8646. All scans must be received before Wednesday, Sept. 21, to allow time for preparation.

Featured speakers and breakout session leaders include the following members of the UC faculty and UC Brain Tumor Center:

* Ronald Warnick, MD, Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center. 
* John M. Tew, MD, Clinical Director of the UC Neuroscience Institute.
* John Breneman, MD, Professor of Radiation Oncology and Neurosurgery.
* Tania Carreón-Valencia, MS, PhD, Assistant Professor of Environmental Health.
* Mary Gaskill-Shipley, MD, Associate Professor of Radiology.
* Jessica Guarnaschelli, MD, Assistant Professor of Radiation Oncology.
* Christopher McPherson, MD, Director of the Division of Surgical Neuro-Oncology.
* Myles Pensak, MD, H. B. Broidy Professor and Chair of the UC Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
* Olivier Rixe, MD, PhD, Professor of Hematology/Oncology. 
* Ravi Samy, MD, Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.
* Philip Theodosopoulos, MD, Director, Division of Skull Base Surgery.
* Lee Zimmer, MD, PhD, Director, Endoscopic Cranial Base Center, Division of Sinus Surgery.

The program director is Dr. McPherson.

The conference, which is free, includes a continental breakfast and lunch. Participants are asked to register in advance by calling (513) 558-8642 or by registering online at www.ucbraintumorcenter.com. An event brochure is available online and can be downloaded as a PDF.

CINCINNATI–Twenty University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute (UCNI) specialists, including seven otolaryngologists, have been named to the first U.S. News Top Doctors directory, a free, searchable database that lists nearly 30,000 peer-nominated physicians across the country.

The U.S. News Top Doctors directory augments the Best Hospitals rankings, which U.S. News updated in its 22nd annual rankings last week . The magazine ranked UC Health University Hospital, home of UCNI, among the nation’s best. The magazine awarded a No. 21 ranking to University Hospital’s otolaryngology specialists, who are part of UCNI’s Brain Tumor Center and Neurosensory Disorders Center, and it listed neurosurgery and neurology as “high-performing.”

Named to the prestigious Top Doctors directory are:

Interventional Neuroradiology: Todd Abruzzo, MD, who is affiliated with the Mayfield Clinic.

Neurology: Joseph Broderick, MD, the Albert Barnes Voorheis Professor and Chair of the UC Department of Neurology and Research Director of UCNI; Daniel Kanter, MD; Michael Privitera, MD, Director of the UC Epilepsy Center. The three neurologists are affiliated with UC Health.

Neurosurgery: Charles Kuntz, IV, MD; Ronald Warnick, MD, Chairman of the Mayfield Clinic and Medical Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center; Mario Zuccarello, MD, the Frank H. Mayfield Professor and Chairman of the University of Cincinnati Department of Neurosurgery. The three neurosurgeons are affiliated with the Mayfield Clinic.

Ophthalmology: Karl Golnik, MD, a neuro-ophthalmologist who is affiliated with UC Health.

Otolaryngology: Ellis Arjmand; MD, Robin Cotton, MD; David Hom, MD; Charles Myer, MD; Myles Pensak, MD, the H.B. Broidy Professor and Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology; Ravi Samy, MD; Allen Seiden, MD; David Steward, MD; and Keith Wilson, MD. Drs. Hom, Pensak, Samy, Seiden, Steward and Wilson are affiliated with UC Health. Drs. Arjmand, Cotton and Myer are affiliated with Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation: Mark Goddard, MD, Professor and Chair of the Department of PM&R, who is affiliated with UC Health and Drake Center.

Psychiatry: Stephen Strakowski, MD, the Dr. Stanley and Mickey Kaplan Professor and Chair of the Department of Psychiatry, Vice President of Research for UC Health, and Senior Associate Dean for Research at UC. Dr. Strakowski is affiliated with UC Health, the Lindner Center of Hope and Cincinnati Children’s.

Radiation Oncology: William Barrett, MD, who is affiliated with UC Health.

In addition, six UCNI specialists are identified as a top doctor who, in Castle Connolly's estimation, are “among the top 1 percent in the nation in their specialty. Those doctors are:

■ Joseph Broderick, MD
■ Charles Myer, MD
■ Myles Pensak, MD
■ Ronald Warnick, MD
■ Keith Wilson, MD
■ Stephen Strakowski, MD

The complete national list can be viewed at http://health.usnews.com/top-doctors.

U.S. News Top Doctors was created in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., publisher of America's Top Doctors and other consumer health guides. It draws from Castle Connolly's database of Top Doctors, all recommended for their clinical skills by other doctors and individually vetted by a physician-led research team.

CINCINNATI—John Breneman, MD, has been named Associate Director of the Brain Tumor Center at the University of Cincinnati Neuroscience Institute, and Olivier Rixe, MD, PhD, has been named Research Director. The positions, which are effective immediately, were announced today by Ronald Warnick, MD, Medical Director of the UC Brain Tumor Center and Chairman of the Mayfield Clinic.

Dr. Breneman (above left), a radiation oncologist, is the Charles M. Barrett Professor of Radiation Oncology and Adjunct Professor of Neurosurgery at UC and Co-Director of the Precision Radiotherapy Center in West Chester, Ohio. Dr. Rixe (above right), a medical neuro-oncologist, is Director of the Experimental Therapeutics Program and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Hematology-Oncology at UC.

"Drs. Breneman and Rixe have been instrumental in the rapid development of the UC Brain Tumor Center, and today’s appointments reflect their important contributions to both clinical care and medical research," Dr. Warnick said. “The UC Brain Tumor Center would not be where it is today without their energy, intellect and unwavering commitment. With their leadership and vision, we will continue our quest to find a cure for life-threatening brain tumors.”

Drs. Breneman & Rixe will play integral roles in the UC Brain Tumor Center’s recently announced Molecular Therapeutics Program, which is aimed at understanding the biological mechanisms of cancer’s spread to the brain and developing more effective therapies for the condition. A $2 million gift from the Harold C. Schott Foundation and $4.5 million in additional funds from UC’s Departments of Neurosurgery, Radiation Oncology and Internal Medicine (Division of Hematology-Oncology) have been committed to build the interdisciplinary translational research and patient care program, which is dedicated to tackling the growing problem of brain metastasis.

Dr. Breneman, who also serves as Vice-Chair of UC’s Department of Radiation Oncology, graduated from the University of Iowa College of Medicine and performed his residency at UC Health University Hospital. In 2010 he was named Chair of the American Board of Radiology’s Central Nervous System (CNS) Committee. In that capacity he is responsible for creating the CNS section of the board exam for new radiation oncology graduates as well as the Maintenance of Certification exam for current practitioners. He is also an examiner for the CNS section of the oral board exam.

Dr. Rixe came to UC in 2009 from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Md., where he was a staff clinician in the Medical Oncology Branch. A native of France, and a longtime Parisian, he taught and conducted cancer research at the renowned Salpetriere Hospital in Paris for eight years prior to coming to the United States. Dr. Rixe graduated from the University of Paris medical school and earned his doctorate in molecular biology at Paris Diderot University. He performed his residency at Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris.

Both Drs. Breneman and Rixe are widely published and are currently engaged in several clinical trials. Dr. Warnick was instrumental in the vision and development of the UC Brain Tumor Center, which was launched in 2008, and of the Precision Radiotherapy Center, which opened in 2003. Dr. Warnick, who maintains a busy clinical practice in neurosurgery and radiosurgery, also serves as Co-Director of the Precision Radiotherapy Center.