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Faculty
Henry Smilowitz
Professor of Radiology
smilowitz@nso1.uchc.edu
860-679-2710
Area of interest:
a.
Development of novel brain tumor therapies for experimental advanced
imminently lethal malignant gliomas in rats and mice using a combination
of radiation therapy (megavoltage photon radiosurgery or boron
neutron-capture therapy or microbeam radiation therapy) and
immunoprophylaxis or gene-mediated immunoprophylaxis.
b. Use of gold nanoparticles for tumor imaging, vascular imaging and as
a radiation enhancer for tumor therapy.
Lab Rotation
Projects:
Our laboratory is involved in a number of research projects in
the fields of cancer, cancer immunotherapy, cancer therapy, tumor and
vascular imaging:
1. Experimental Therapeutics of Brain Tumors:
We introduce glioma cells into rat brains and allow the tumors to occupy
about 2% of the rat brain (analogous to human Glioblastoma multiforme at
the time of diagnosis) before therapy is started. We first treat with a
form of radiation therapy followed by a form of experimental
immunotherapy that we are developing. A variety of immunological assays
are performed in addition to survival studies. A subcutaneous tumor
challenge assay is also used to help develop new immunotherapy
strategies. We are also developing a similar experimental therapy system
for advanced brain tumors in mice.
2. Gold Enhanced Radiation Therapy & Vascular and Tumor Imaging:
We are working collaboratively with a company on Long Island that has
developed a novel preparation of gold nano-particles. These relatively
non-toxic particles can be injected iv at very high doses and are
excreted by the kidney. We are working on several projects to develop
novel therapies and diagnostic tests that can be performed with these
agents:
A. Gold Enhanced Radiation Therapy: We have shown that these
particles can greatly increase the radiation dose a tumor receives and
therefore are useful as a radiation enhancer. We are currently working
on a head and neck cancer therapy project using gold nanoparticles.
B. Gold Enhanced Imaging: We are also working on several imaging
projects including the development of a virtual colonoscopy, breast
cancer imaging and gold-based angiography
If you think you might have an interest in any of these projects
please take an hour to come and talk with me. I have a small lab and
would welcome a graduate student to do a project.
Publications
Selected Publications:
Smilowitz, H.M., Weissenberger, J.,O'Neill, R.,Brown, J., Weis , J.
and Laissue, J.A. 2007. Orthotopic Transplantation of v-src Expressing
Glioma Cell Lines into Immunocompetent Mice: Establishment of a New
Transplantable in vivo Model for Malignant Gliomas. J. Neurosurgery
106: 1-8.
Smilowitz, H.M., T. Graham, M. Ji, G. Tellides, M. Oaks, J.F.
Hainfeld, D.N. Slatkin. 2007. The combination of x- ray - mediated
radiosurgery and immunoprophylaxis for advanced intracerebral F98
gliomas in rats: efficacy of Treg depletion and uric acid. Centenial
meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research April 14-18,
2007, Los Angeles, California.
Hainfeld, J.F., D.N. Slatkin, T. Focella, H.M. Smilowitz. 2006. Gold
Nanoparticles as X-Ray Contrast Agents. British Journal of Radiology.
79: 248-253.
Smilowitz, H.M., D.N. Slatkin, N. Lubimova, H. Blattman, E.
Brauer-Krisch, A. Bravin, M. Di Michiel, J. Stepanek, G. Le Duc, J.-O.
Gebbers, J.A. Laissue. 2006. Synergy of Gene-Mediated Immunoprophylaxis
and Microbeam Radiation Therapy (MRT) for Advanced Intracerebral Rat 9L
Gliosarcomas. J. Neuro-Oncology 78:135-143. Electronic Publication
http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11060-005-9094-9
Hainfeld, J.F., D. N. Slatkin, H.M. Smilowitz. 2004. Gold
Nanoparticles Greatly Enhance X-ray Cancer Therapy in Mice. Physics in
Medicine and Biology 49: N309.
Note: This paper has been selected for inclusion in Institute of Physics
(IOP) Select, Institute of Physics, London, England (http://www.iop.org/Select/)
Smilowitz, H.M., J.A. Coderre, M.M. Nawrocky, A. Pinkerton, W. Tu and
D.N. Slatkin. 2002. The Combination of X-Ray-Mediated Radiosurgery and
Gene-Mediated Immunoprophylaxis for an Advanced Intracerebral
Gliosarcoma in Rats. J. Neuro-Oncology. 57: 9-18.
Miura, M., D.D. Joel, H.M. Smilowitz, M.M. Nawrocky, P.L. Micca, D.A.
Hoch, J.A. Coderre and D.N. Slatkin. 2001. Biodistribution of Copper
Carboranyltetraphenylporphyrins in Rodents Bearing Human or Isogeneic
Neoplasms. J. Neuro-Oncology, 52: 111-117.
Laissue, J.A., H. Blattmann, M. Di Michiel, D.N. Slatkin, N.
Lyubimova, R. Guzman, W. Zimmermann, T. Bley, P. Kircher, R. Stettler,
R. Fatzer, A. Jaggy, H.M. Smilowitz, E. Brauer, A. Bravin, G. Le Duc, C.
Nemoz, M. Renier, W. Thomlinson,J. Stepanek and H.P. Wagner. 2001. The
Weaning Piglet Cerebellum: A Surrogate for Tolerance to MRT (Microbeam
Radiation Therapy) in Pediatric Neuro-Oncology. In. Penetrating
Radiation Systems and Applications III, H. Roehrig, F. P. Doty, R. C.
Schirato, E.J. Morton, Editors. Proceedings of SPIE, 4508: 65-73. |
