Current Research
IR Preclinical Research
Oncopig Tumor Model
IR Investigators: Erik N. Cressman, M.D., Ph.D., Rony Avritscher, M.D., Alda Tam, M.D., Steven Yevich, M.D., Bruno Odisio, M.D., Steven Huang, M.D., Rahul Sheth, M.D. and Peimen Habibollahi, M.D.
Collaborators: Tina Cascone, M.D., Ph.D (Thoraic-Head & Neck Medical Oncology), Humam Kadara, Ph.D. (Translational Molecular Pathology), Florencia McAllister, M.D. (Clinical Cancer Prevention), Roberto Casal, M.D. and George Eapen, M.D. (Pulmonary Medicine), Stephen Lai, M.D., Ph.D. and YunYun Chen, Ph.D. (Head & Neck Surgery), Emmanuel Coronel, M.D. and Phillip Ge, M.D. (Gastroenterology, Hepat & Nutr) and David Fuentes, Ph.D. (Imaging Physics)
Goal: Develop a reproducible immunocompetent large animal tumor model as a tool for investigators in multiple procedural specialties to study cancer biology and new therapies.
Modulation of Immune Response within Hepatocellular Carcinoma Tumor Microenvironment Using Locoregionally Delivered Glypican-3-directed Targeted Immunotherapy
IR Investigators: Peiman Habibollahi, M.D., Erik N. Cressman, M.D., Ph.D., Rahul Sheth, M.D.
Collaborators: Terence P. Gade, M.D., Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania and Associate Director of the Penn Image-Guided Interventions Laboratory)
Goal: To characterize the alteration in cellular immune response following treatment with a bispecific antibody and to study the potential added benefits of adding the locoregionally delivered bispecific antibody to a current systemic immunotherapy model.
Developing Gellan gum and PLGA variants for delivery of Immunotherapeutics to solid tumors
IR Investigators: Rahul Sheth, M.D.
Collaborators: Boston Scientific and Biocompatibles UK Ltd.
Goal: To determine how hydrogel-embedded immunomodulatory macromolecules positively modulate the local and systemic tumor immune microenvironment following intra-tumoral delivery and how drug-eluting microsphere technology improves delivery and efficacy of immunomodulatory small molecules in animal models of primary and metastatic liver cancer.
Tracking of splenic monocytes migration to tumor site
Investigators: Rahul Sheth, M.D., Rony Avritscher, M.D.
Collaborators:
Goal: Test the labeling of splenic monocytes with an adeno-associated viral vector encoding a fluorescent reporter gene (GFP) at different time points in the spleen and blood and to test the effect of splenic embolization to the tumor immune cells.
Liver tumor immune environment: Imaging and modulation after therapy
IR Investigators: Rony Avritscher, M.D.
Collaborators: Seon Hee Chang, Ph.D. (Immunology) and Elizabeth Whitley, DVM, Ph.D. (Veterinary Medicine)
Goal: To evaluate the extent of Th17 cells infiltration and test the ability of therapeutic agents to activate Th17 cells after hepatic artery embolization. To assess the contribution non-tumor stromal cells to lymphangiogenesis and cancer cell dissemination after hepatic artery embolization. To establish liver cancer stiffness patterns via shear wave elastography after catheter-based therapies and investigate their role in early resistance and lymphatic dissemination.
Real-time intraoperative stromal imaging to enhance HCC treatment
IR Investigators: Rony Avritscher, M.D.
Collaborators: Kristy Brock, Ph.D. (Imaging Physics), Elizabeth Whitley, DVM, Ph.D. (Veterinary Medicine), Savitri Krishnamurthy, M.D. (Pathology), Christine Peterson, Ph.D. (Biostatistics)
Goal: To evaluate changes in tissue micro-architecture leading to variations in stiffness patterns via quantitative ultrasound during drug delivery and its correlation with disease response and to investigate the impact of matrix imaging guidance on improving biopsy sample cellularity in liver cancer.
Strategies to modulate live tumor immune microenvironment after catheter-based drug delivery
IR Investigators: Rony Avritscher, M.D.
Collaborators:
Goal: To characterize the tumor immune cell landscape after transcatheter hepatic arterial embolization and identify potential therapeutic targets using an orthotopic syngeneic rat liver tumor model.
Development of a resorbable radiopaque resuvastatin-eluting polymer to improve rates of arteriovenous fistula maturation and long-term patency for patients on hemodialysis
IR Investigators: Steven Huang, M.D. and Marites Melancon, Ph.D.
Collaborators:
Goal: To develop a resorbable radiopaque rosuvastatin-eluting polymer to improve rates of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) maturation and long-term patency for patients with end-stage renal disease requiring hemodialysis.
Development of resorbable radiopaque drug-eluting polymeric perivascular wrap in a pig model to improve arteriovenous fistula maturation and long-term patency
IR Investigators: Steven Huang, M.D. and Marites Melancon, Ph.D.
Collaborators:
Goal: To develop a biodegradable, radiopaque polymer scaffold to improve arteriovenous fistula maturation and long-term patency.
Biodegradable Radiopaque Polymeric Scaffolds Loaded with Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Image-Guided Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation and Long-Term Patency
IR Investigators: Marites Melancon, Ph.D. and Steven Huang, M.D.
Collaborators: Richard Bouchard, Ph.D. (Imaging Physics), Elizabeth Whitley, DVM, Ph.D. (Veterinary Medicine)
Goal: Develop a biodegradable polymeric scaffold containing nanoparticles and MSCs to mitigate inflammation and subsequent pathologic NIH during AVF maturation, assess various imaging techniques for monitoring AVF maturation and integrity and assess the physiologic, radiologic and pathologic changes following implantation of the engineered polymer in the peri-adventitial tissue surrounding an iatrogenic rat AVF.
Rabbit Model for Retinoblastoma
IR Investigators: Stephen Chen, M.D.
Collaborators: Dan Gombos, M.D. (Opthalmology, Retinoblastoma Center of Houston), Cynthia Herzog, M.D. (Pediatrics Patient Care, Retinoblastoma Center of Houston), Melissa Chen, M.D. (Neuroradiology), Patricia Chevez-Barrios, M.D. (Methodist Hospital Research Institute, Retinoblastoma Center of Houston), Murali Chintagumpala, M.D. and Frank Lin, M.D. (Baylor College of Medicine, Retinoblastoma Center of Houston and Texas Children's Hospital), Peter Kan, M.D., Roberto Garcia, M.D. and Jeremiah Johnson, M.D. (Baylor College of Medicine)
Goal: To improve retinoblastoma treatment and develop and test new therapies.
Acute and sub-chronic study of a biopsy sealing device in swine
IR Investigators: Erik Cressman, M.D., Ph.D.
Collaborators: Ian Maitland (Texas A&M University)
Goal: Feasibility/development of lung and liver biopsy model in swine to test a biopsy-sealing material, to determine the effectiveness of the biopsy-sealing material using imaging at 7-day and to determine the evolution of the resorption biopsy-sealing material using imaging at 30 days.
Precise, durable treatment of liver cancer through convergence of multiple stresses
IR Investigators: Erik Cressman, M.D., Ph.D.; David Irwin, M.D.
Collaborators: Jason Stafford, Ph.D. and Rick Layman, Ph.D. (Imaging Physics), Elizabeth Whitley, DVM, Ph.D. (Veterinary Medicine)
Goal: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer is the fastest-rising cause of cancer death in this country and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide. The standard of care for small tumors is surgery or ablation (surgical, chemical, heat or cold removal), but few patients are surgical candidates. Despite improvements in technology for ablation, tumor recurrence from incomplete treatment is found in up to 50% of tissue examined by pathologists. To address these and other issues in treatment of liver cancer, our long-term goal in is to develop new, sound, minimally invasive therapies. In addition, ablation biology remains poorly understood, particularly our knowledge of the various stress responses. The goal of this project is the evaluation of a new technique applying novel chemistry that affects thermal (heat), osmotic (pressure) and metabolic body reactions stresses all in a single procedure.
Photothermal Ablation
IR Investigators: Rahul Sheth, M.D., Rony Avritscher, M.D., David Irwin, M.D.
Collaborators: Ketankumar Ghaghada, Ph.D. (Texas Children's Hospital)
Goal: There is an unmet clinical need for an ablation modality that provides improved tumor visualization, maximum tumor necrosis, and minimal thermal injury to adjacent tissue. The fluorescent drug indocyanine green (ICG) localizes to liver tumors with exceptional target-to-background ratios (TBRs), improves tumor localization through real-time image guidance during clinical percutaneous liver interventions, and can provide tumor-specific, targeted (photothermal) heat generation while sparing adjacent liver. Ultimately, we believe that ICG-based molecularly targeted photothermal ablation (MTPA) will offer higher precision tumor treatments with decreased off-target tumor growth (oncogenic) effects compared to conventional ablation. We hypothesize that MTPA will auto-regulate ablation zone size to extend up to but not beyond the ICG-avid tumor; we also hypothesize that MTPA will cause diminished thermal injury in surrounding normal tissue relative to radiofrequency ablation (RFA).