The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio was one of the few centers to receive the designation of a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center. It is a leading institute performing Phase I clinical drug trials for cancer, while it also assists in the development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA).
Tyler Curiel, M.D., M.P.H., is an oncologist and immunologist at the CTRC and one of the leading scientists inspiring a new generation. Recently, at Immunology 2015 (the largest meeting dedicated to present and discuss the latest findings in the field and the largest immunology meeting in the world) four members of Dr. Curiel’s team were selected to present their latest findings, with Dr. Curiel commenting, “The team is making remarkable progress on many fronts. Thanks to their dedication and hard work, we continue to enjoy this kind of success that will help lead to insights into better treatments for cancers and autoimmunity.”
One of Dr. Curiel’s team members is Vinh Dao, a third-year graduate student in the M.D./Ph.D. program, who in addition to its Immunology 2015 talk was also presenting his work about a drug, rapamycin and its effects in cancer, during the World Immune Regulation Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. He noted, “We are studying rapamycin as a potential human cancer prevention agent. Although approved as an immunosuppressive drug, we found that rapamycin could boost certain aspects of immunity to prevent cancer.”
In addition to offering extensive patient treatment services, the CTRC conducts research and clinical trials, teaming with the National Cancer Institute, the National Institutes of Health and other universities to discover new cures and treatments for cancer.
