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Goal 2: Reduce Human Disease

The Use of Therapeutic Apheresis to Reduce Circulating Levels of Galectin-3 and other Cancer and Inflammation Promoting Factors

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Inflammation plays roles in cancer initiation, promotion, and progression. Elevated circulating galectin-3 (Gal-3) protein and other cancer and inflammation promoting factors (CIPFs) such as C-reactive protein and VEGF are associated with tumorigenesis and may play causative roles. Plasma Gal-3 is a biomarker, prognosticator, and pathogenic mediator of diverse cancers and is emerging as a therapeutic target. Preliminary... more »

Is this idea a Compelling Question (CQ) or Critical Challenge (CC)? Critical Challenge (CC)

Details on the impact of addressing this CQ or CC

Apheresis therapy in a clinical setting, both alone and in combination with conventional protocols, shows great potential to enhance treatment regimens, reduce dosage and side effects, improve drug deliver to target tissues, reduce long term treatment related morbidity and improve outcomes with significant benefits for patients with a broad range of cancer types and stages.

Feasibility and challenges of addressing this CQ or CC

The need for well designed, randomized clinical trials would be readily feasible with the appropriate IND. Grant support will be needed for further development of this concept, as well as to develop columns with more optimized and specific capabilities, in addition to clinical trials demonstrating efficacy.

Apheresis is highly underutilized and underfunded in the US, while Apheresis research and development is much more advanced and widely utilized in Europe and Asia.

Name of idea submitter and other team members who worked on this idea Isaac Eliaz, MD

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