Congratulations to Dr. Eric Henderson, Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the Geisel School and Program Director for DHMC’s Sarcoma & Connective Tissue Oncology program, for his recent $100k award from the Norris Cotton Cancer Center Developmental Funds, a Prouty Pilot Project.
The award will support a Clinical Research study using ABY-029 in a small number of subjects with Non-Metastatic Soft-Tissue Sarcoma. Sarcomas are cancers of bone, muscle, and fat that require complete surgical removal for their cure. In sarcoma surgery, the goal is to completely remove the tumor with a small margin of normal tissue surrounding it, while leaving in place vital structures. For the last 30 years, surgeons have relied on radiologic imaging and visual/tactile clues to gauge tumor depth, an imperfect practice. To provide surgeons with knowledge of the tumor margin thickness in real time would be an important advance.
ABY-029 is a novel fluorescent marker created through an NIH-funded Academic-Industrial Partnership championed by Thayer School Investigators Brian Pogue and Keith Paulsen. Following FDA approval, the sarcoma study will be the second study to use ABY-029 in humans. Thayer researchers are also working toward approval to use the drug in a third study involving subjects with head and neck cancers.