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  1. University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences
  2. Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
  3. Author: Chadley Uekman

Chadley Uekman

Kinco Invests in Cancer Care

Doug Wasson, President/CEO

Ensuring all Arkansans have access to cancer prevention, early detection and compassionate care

Kinco Constructors is an Arkansas-based company with team members and clients all across the state and region.

Many of our team members and those we serve have been impacted by cancer and have benefited from the high-quality cancer care provided by UAMS. 

As a company, Kinco Constructors is focused on building excellence, and that includes ensuring that our people have access to excellent health care, no matter where they live in the state.  

When we learned about the MammoVan, we liked the fact that it travels to counties all across the state –including many of Arkansas’rural communities –providing mammograms and cancer education.

We also liked the fact that there are opportunities to do even more with the MammoVans, including the possibility of adding men’s cancer screenings. 

Building on that vision, helping UAMS pursue National Cancer Institute Designation and expanding critical health care outreach around the state are all initiatives we want to help advance. Kinco Constructors is
proud to invest in programs that improve the health and well-being of our team members, clients and all Arkansans.”

-Doug Wasson, President/CEO

Filed Under: Support

Caballos Against Cancer

New Mexico businessman and grateful patient raises awareness, funds for multiple myeloma
(Image credit: Julie Moss/Moss Photography)

New Mexico businessman and grateful patient raises awareness, funds for multiple myeloma

When New Mexico restaurateur, rancher and attorney Ed Tinsley III got an unusual result on a blood test in late 2010, he had no idea what lay ahead. “It was around Christmas,” he recalls. “I felt great, but I had noticed it was taking me longer to overcome some infections.” Further testing confirmed that Ed had monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) in his blood, an abnormal protein that forms within the bone marrow. 

According to the National Cancer Institute, each year about 1% of people with MGUS develop multiple myeloma, a rare blood cancer. Ed and his wife Meredith began searching for the best care available. With help and support from their two children, Edward and Ede, they soon discovered the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute and its Myeloma Center. The Myeloma Center is the most comprehensive center in the world for research and clinical care related to multiple myeloma and related diseases. 

“We analyzed all the choices, and we felt like this was the best place to be. I appreciated their positive and aggressive approach, as well as their commitment to be on the cutting edge of new therapies,” Tinsley said.
   
“The relationships we developed at the Cancer Institute, and the experiences we had at UAMS and in Little Rock, raised my confidence and my comfort level in the team I was working with. We cannot say enough about the medical team who has supported us throughout the years. They are nothing short of fantastic!”

The Tinsleys traveled to the Cancer Institute every few months to monitor the MGUS. However, by 2016, his condition had progressed to multiple myeloma. 

He had a stem cell transplant in 2017, and a tandem transplant in 2018. The tandem transplant was described to the Tinsleys as the best way to achieve the most positive results, and it did. Tinsley achieved complete remission in 2018, and said he’s grateful for the care he received at the Cancer Institute. 

In an effort to raise awareness of the options and resources available to treat blood cancers, in 2021 Tinsley launched a fundraiser at his Flying W Diamond Ranch in Capitan, New Mexico, to benefit research at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. 

Called “Caballos Against Cancer” (Horses Against Cancer), the inaugural event was held in October 2021, and the second event was held in August 2022. Both events featured barrel racing competitors from across Texas and New Mexico, as well as a host of live and silent auction items, music and a dinner in an outdoor tented venue. 

“I was born and raised in a ranching family, and a ranching families’ nature is to help others,” he said. “I have been a part of that culture since birth, so I thought we could tie in our lifestyle with horses and our ranch, and have some fun with it.”

Sadly, Ed passed away in late 2022. In an effort to honor his passion for myeloma awareness and research, Ed’s family allowed us to share this story he approved earlier this year.

To learn more, visit ranchosdecaballosestates.com or flyingdiamondranch.com

Filed Under: Support

Auxiliary Closes in on $3 Million in Grants

Cam Patterson, M.D., M.B.A., UAMS Chancellor

Despite the pandemic and a slightly smaller volunteer pool,the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Auxiliary made a significant impact on the well-being of our patients and staff this past year. Even with masking and COVID still circulating, the organization’s Partners Card fundraiser was a huge success, selling almost 2,000 cards and raising $139,000. 

Thank you to Presenting Sponsors Win and Natalie Rockefeller and to all who purchased cards. Our patients benefitted from your generosity! Since 2017, the auxiliary has contributed an amazing $2,928,226 to the Institute, funds that pay for the supplement pantry, food, gas and blanket warmers. 

The auxiliary is also a vital source of funding for our Patient Support Fund, which also provides money for housing and medication. 

We’re excited to see volunteer returning to help support our Most Vital Pals “MVP” Program, which pairs volunteers with new myeloma patients. 

We host up to 15 new myeloma patients each week. We are so grateful for the 11,600 hours that volunteers gave to the Cancer Institute. We are especially grateful to Debbie King, our Volunteer of the Year.

 Stuart Cobb, Lifetime Board Member
Stuart Cobb, Lifetime Board Member

And we finally got to celebrate our 2021 Auxiliary Distinguished Honoree, Cam Patterson, M.D., MBA, at an in-person event at the home of Stuart Cobb.

What a joy to be back together again! We have big plans for the upcoming year, so be sure to renew your auxiliary membership.

If you’re interested in volunteering, we need you! 

Call the Department of Volunteer Services at 501-696-8286 or visit cancer.uams.edu for more information.

If giving is a reflection of a person’s heart, then our volunteer of the year, Debbie King has a heart of gold.

If giving is a reflection of a person’s heart, then our volunteer of the year, Debbie King has a heart of gold.

Joyful, grateful and loving are all adjectives that speak of her generosity. We are so thankful for her commitment, service and dedication to the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

Only a generous and special person would  come to campus, rain or shine, for 104 days including weekends.

Join us as we give thanks for Debbie and others like her who give selflessly in service of others at UAMS.

Seed of Hope Sculpture
Seed of Hope Sculpture

Larry Crain Sr. pledged $1 million to honor his late wife, Janett, who died of cancer in 2018. The gift also honored Janett’s caregivers and Crain’s sister-in-law, who survived advanced lung cancer thanks to a clinical trial. In appreciation of the gift, UAMS renamed the Seed of Hope Garden on the Cancer Institute’s ground floor as the Janett Crain Seed of Hope Garden. 

Larry Crain Sr. pledged $1 million to honor his late wife, Janett
Larry Crain Sr. pledged $1 million to honor his late wife, Janett
Kim and Chris Fowler of Jonesboro also made a $1 million gift in honor of James Suen, M.D.

Kim and Chris Fowler of Jonesboro also made a $1 million gift in honor of James Suen, M.D., who treated Chris when he was diagnosed with throat cancer in 2011. The donation put UAMS over the halfway mark toward its $30 million NCI designation goal. Chris Fowler is the president of Fowler Foods, Inc. He is a first-generation Taco Bell and a second-generation KFC franchisee owner. Together, Kim and Chris Fowler own and operate more than 91 KFCs and Taco Bell restaurants in an eight-state area.

  • Thousands of lives improved through your gifts
  • Together, we raised  $2.9 Million for cancer research
  • 11,600 hours given by you  through volunteerism

“These incredible gifts will provide critical resources to the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute as we pursue NCI Designation.” 

Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D. UAMS Vice Chancellor and Director of the Cancer Institute 

Filed Under: Support

We Appreciate Your Support

Be A Part of the Cure Walk

Even during a pandemic, support for the Cancer Institute continued with more energy and passion than ever. From a record turnout at our Be A Part of the Cure Walk, to successful Telethon and Partners Card fundraisers, and the countless volunteers who showed up rain or shine, we felt the love!

Learn More

Filed Under: Support

High School Student Earns Spot on Research Team

Little Rock Central High School Senior Anu Iyer balances life as a student and as a research intern with the UAMS Department of Biomedical Informatics.
Little Rock Central High School Senior Anu Iyer balances life as a student and as a research intern with the UAMS Department of Biomedical Informatics.

One of UAMS’ top cancer researchers, Fred Prior, Ph.D., was so impressed by his student mentee — Little Rock Central High School junior Anu Iyer — that he hired her. She now interns with Prior’s team with support from a $3,360 National Science Foundation grant to develop a more accurate machine learning tool for diagnosing multiple cancers and analyzing MRIs and pathology images. 

Three-minute thesis presentations by UAMS graduate students Moshin Ali, Matthew Thompson, Haley Lowe, Lance Benson, Katie Bronson and Haven Griffin showcased graduate student research at UAMS. But the highlight of the day was the high school and middle school student science fair poster presentations, which were observed by UAMS Cancer Institute members who discussed the projects with students. 

Cancer Institute member Fred Prior, Ph.D., served as mentor to Little Rock High School student Anu Iyer. Prior, who also serves as professor and chair of the UAMS Department of Biomedical Informatics, said her award-winning computer and research skills put her well ahead of her peers.

“Anu is one of the best programmers I’ve met in a while,” said Prior. “She’s very quick, very accurate, and her code is beautiful. I’m working with her like I would a graduate student, and that’s pretty amazing for someone in high school.”

Prior worked with Iyer as she interned at UAMS with support from a $3,360 National Science Foundation (NSF) grant to develop a more accurate machine learning tool for diagnosing multiple cancers by analyzing MRIs and pathology images. Her approach increased accuracy of diagnoses from less than 90% to nearly 96%. The work was published in November 2021 in the national Journal of Student Research.

The work also earned second place in the inaugural Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Special Award for Outstanding Cancer Research at the Arkansas State Science and Engineering Fair.

Filed Under: Training and Education

Celebration of Student Discovery Symposium

Winthrop P. Rockefeller Institute Director Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., takes an interest 
in a student research project.
Winthrop P. Rockefeller Institute Director Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., takes an interest
in a student research project. 

The UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute held its first Celebration of Student Discovery Symposium on April 14 for students and teachers in cancer research. High school students who won or placed in the regional and state science fairs were invited to present their work and spend the day immersed in the workings of the Cancer Institute. 

Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., professor in the UAMS Department of Pathology and associate director of the Cancer Institute’s Cancer Research Training and Education Core, kicked off the event with a welcome in the Sam Walton Auditorium on the Cancer Institute’s 10th floor.

“As we expand our own research here at the Cancer Institute, we also want to encourage cancer research among young scientists. Today, you will meet scientists who compete with rest of the nation and world and hold some of the most prestigious research grants available,” said Kelly, who himself holds an active grant from the National Cancer Institute.

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is home to 172 cancer research members with a combined $17.3 million in funding. 

During the day, students were treated to exclusive tours of areas typically off limits to the public, such as the National Proteomics Core. They also met in small groups with members of the Cancer Institute’s four research groups, including Steven Post, Ph.D., Cancer Biology; Hong-yu-Li, Ph.D., Developmental Therapeutics; Marjan Boerma, Ph.D., and Stephanie Byrum, Ph.D., DNA Damage and Host Repair; and Gunnar Boysen, Ph.D., Cancer Prevention and Population Sciences. 

Fresh from presenting his research at the American Association of Cancer Research Annual Meeting, UAMS cancer researcher Jesus Delgado-Calle, Ph.D., led a lively discussion with young investigators.

“We want to open their eyes to the high caliber of research being done right here in their home state — research we hope they will contribute to someday,” said Kelly. 

Kelly, who juggles research, teaching in the UAMS College of Medicine and directing training and education for the Cancer Institute, considers the time he has spent at high school, regional and state science fairs well spent. 

“Encouraging and providing opportunities for young scientists is an important part of our mission,” said Kelly. “I’ve seen some great science in high schools this year from students who are enthusiastic and excited. Many of us here have been able to have that enthusiasm throughout our careers and they can, too.” 

Though the program is designed to support future cancer researchers, Kelly says the UAMS research mentors who have worked with students also have gotten a lot out of the program. 

Fred Prior, Ph.D.
Fred Prior, Ph.D.
(Image credit: Paul Gulledge)

One of UAMS’ top cancer researchers, Fred Prior, Ph.D., was so impressed by his student mentee — Little Rock Central High School junior Anu Iyer — that he hired her. She now interns with Prior’s team with support from a $3,360 National Science Foundation grant to develop a more accurate machine learning tool for diagnosing multiple cancers and analyzing MRIs and pathology images. 

Three-minute thesis presentations by UAMS graduate students Moshin Ali, Matthew Thompson, Haley Lowe, Lance Benson, Katie Bronson and Haven Griffin showcased graduate student research at UAMS. But the highlight of the day was the high school and middle school student science fair poster presentations, which were observed by UAMS Cancer Institute members who discussed the projects with students. 

Cancer Institute Director and UAMS Vice Chancellor Michael Birrer, M.D., Ph.D., presented the 2022 Outstanding Cancer Research Awards to the following students

Bhavana Sridharan, First Place
Arkansas State Science Fair and Little Rock Central High School Science Fair 

Amna Khan, Runner Up
Arkansas State Science Fair and Little Rock Central High School Science Fair 

Aungsula Pathak, First Place
Senior Division, Arkansas Regional Science Fair, Little Rock Central
High School 

Siddharth Sridharan
First Place, Junior Division, Arkansas Regional Science Fair, LISA Academy

Sridharan, a Little Rock Central High School sophomore, won the institute’s top award with her project, “In vitro evaluation of the antioxidant potential and differential effects of punicalagin in normal and breast cancer cells.” 

A lifelong vegetarian, Sridharan studied the cancer-fighting potential of punicalagin, a bioactive component of pomegranate extract. Much of her research focuses on the health benefits of plant extracts and the connection between diet and cancer. 

Kahn, a senior at Little Rock Central, won the institute and the state science fair runner up awards with her project, “FRET-based combination drug with enhanced photothermal therapy.” 

Kahn, who won the institute’s top award in 2021, researched two different types of cancer therapies, photothermal therapy and chemotherapy in one compound, using a mechanism to transfer energy from a chemotherapy drug to a photothermal
therapy drug. 

The Celebration of Student Discovery Symposium is part of the institute’s comprehensive research training and education program that includes support for faculty members, undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral fellows. 

Filed Under: Training and Education

The Future of Cancer Research

Thomas J. Kelly, Ph.D.
Thomas J. Kelly, Ph.D.
(Image credit: Evan Lewis)

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute Office of Cancer Research Training and Education works to integrate training and education of UAMS biomedical researchers and health professionals into program efforts to further the scientific mission of the Cancer Institute and to enrich the careers of its members. The office leads programs to train the next generation of cancer researchers who are very young (K-12) all the way to junior faculty (KL2). 

In the past year, we have focused a lot on early exposure to cancer research through our partnership with the Little Rock School District. As you will read in these pages, our work with high school science teachers and students has been some of the most rewarding. We have a great group of future scientific leaders coming out of our schools.

In a first, high school science fair winners were invited to the Cancer Institute for a day of learning and exploring.
In a first, high school science fair winners were invited to the Cancer Institute for a day of learning and exploring.
Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., Cancer Research Training and Education director, accepts a plaque from the Little Rock School District recognizing the Cancer Institute as a Partner in Education.
Thomas Kelly, Ph.D., Cancer Research Training and Education director, accepts a plaque from the Little Rock School District recognizing the Cancer Institute as a Partner in Education.

Filed Under: Training and Education

Community Advisory Board

Cancer Institute
(Image credit: Bryan Clifton/UAMS)

Helps Steer the COE Ship

In October 2021, the Community Outreach and Engagement Office (COE) of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute established an advisory board comprised of 15 people representing every area of the state. The board’s role is an important one — to guide the Cancer Institute in how to meet the cancer needs of Arkansas. The board’s direction includes advising the cancer navigation program and prioritizing community-based cancer research. 

The board is a group of cancer survivors, caregivers, community members, doctors, nurses, pastors, business professionals, even a librarian, who work together to improve access to cancer prevention and treatment in
the state’s underserved communities. 

Laura Sparks of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, is one of three cancer survivors serving on the board. When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, there was no community outreach program.

“I didn’t have a cancer navigator, but I was the type to reach out to others and create my own support system,” she said. “Many people dealing with health issues do not have that. I can’t imagine what it would have been like not to have someone to help me find wigs, tell me when to expect my hair to fall out, and how to keep nausea at bay.” 

William Tolbert of Little Rock also provides the critical perspective of a cancer survivor on the board. He remembers feeling like he was a burden to others during his cancer fight. Had he not been treated close to home, he’s not sure he would have made it.

“Having a navigator close or a phone call away can be the difference between getting treated and death for many patients, especially if they already feel isolated geographically,” he said. “I know I didn’t want to be a burden, but I had someone to make me go to the doctor. Everyone needs someone in their corner to ease their mind so they can focus on their health. “It can be a long and lonely fight,” he said.

Much of the board’s work so far has involved connecting navigators to community partners who help them meet a variety of patient needs. More than 100 community partners are already at work across the state providing food, transportation and financial support. 

The board has also provided significant input on three cancer researcher studies, including the protocol review, instruments, recruitment methods and recommending changes, which were implemented into the research. Over the next few months the board will implement a statewide cancer needs assessment.

Filed Under: News

UAMS is Top Enroller in NCI’s Breast Cancer Screening Trial

Modeling the new Breast Center robes are Director Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D.; myeloma survivor Stuart Cobb; Board of Advisors President Natalie Rockefeller; and friends, Barbara Hoover, and her mother, Josephine Raye Rogers (seated). 
(Image credit: Bryan Clifton/UAMS)

UAMS is ranked in the top 25% of participating clinics.

The Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is a top participant in the National Cancer Institute’s TMIST (Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial). The study, which continues through 2027, compares two standard breast cancer screening methods — tomosynthesis (3D) mammograms and digital (2D) mammograms — and is designed to help researchers determine whether one method is better than the other at finding life-threatening breast cancers.

Led by the Cancer Institute’s Breast Center Director Gwendolyn Bryant-Smith, M.D., UAMS is ranked in the top 25% of participating clinics. Currently, the study includes 62,855 participants. The UAMS Breast Center has enrolled 354 participants to date and plans to continue enrolling through 2027 or until the study’s goal of 130,000 is met. UAMS has participated in the study since September 2019. 

The trial is open to women ages 45 to 74 who plan to get a routine screening mammogram at the UAMS Breast Center. Participants are randomly assigned to get either a 3D or 2D mammogram every one or two years for the first five years of the study. Researchers follow each woman’s breast cancer status for a total of eight years by reviewing medical records and possibly conducting phone interviews.

TMIST was developed by the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ECOG-ACRIN) Cancer Research Group and the National Cancer Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health. ECOG-ACRIN leads the trial.

To learn more about the study,  Call the Cancer Institute’s TMIST line  501-400-3195 or email us at TMISTstudy@uams.edu.

Filed Under: Clinical Trials

Researchers fight Myeloma 

Carolina Schinke, M.D.
(Image credit: Bryan Clifton/UAMS)

Clinical Trial for Drug to Battle Myeloma Underway at the UAMS Myeloma Center

Carolina Schinke, M.D., is leading a clinical trial at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Myeloma Center to study the effectiveness of a new myeloma-fighting drug, talquetamab. 

The trial is titled “A Phase 1/2, First-in-Human, Open-Label, Dose Escalation Study of Talquetamab, a Humanized GPRC5D x CD3 Bispecific Antibody, in Subjects with Relapsed or Refractory Multiple Myeloma.” Through it, researchers will study the response rates to talquetamab, a bispecific antibody. Schinke and other researchers are studying how effective the drug is, what the response rates are and how long they last. 

Bispecific antibodies like talquetamab act as connectors, collecting and binding a myeloma cell with a specific marker to one side and a T-cell to the other, bringing the two together so the T-cell become highly activated and kill the myeloma cell. The specific marker on the myeloma cells that talquetamab targets is called GPRC5D. 

Eight patients at the Myeloma Center, part of the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, are currently taking part in the trial and receiving treatments every other week, while another four are in the process of enrolling. The international phase II trial, held at UAMS and other locations around the U.S. and in Europe, will have 60 patients enrolled in it. 

Like the new CAR T-cell therapy treatment, talquetamab is best suited for relapsed patients who have exhausted all of their previously available treatment options and whose disease has progressed despite having been through at least three treatment lines.

“With the CAR T-cell treatment, we only have one company so far that’s been approved to offer it, it’s not easy get and the T-cells need to be collected and genetically manipulated, so the patient has to wait six weeks before they can even begin treatment,” Schinke said. “Those who are in dire need can’t wait that long.”

“There are other bispecific antibodies in clinical trials, but they target other markers, including BCMA on myeloma cells,” Schinke said. This is the first antibody targeting GPRC5D.

So far, about 70% to 80% of the patients are responding well to talquetamab, and the drug’s side effects appear to be mild. Those side effects may include a cytokine release syndrome in particular during early injections, low blood counts and potential damage to normal cells that produce GPRC5D, such as hair follicles and fingernails.

“All the patients we’ve enrolled have had a response, but early trial data has shown that this is unfortunately not going to be a cure,” Schinke said. “It’s just a matter of seeing how long it will last.

“All of the patients in the trial will be followed until their disease progresses. While talquetamab is the sole treatment in this clinical trial, efforts to combine it with other drugs in the future are already underway,” Schinke said. 

Filed Under: Clinical Trials

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