COBRE Center for Cancer Research Development
at Rhode Island Hospital

COBRE CCRD What's New?

Director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology

Almost three years ago, when Peter Quesenberry, MD, became the new director of the division of hematology/oncology, we gained a strong advocate for basic and translational research with a deep appreciation for the synergistic relationship between strong basic research and excellence in patient care and treatment.

During his first two years at Rhode Island Hospital, Quesenberry has revitalized the clinical cancer program by expanding basic research, critical first steps toward his long-term goal of obtaining National Cancer Institute designation as a clinical cancer center.

As an internationally recognized expert in hematopoietic stem cell biology, Quesenberry brings to Rhode Island Hospital a well-integrated research program focused on innovative therapeutic applications for hematopoietic stem cells. With his “glass half full” outlook, Quesenberry has initiated innovative research programs aimed at generating productive interaction between basic and clinical research faculty.

Vice President of Research

Last year, Lifespan recruited Peter Snyder, Ph.D. to become the inaugural vice president of research for Lifespan. In his new position, Snyder will oversee research development for the Academic Medical Center (a collaboration of The Miriam, Rhode Island and Bradley hospitals). He will also hold an appointment at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University as professor of clinical neurosciences.

Snyder brings an extensive background din both clinical and basic research and comes to Lifespan from Pfizer Global Research and Development where he was a director in the central nervous system therapeutic area. He obtained a doctorate in clinical psychology from Michigan State University and completed his internship in clinical neuropschology and his post doctoral research at the Albert Einstein college of Medicine. Snyder is a welcome addition to Rhode Island Hospital who has the skill set needed to define programmatic objectives and a long-range vision of the Lifespan research enterprise.

New Division of Hematology/Oncology COBRE for Stem Cell Biology

Another promising development was the outstanding score received by Peter Quesenberry, MD, as the principle investigator of a COBRE devoted to stem cell biology. The research supported by this grant will complement studies ongoing in CCRD on tumor cells and liver progenitor cells. An underlying theme tying together projects supported by Quesenerry’s COBRE is the role of intercellular communication mediated by microvesicles in the development of cancer and stem cell differentiation. Investigators in Quesenberry’s laboratory have shown that bone marrow cells can be reprogrammed by epithelial cell microvesicles to express characteristic epithelial proteins. The hope is that microvesicles will provide a means to prime bone marrow stem cells for a particular pathway of differentiation, thereby increasing their ability to repair damaged tissues.

New Strategy for Promoting Collaborative Research

For people selling houses, the three most important factors are location, location and location. For cancer investigators, the big three are collaboration, collaboration and collaboration. Over the next five years, fostering collaborative interactions will be given a high priority by CCRD. Guided by recommendations from a research development committee composed of senior faculty members, the CCRD will promote the development of new research initiatives that examine the role of endodermal stem cells in gastrointestinal cancer. Realizing that junior investigators have limited resources and time, we have created a new position for a research facilitator, an experienced investigator who will assist investigators in procuring essential antibodies or reagenes, tissues, cell lines and the like. This person will also help with the design and implementation of animal experiments.

The recent acquisition of an imaging mass spectrometer has created another means for promoting collaborative research. With this instrumentation which was purchased with a $500,000 grant awarded to Djuro Josic, PhD, the director of the CCRD proteomics core, it will be possible to identify changes in the overall pattern of protein expression that occur in normal tissues by analyzing cells in intact tissues, thereby avoiding changes induced during cell isolation or cell culture. Proteins and peptides released as the section is canned with a high intensity laser are identified by a sophisticated mass spectrometer. Moreover, since the laser scans back and forth across the entire section, it is possible to determine the distribution and uniformity of a specific protein, valuable information for predicting the efficacy of gene-targeting therapies. Developing applications for imaging MS will provide many opportunities for interactions between basic research and clinical investigators that will lead to the identification of new biomarkers with diagnostic potential or with the ability to accurately predict sensitivity or resistance to treatment.

Efforts to engage oncologists in basic research have been a high priority for Quesenberry a priority that has been addressed with a program entitled “Cancer Cross Talk: the role of microvesicles.” The intent of this program is to extend recent studies showing that microvesicles from lung, liver and prostate can induce tissue specific protein expression in bone marrow derived stem cells. Tumor specific research teams composed of both clinical oncologists basic researches and a technical liaison will look at the underlying mechanisms by which microvesicles reprogram bone marrow stem cells. Clinical team members, with the assistance of the team liaison, will be responsible for obtaining informed consent for use of tissues, harvesting tissues, assembling clinical data on each patient and reviewing and reporting results. Laboratory team members will establish target cell lines and perform expression analysis using a variety of established techniques. This is an innovative approach to involving clinical oncologists in basic research, an approach that should yield high dividends.

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