CLINICAL TRIALS:  

 1. Tomosynthesis Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial Study ID TEMIST, OHS–REB #20170652–01H, Funding source ECOG–ACRIN Sponsor: Canadian Cancer Trials Group (see CCTG)

Role: Surgical pathology review of cases for the study

The purpose of this study is to investigate whether a new type of x-ray breast imaging system called breast tomosynthesis is as good, or better, and finding breast cancer as digital mammography which is our current standard technology to screen for cancer.  

 2.   Triple Negative Breast Cancer Markers in Liquid Biopsies using Artificial Intelligence Study ID TRICIA, OCREB #1934, Sponsored to his General Hospital

Role: Surgical pathology review of cases for the study

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC), is named as such because these tumors do not express hormone receptors and HER-2 receptor, and therefore the usual approved therapies that target these receptors are not effective in treating this type of cancer.  Therefore, chemotherapy is considered the best available treatment for TNBC, and it can be given prior to surgery to reduce the tumor size.  However, not all patients will have their tumors disappear with chemotherapy and in these patients, the tumor will be found by the surgeon at the time of surgery.  A recent clinical trial reported that additional chemotherapy with a drug called Capecitabine given after surgery, can decrease the cancer of the tumor coming back in a subgroup of these patients.  As cells grow and divide deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA) that are normally located inside the cell can sometimes get released into the bloodstream.  Small pieces of DNA released by dividing cells have long been known to be present in the blood of patients with a variety of medical conditions; the selected DNA is also called cell free-DNA (cfDNA).  In recent years, scientists have discovered that they can detect cancer by analyzing cfDNA from tumor cells using special blood tests (sometimes referred to as liquid biopsies).  Cell free-DNA (cfDNA) may be used to detect early signs of cancer.  In addition to cfDNA, blood contains small microscopic vesicles that can contain tumor DNA as well as other markers such as protein ribonucleic acid (RNA).  Analysis of these vesicles can result in the identification of markers to detect cancer using a blood test.   The purpose of the study is to better understand which patients will benefit from further chemotherapy following surgery as well as tumor response to chemotherapy in TNBC.  The sponsor will collect plasma samples, call liquid biopsies and any leftover tumor sample available in the pathology department.  They will perform special lab test on the samples and then use specialized computer programming termed artificial intelligence to look at the results.  Artificial intelligence is based on the idea of using computer programs to find the best parameters to define data.  

 3. A Phase II Window of Opportunity Trial of PRMT5 Inhibitor, GSK3326595, in Early Stage Breast Cancer (OTT-19-06) ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04676516

Role: Surgical pathology review of cases for the study

This is a phase II, randomized, open label, multi-center, parallel design, window of opportunity trial in up to 60 patients with early stage Hormone Receptor (HR) positive breast cancer evaluating GSK3326595. In a 2:1 randomization, patients will receive GSK3326595:no treatment for 15 +/- 3 days prior to breast surgery. There is no placebo in this trial. Primary Outcome Measures: 1. Complete cell cycle arrest (CCCA) [ Time Frame: 2 years ] The primary outcome is the proportion of patients who achieve a Complete Cell Cycle Arrest (CCCA), defined as a reduction in the proportion of Ki67 positively staining cells to ≤ 2.7%.  

 4. TAILOR RT: A Randomized Trial of Regional Radiotherapy in Biomarker Low-Risk Node Positive and T3N0 Breast Cancer, ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03488693  

Role: Surgical pathology review of cases for the study

Women with node positive breast cancer normally will receive endocrine therapy and some may receive chemotherapy to help prevent the cancer from coming back. Many women will also receive radiotherapy to the whole breast/chest area and the surrounding lymph glands (called regional radiotherapy). No one really knows whether patients with low risk breast cancer need to receive regional radiotherapy. Some women may be getting regional radiotherapy who do not need it. These women may be exposed to the side effects of their treatment without benefit. Primary Outcome Measures: 1. compare the breast cancer recurrence-free interval (BCRFI) between patients that received regional RT or not [ Time Frame: 9.5 years]

GRANTS:

1.  PALM, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Funding, The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, The University of Ottawa, ON. Molecular characterization of atypical spindle cell lesions on endometrial biopsy specimens; $9000. (2013-2014)  

2.  PALM, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Funding, The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, The University of Ottawa, ON. Cadherin-Catenin Expression Profile in Ovarian Carcinomas by Tissue Microarrays (TMA) with Clinicopathologic Correlation; $15, 000. (2010-2011)       

3.  PALM, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Funding, The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The Ottawa Hospital, The University of Ottawa, ON. Cadherin-Catenin Expression Profile in Primary Invasive Breast Carcinomas by Tissue Microarrays (TMA) with Clinicopathologic Correlation; $15, 000. (2007-2008)      

4.  Cancer Research Society and Canadian Institute of Health Research, The Role of BRCA1 in DNA Damage and Repair in Sporadic Epithelial Ovarian Cancer- collaborator with the Division of Gynaecologic Oncology, The Ottawa Hospital. (2007-2008)
      
5.  Anatomic Pathology Divisional AFP Reallocation Committee, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON. The Role of Gene Expression Profile to Characterize Thyroid Neoplasm; $20,000.  (2006-2007)          

6.  Anatomic Pathology Divisional AFP Reallocation Committee, Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, The University of Ottawa, The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, ON. Cadherin Expression Profile in Urinary Bladder and Prostate Carcinomas and its Role in Diagnosis and Prognosis; $20,000. (2006-2007)  

7.  Eleanor Wood-Prince Grants Initiative, a project of the Woman’s Board of Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago, Illinois, USA. The Role of N-Cadherin in Ovarian Cancer and its Correlation with Clinicopathologic Characteristics; $50,000 US. (2004)         

8.  Travel grant from the College of American Pathologists for the American Society of Investigative Pathology, October 1999, NIH, Bethesda, Maryland; $2000 US. (1999)         

9.  Training and Travel grant from The American Association for Cancer to participate in the Histopathobiology of Neoplasia Workshop, July 1995 Keystone Conference Center, Keystone, Colorado; $1500 US. (1995)               

10.  Doctoral research was funded by grants from National Institutes of Health (NIH), the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, Ohio Board of Regents, and the U.S. Department of Defence. These grants were awarded to Dr. Islam’s mentors Dr. Margaret J. Wheelock and Dr. Keith R. Johnson who are two lead scientists in the field of Cadherin. (1993-1998)            

11.  While at the University of Toledo, Department of Biology, Dr. Islam was instrumental in research for his mentors Dr. Margaret J. Wheelock’s National Institutes of Health Grants R01GM051188-03, R01GM051188-04, and 2R01GM051188-05, R01GM051188-06, titled Aspects of Cadherin / Catenin Complexes. This grant was awarded for fiscal years 1996,1997, 1998 and 1999. The 1998 grant alone was for $262,030. (1993-1998)           

12.  The American Heart Association also provided funds to Dr. Wheelock and Dr. Johnson that played a direct role in Dr. Islam’s PhD research. Every year the Ohio Board of Regents provides research funds for innovative projects that heighten the prestige and importance of Ohio institutions, including Dr. Islam’s research in cell and molecular biology. The U.S. Department of Defence also provided funds for my PhD studies to advance the field of cell and molecular biology. (1993-1998)