Medical News
UAMS Researcher Takes Aim at Drug-Resistant Myeloma
UAMS Myeloma Center researcher Fenghuang (Frank) Zhan, M.D., Ph.D., has spent his career in search of clues to help fight drug-resistant myeloma. His findings recently led him to establish a translational research project to beat drug-resistant myeloma for his 11-member myeloma research team, based at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. While the…
New Immune Therapies Provide Promising Advances in Myeloma Care
By Frits van Rhee, MD, Ph.D. Since the late 1990s, 16 drugs have been approved for the treatment of multiple myeloma, including proteasome inhibitors, such as bortezomib and carfilzomib, and the immunomodulatory class of agents comprising thalidomide, lenalidomide and pomalidomide. Immune therapy with the antibody daratumumab was first approved in 2015. These three classes of…
Graduate School Awards Reception Showcases Faculty, Student Achievements
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Graduate School recognized faculty and student successes at its Winter Awards Reception on Dec. 7 — and ushered in a new era. Sean Taverna, Ph.D., presided over his first official event as Graduate School dean since succeeding Robert E. McGehee, Jr., Ph.D., on Nov. 1. McGehee had…
Expanding the Field: Clinical Trials Diversity Benefits Myeloma Research
Clinical trials have long been an established part of medical research. The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Myeloma Center and the Clinical Trials Office work together to create a more diverse pool of clinical trial participants in the continuing research of multiple myeloma. Samer Al Hadidi, M.D., is a driving force in this…
From the Clinical Director
It is my great pleasure to present the Winter 2023 issue of the Myeloma magazine. The landscape of myeloma care is going through an unprecedented change due to the introduction of highly effective, groundbreaking novel immunotherapies. These new therapies include the patient’s own genetically enhanced immune cells also referred to as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cells. Other…
From The Director
Outstanding research Expert clinical care Robust clinical trials Broad reach into the catchment area and across the nation These are the hallmarks of any cancer center truly committed to changing the trajectory of cancer for the better. If you have visited the Myeloma Center at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, you have seen…
UAMS Researchers to Develop, Test PTSD Treatments for Incarcerated Individuals with Opioid Use Disorder
LITTLE ROCK — A research team from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) will develop and test new approaches to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) screening and treatment among incarcerated individuals who are eligible for opioid use disorder (OUD) services. The study, “Developing and Testing Innovative Care Pathways for Screening and Treatment of OUD/PTSD…
UAMS Performs First Kidney-Pancreas Transplant in Arkansas Since 1990s
The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), which is the only hospital in the state performing adult liver and kidney transplants, now offers pancreas transplants. Raj Patel, M.D., surgical director of pancreas transplantation at UAMS, successfully completed the first combined kidney-pancreas transplant in Arkansas since the 1990s on Sept. 1. The 27-year-old patient was…
Radiation Oncologist Ciani Ellison, M.D., Joins UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute
Ciani Ellison, M.D., a radiation oncologist specializing in the treatment of pediatric cancers has joined the Radiation Oncology Center at the Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. She is one of only two pediatric radiation oncologists in Arkansas, both at UAMS. Ellison also treats adult patients with gynecologic cancers, soft tissue…