In the News

View a Webcast of Dr. Kevin Slawin's Recent Lecture at the European Association of Urology in Barcelona Spain Chronicling the Development of the [-2]proPSA Prostate Screening Test

May 29, 2010

View a Webcast of Dr. Kevin Slawin’s recent lecture at the European Association of Urology in Barcelona Spain chronicling the development of the [-2]proPSA prostate screening test, a product of work he initiated a decade ago (See February 9th and May 11th news items below). Pivotal trial results of the performance of the Beckman Coulter “Prostate Health Index”, based on this test, were presented at the American Urological Association meeting in San Francisco May 30 – June 3, 2010 (view 1st abstract, view 2nd abstract). The Vanguard Urologic Research Foundation was a key participant in these important studies currently under review by the FDA. For more coverage of this new test, visit http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2010/04/20/coming-soon-beckman-coulters-prostate-health-index/

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. Click here to view the Video. back to top

VUI Partner Dr. Tung Shu to Lecture at BIT's 3rd World Cancer Congress 2010 in Singapore

May 26, 2010

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Center for Kidney Health will be lecturing on urologic cancers for the BIT's 3rd World Cancer Congress 2010 at the Singapore EXPO in Singapore from June 22nd through the 25th. This year's theme will be Health Science without Borders.

Click here to read Dr. Tung Shu's bio. Official BIT World Cancer Congress website. back to top

New Prostate Cancer Screening Test Approved in Europe and Awaiting FDA Regulatory Determination in the U.S.

May 11, 2010

Prostate cancer remains the leading cancer diagnosed and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in men in the United States. Despite these sobering statistics, and the common sense notion that earlier detection through prostate cancer screening can reduce these numbers, there remains significant controversy about the role prostate cancer screening should play in the management of this disease. At the root of this controversy is the use of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test in prostate cancer screening, which has been the mainstay of early detection programs since its development in the early 1990’s. When elevated, the PSA blood test signifies an abnormality in the prostate gland but it is not specific enough to differentiate prostate cancer from other benign problems in the prostate gland, including benign enlargement or inflammation. In order to determine the cause of the PSA elevation, a urologist must perform a prostate biopsy which, while safe, may sometimes lead to complications like infection.

Recently published randomized clinical trials have demonstrated this lack of specificity associated with PSA-based screening leads to some overdiagnosis and overtreatment for each life saved. Based on these findings, the American Cancer Society recently updated their screening recommendations cautioning against routine PSA-based screening without careful input from each patient’s physician, and the American Urologic Association, while reaffirming their support for PSA-based screening beginning at age 40, also emphasized the importance of an individualized approach directed by physicians. Despite these controversies, it is widely agreed that new screening tests that are more specific for identifying aggressive cancers would be a major advance in the field.  Over the past two decades, research into the molecular biology of PSA has led to advancements and new tests that have move the field closer to this goal. In 1998, based on a pivotal clinical trial performed by six leading investigators nationwide, including Kevin Slawin, M.D., director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, the FDA approved the “free PSA” test as a more specific way to differentiate between men with prostate cancer and those with a benign condition when the PSA blood test was modestly elevated. “The PSA test has evolved in the same way measuring cholesterol has,” says Dr. Slawin. “We used to evaluate cholesterol as a single level but now we look at the ratio of LDL (“bad cholesterol”) to HDL (“good cholesterol”) to predict the risk of heart disease. In a similar way, the “free” or “good” PSA in a ratio with the total PSA improved the specificity of PSA testing and reduced the risk of unnecessary biopsies in men with an elevated PSA.

However, over the next decade, through successful use of these tests in ferreting out many men with prostate cancer, the “free” PSA test has lost much of its ability to enhance the specificity of PSA based screening, leaving doctors back to the drawing board in searching for a better, more specific prostate cancer screening test.

Dr. Slawin, instrumental in performing the pivotal studies that led to FDA approval of the free PSA test, has now once again played a leading role in advancing the field of PSA and prostate cancer screening. In studies initiated in his laboratory and published back in 2000, he and his co-workers discovered two novel, disease specific forms of “free” PSA, BPSA or “benign” PSA associated with benign enlargement of the prostate, and [-2]proPSA, associated with prostate cancer. Now, after a decade of clinical development by Beckman Coulter, Inc., which licensed this technology, and after completing pivotal international clinical trials, has obtained regulatory approval for a new test, the “Prostate Health Index (phi)” in Europe and is awaiting a decision by the FDA for determination of this test in the United States. The results of these trials, to be presented at the Annual Urological Association meeting this spring, demonstrated that the “phi” improved the specificity of PSA by 3-fold for the detection of prostate cancer, fulfilling the call for more specific tests to screen and diagnose prostate cancer. Furthermore, researchers at Johns Hopkins recently reported that the phi could also help determine which cancers were the more aggressive needing treatment and which might be safely monitored.

‘It’s been gratifying to play a role in moving the field of prostate cancer screening and early detection forward over the years with focused research on the problem”, Dr. Slawin said. “I’m excited that work we began a decade ago is now finally achieving regulatory approval so that patients and physicians can benefit” he added. Dr. Slawin is continuing his work in advancing the field of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, and is a leader in robotic surgery for prostate cancer, and in developing protocols for active surveillance, focal therapy and other modalities of therapy including advance image guided radiation therapy, vaccine therapy, etc.
Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. Click here to view the Video.

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A New Vaccine Technology Shows Promise in the Treatment of Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

April 29, 2010

In a development likely to be viewed as a major milestone in the history of cancer therapy, the Food and Drug Administration on April 29, 2010 approved the first cancer vaccine, Provenge, developed by Dendreon Corp. for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In clinical trials, it extended the lives of patients about four months compared with placebo, longer than the 2 to 3 month survival advantage gained using the only other approved therapy for these patients, docetaxel chemotherapy, but without the serious side effects including fatigue, hair loss and neuropathy associated with chemotherapy. One unusual aspect of treatment with Provenge that has generated controversy is that the vaccine doesn’t shrink tumors or change the PSA level in most patients, so while the vaccine extends survival, patients have no way of knowing whether the vaccine is working.

Now, researchers at the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center are conducting a trial to test an innovative vaccine product, BPX-101, that builds on this success but will hopefully lead to more effective, longer responses in patients while maintaining the safety and lack of side effects seen with Provenge.

BPX-101 is a novel cancer vaccine specifically designed to be “activated” precisely at the optimal time and location in the body through the administration of an activating agent called AP1903. AP1903 acts as a molecular “key” that exactly fits a complementary molecular “switch” engineered into the cells comprising the vaccine product. AP1903 is administered to patients once vaccinated cells have traveled to local lymph nodes, where activation leads to a potent immune response against the targeted cancer cells. BPX-101 is designed to be effective against a broad range of cancers, including prostate cancer.

Developed by Kevin Slawin, M.D., a nationally recognized expert in prostate disease and director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine researcher David Spencer, Ph.D., the promising new therapy is mid-way through completion of the first-in-human Phase I-II clinical trial for patients with mCRPC, with the results recently reported in a Late-Breaking abstract session at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research held recently in Washington, D.C.

The trial was designed to establish the safety and maximum tolerated dose of BPX-101 in combination with activating agent AP1903, administered every other week for six doses. Exploratory efficacy endpoints include radiological and biochemical assessments of clinical response, and assessments of serum and biopsy samples for systemic and antigen-specific immunological responses.

Interim data from six subjects shows the combination of BPX-101, with no unexpected drug-related adverse events reported. Clinical responses, including shrinking tumors and reduced PSA levels, were evident within the first 12 weeks of treatment, in both low and mid dose cohorts.

The apparent dose-response correlation between clinical and immunological responses will be further investigated in six subjects now enrolling in the final, high dose cohort. “We are very excited and encouraged by this early data, which appears to contradict the prevailing belief that while cancer vaccines can prolong overall survival, they do not elicit measurable clinical or biomarker responses in the near term,” said Dr. Slawin. “We look forward to completing our trial later this year and initiating Phase II trials in 2011.”

All procedures are being conducted on an outpatient basis at the Memorial Hermann-TMC Clinical Research Unit under the auspices of The University of Texas Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. KPRC Local 2 News story. Houston Chronicle/NY Times story. KHOU Channel 11 News story.back to top

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Center for Kidney Health at the Vanguard Urologic Institute presenting as the 2010 Herbert Seybold Lecturer in Urology at UTMB Galveston

April 29, 2010

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Center for Kidney Health will be presenting as the 2010 Herbert Seybold Lecturer in Urology at annual meeting of the Singleton Surgical Society at UTMB Galveston on Friday, June 11th, 2010. This program will be held on campus in the Caduceus Room. Organized in April of 1953, the Singleton Surgery Society was established in honor of Albert Olin Singleton, Professor of Surgery from 1927 - 1947 at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Tung Shu is a renowned urologist with many subspecialties including treatment of the Prostate, Bladder and Kidneys. For additional information on Dr. Shu, you may read his bio below.

Click here to read Dr. Tung Shu's bio. back to top

VUI leader Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of Urology at Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center, Among Elite Group of Prostatectomy Experts in the Nation

February 15, 2010

A recent study published in The Journal of Urology suggests that prostate cancer patients treated by more experienced urologic surgeons achieve improved results.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in American men, who have about a 1 in 6 chance of being diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime. Radical prostatectomy, performed either through a standard incision, or more recently through a robotic-assisted minimally invasive approach, is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon attempts to remove the cancer-containing prostate gland, without damaging the surrounding structures that control sexual and urinary function.

According to the study, “Low Annual Caseloads of United States Surgeons Conducting Radical Prostatectomy”, conducted by Caroline Savage and Andrew Vickers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a surgeon needs to have completed a minimum of 250 prostatectomies to reach the “learning curve plateau” at which point cancer cure is maximized and surgical complications minimized. After adjusting for tumor severity, a typical patient treated by a surgeon who reached the learning curve plateau had a 10.9% risk of recurrence at 5 years compared to 17.7% for those treated by a less experienced surgeon. Similarly, surgical complications were decreased by 20% in patients treated by the highest versus the lowest volume surgeons studied.

Furthermore, for the 75% of patients diagnosed today with cancers still confined to the prostate gland, the most highly experienced surgeons, those who had performed at least 1,500 prior surgeries, achieved recurrence rates of less than 1%, suggesting that recurrence is largely dependent on surgical technique.

Despite these findings, the study authors found that approximately 25 percent of United States surgeons performing radical prostatectomy surgery perform only a single procedure per year, while about 80 percent of surgeons performed fewer than 10 procedures per year. Nationally, only 1.8 percent of surgeons perform more than 50 prostatectomies per year. The study also concluded that most surgeons will never reach the key threshold of 250 radical prostatectomy cases in their surgical careers.

“Practice patterns in which the majority of prostate cancer patients undergoing surgery are treated by surgeons performing fewer than 10 procedures a year suggest that better results may be achievable for many of these men. The study provided data that supports what common sense suggests; that a more experienced surgeon will likely produce more positive results for patients undergoing a procedure as technically complex and challenging as radical prostatectomy,” said Kevin Slawin, M.D., director of urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and the Vanguard Urologic Institute.

In a February 13 article on the outcomes achievable with either open or robotic prostatectomy reported on the front page of the New York Times, respected NYT medical correspondent Gina Kolata suggested that experienced surgeons achieve the best outcomes regardless of the approach. However as Dr. Michael Barry, a professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital said in the article, “Everyone tends to cite data from centers of excellence as though they were their own,”. The handful of expert surgeons in both open and robotic prostatectomy quoted in the article had performed thousands, not tens or even hundreds, of operations.

During the course of his career, Dr. Slawin, a nationally renowned urologist and prostate specialist, has performed more than 1,700 prostatectomies, consistently averaging between 100 – 150 cases per year for more than a decade. This makes him a member of this small, select group of surgeons in the country that are true experts in the field.

Since joining Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in 2007, Dr. Slawin has continued his high volume practice in early stage prostate cancer, and has broadened his focus to patients with more advanced disease, spearheading the clinical development of a novel cancer vaccination technology for metastatic, castration resistant prostate cancer.

Just this month, Dr. Slawin was recognized as one of America's Top Doctors in Urology & Cancer for 2009 - 2010 by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. Dr. Slawin has consistently been recognized as one of America's Top Doctors for over a decade as a leader in his field.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio.back to top

Dr. Kevin Slawin to lecture at the European Association of Urology in Barcelona about a New Blood Test for the Screening and Detection of Prostate Cancer

February 9, 2009

Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute and the Texas Prostate Center will be presenting to the European Association of Urology at the Fira Gran Via Convention Centre in Barcelona on April 19th. His presentation, titled’ “Serum Prostate Health Index (phi) Significantly Increases Specificity when Selecting Men for Biopsy”, will review the discovery of molecular forms of free PSA associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and prostate cancer made in his laboratory, and their subsequent clinical development culminating in the new Prostate Health Index (phi), that incorporates -2proPSA, a novel form of free PSA, together with total PSA and free PSA, into a new index to identify men at higher risk of prostate cancer. The Prostate Health Index (phi) immunoassay is marketed by Beckman Coulter in Europe and is pending FDA review in the United States.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio.  Click here to view Event Flyer.  Click here to visit Beckman Coulter. Click here to view the Video.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.back to top

Dr. Kevin Slawin recognized as one of America's Top Doctor's in Urology & Cancer for 2009 - 2010 by Castle Connelly's established survey and research process

January 21, 2009

Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute was once again recognized as one of America's Top Doctors in Urology & Cancer for 2009 - 2010 by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a healthcare research and information company that has an established survey and research process, under the direction of an MD, involving tens of thousands of top doctors in America and the medical leadership of leading hospitals.

Dr. Slawin has consistently been recognized as one of America's Top Doctors for over a decade as a leader in his field.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. back to top

Dr. Tung Shu establishes the Center for Kidney Health at the Vanguard Urologic Institute

January 1, 2010

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, announces the establishment of the Center for Kidney Health. The Center for Kidney Health focuses on the management of kidney diseases/conditions such as benign and malignant kidney tumors, ureteral diseases (e.g. ureteropelvic junction obstruction and ureteral obstruction) and kidney stone management. The Kidney Cancer Program is an integrated, multidisciplinary team of specialists in urology, oncology, and radiology offering the highest standard of patient care and current treatment advances. Our comprehensive evaluation, personalized treatment and minimally invasive approach provide a seamless integration of medical care. Our Kidney Stone Management Program offers a multidisciplinary management approach to the treatment of kidney stones and is designed for all patients who suffer from renal stone disease. Dr. Shu sets a plan of long-term management for recovery and prevention designed to keep the patients free of future kidney stones.

Click here to read Dr. Tung Shu's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.

John Dodge establishes the Center for Male Sexual Health and Wellness to focus on the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

August 14, 2009

John Dodge, PA-C, M.P.A.S announces the establishment of The Center for Male Sexual Health and Wellness at the Vanguard Urologic Institute.  The Center will provide evaluation and management of erectile dysfunction in the broader context of health issues that impact the incidence and treatment of this problem that commonly affects men as they age, including cardiovascular health, testosterone levels and replacement, prostate enlargement and elevated prostate specicific antigen (PSA) levels.

Click here to read John Dodge's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.

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Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute and Consulting Chief Medical Office for Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, announces initiation of Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial of a Novel Vaccine for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer
 

August 6, 2009

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced dosing of the first patient in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BP-GMAX-CD1, a novel pharmacologically regulated dendritic cell vaccine for the treatment of prostate cancer. The disease-specific trial is being conducted under a Bellicum Investigational New Drug application allowed by the FDA in 2008. The company anticipates reporting initial results of the study in 2010. 

BP-GMAX-CD1 is a novel cancer vaccine that can be precisely activated at an optimal time and location in the body. It is produced by genetically modifying autologous antigen-loaded dendritic cells to express an inducible costimulatory CD40 (iCD40) receptor. Twenty-four hours after intradermal administration, these genetically modified dendritic cells are activated in draining lymph nodes by intravenous administration of AP1903, a small-molecule dimerizer agent developed by ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARIA). In this way, the immune system’s innate homeostasis is overridden and a potent and durable antigen-specific T cell response may be generated.

The dose-escalation trial will evaluate the safety of BP-GMAX-CD1 and AP1903 in a minimum of 24 patients with androgen independent prostate cancer (also known as castrate resistant prostate cancer or CRPC). Six doses will be administered on a weekly or every other week schedule, with responses assessed at week 13. Patients whose disease has not progressed at the end of this acute phase will be eligible to receive booster vaccinations every eight weeks for up to one year. Exploratory efficacy endpoints include prostate-specific antigen dynamics, circulating tumor cell count, antigen-specific immune response, and clinical response.

Bellicum consulting Chief Medical Officer, Kevin M. Slawin, M.D., stated, “This first clinical trial of BP-GMAX-CD1 is designed to establish proof of principle for our core iCD40 technology, which has been engineered to overcome the critical potency limitations of previous cancer vaccine strategies. Dosing the first patient is an exciting and significant milestone in our quest to deliver safer and more effective therapies to patients with advanced cancer.”

The small-molecule dimerizer, AP1903, and the ARGENT™ cell-signaling regulation technology underlying BP-GMAX-CD1 were licensed from ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AP1903 is designed to bring together two proteins and activate them. In the case of BP-GMAX-CD1, administration of AP1903 to patients leads to controlled activation of the ARGENT-regulated protein iCD40. AP1903 was previously shown by ARIAD to be well-tolerated with defined pharmacokinetics in a Phase 1 clinical trial. 

“This is an exciting application of ARIAD’s dimerizer technology, with the potential for therapeutic benefit linked to precise control of signaling events inside cells,” stated Timothy P. Clackson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of ARIAD. “We congratulate Bellicum on this first application of the dimerizer technology in cancer patients.”

For additional information or to learn how to participate in this Clinical Trial, you may access www.clinicaltrials.gov here.

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Dr. Kevin Slawin establishes the Center for Screening, Prevention, Detection, Surveillance, and Minimally Invasive and Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

August 1, 2009

The Vanguard Center for Screening, Prevention, Detection, Surveillance, and Minimally Invasive and Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer was developed specifically to bring to bear the entire body of knowledge with respect to controversial issues surrounding PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.  We apply the most up to date knowledge and guidelines, and use the latest online web-enabled nomograms and other tools, to help men make the best, most well-informed decisions that fits each man’s philosophy and goals with respect to his health and lifestyle

Dr. Slawin will serve as the Director of the Center.  Dr. Shu, the Director of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, will also be seeing and treating patients in the Center.

Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.

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Dept. of Urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, headed by VUI leader Dr. Kevin Slawin, earns distinction as one of the nation's top Urology programs in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" for the second year in a row

July 16, 2009

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has earned distinction as one of the nation's top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" issue for the second year in a row in the categories of kidney disease and urology.

Just 174 hospitals of more than 5,100 U.S. hospitals meet the rigorous criteria required to be recognized as a "Top 50 hospital" in key medical/surgical specialties.The magazine scores the quality of inpatient care based on each hospital's teaching status, advanced technological capabilities, patient volumes, reputation with physicians, mortality statistics, nursing proficiency and other measures relevant to each specialty.

"Continued national recognition for our programs speaks to the combination of innovation and medical expertise from our University of Texas Medical School at Houston partners and the caring nurses and staff at Memorial Hermann-TMC who work diligently to uphold the highest standards of patient care," says Juanita Romans, CEO, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. "The care offered at Memorial Hermann-TMC is found only among national leaders in medicine, and that's what makes us one of America's best hospitals."

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center is home to the Vanguard Urologic Institute, headed by world-renowned urologist and researcher Dr. Kevin Slawin. Dr. Slawin, professor in the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is a leader in prostate cancer research.

In July 2009, the first patient was enrolled in an early phase clinical trial for men with advanced prostate cancer, evaluating a novel prostate cancer vaccine technology developed by Dr. Slawin and his colleagues.

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Vanguard physicians now participate in a number of insurance plans

June 9, 2009

Our physicians are now “in network” providers for the following insurance plans.  Click here to visit our Insurance Participation page.
 

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Dr. Christopher Jayne joins Vanguard Urologic Institute specializing in urogynecology and voiding dysfunction at the Texas Continence Center, now known as the Rodney A. Appell Center for Continence and Pelvin Health 

March 1, 2009

Christopher J. Jayne, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., a board-certified gynecologist with expertise in urogynecology, voiding dysfunction, pelvic pain and female sexual dysfunction, has joined the medical staff at the Vanguard Urologic Institute’s Rodney A. Appell Center for Continence and Pelvic Health and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

A native of central New York, Dr. Jayne graduated with honors from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. After completing a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in 2000, he served on active duty with the United States Air Force through June 2003.

In August 2003, he founded the Center for Women’s Sexual Health at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, specializing in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain. As the medical director, he also participated in clinical research as a principal and coordinating investigator through June 2008. Dr. Jayne was pursuing additional subspecialty training in urology, a rarity among gynecologists, under the tutelage of world-renowned urologic surgeon Rodney Appell, M.D., when Dr. Appell passed suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2009. As Dr. Appell’s fellow, Dr. Jayne focused on the diagnosis and treatment of voiding dysfunction and incontinence in men and women. Dr. Jayne plans to continue in the great tradition established by Dr. Appell, providing state of-the-art diagnosis in Vanguard’s on-site Urodynamics Laboratory, and treatment to men and women with incontinence and voiding dysfunction.

Dr. Jayne will also continue his research interests, focusing on incontinence and novel methods of treating these disorders. Dr. Jayne has clinical faculty appointments at the Scott Department of Urology and the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also certified by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists.

Click here to read Dr. Jayne's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.
 

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World-renowned surgeon Rodney A. Appell, M.D., Director of the Texas Continence Center, passed away on January 19, 2009 

January 20, 2009

World-renowned surgeon Rodney Appell, M.D., Director of the Texas Continence Center, in the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, died on January 19, 2009, following an illustrious career in academic urology. Prior to joining Vanguard in 2008, he served as a professor of urology and gynecology and chief of the Division of Voiding Dysfunction and Female Urology at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Appell was also a clinical professor in the Department of Urology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and a member of the medical staff at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. In honor of his memory and outstanding contributions to urology, the center will be renamed the Rodney A. Appell Center for Continence and Pelvic Health.

Dr. Appell grew up in Philadelphia and earned his undergraduate degree at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He attended medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and went on to complete his residency training in urology at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Appell served on the faculty at Louisiana State University in New Orleans and spent many years practicing at the Cleveland Clinic. He moved to Houston in 2000, joining the faculty of the Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Appell received numerous awards, including, most recently, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology. He was a member of many professional societies and served on the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee of the National Association for Continence and both the Guidelines Committee and the Special Women’s Issues in Urology Committee of the American Urological Association. Dr. Appell was also on the editorial boards of several publications, including the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, International Urogynecology Journal, Journal of Urology, International Journal of the Proctological and Perineal Diseases, Neurourology and Urodynamics and Urology. During the past 25 years, he was invited as visiting professor or speaker at more than 800 national and international society meetings, symposia and conferences. He was awarded many grants to investigate urinary incontinence and authored or coauthored more than 150 journal articles, 16 books and 40 book chapters. His research interests were injectable agents for stress urinary incontinence and pharmacological agents for the overactive bladder.

Dr. Appell was also an extraordinary teacher and mentor, having trained countless students, residents and fellows in the art and science of caring for patients with voiding dysfunction and incontinence. He will be remembered for his seriousness of purpose, his directness in his personal interactions and his limitless love for his family, his friends and his work.

Click here to read Dr. Appell's posthumous bio.

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Dept. of Urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, headed by VUI leader Dr. Kevin Slawin, earns distinction as one of the nation's top Urology programs in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals"

July 21, 2008

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center earned distinction as one of the nation’s top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” issue, published July 21, 2008.

After an absence of several years, Memorial Hermann-TMC returned to the rankings at number 39 in the country for its urology program in only the first year after it entered into a strategic partnership with the Vanguard Urologic Institute, led by Dr. Kevin Slawin, who was appointed Director of Urology at Memorial Hermann-TMC in May 2007.

A world-renowned urologist and researcher, Dr. Slawin is Clinical Professor of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor in the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He has been a leader in prostate cancer research dating back to his tenure as Director of the Baylor Prostate Center, a position he held until last year when he opened the new Vanguard Urologic Institute. Dr. Slawin and his colleagues at the Institute offer the latest technologies in urologic care, including minimally invasive, laparoscopic, and robotic surgical options for all aspects of urologic disease, at Memorial Hermann-TMC.

Just 176 hospitals of more than 5,100 U.S. hospitals meet the rigorous criteria required to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Top 50 Hospital” in key medical/surgical specialties. The magazine scores the quality of inpatient care based on each hospital's teaching status, advanced technological capabilities, patient volumes, reputation with physicians, mortality statistics, nursing proficiency, and other measures relevant to each specialty.

“Earning this national recognition for our urology program and distinguished medical staff highlights the expertise Memorial Hermann provides and demonstrates why this hospital is at the forefront of medical breakthroughs every day,” said Juanita Romans, CEO, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

“We are delighted to be recognized as a leading urology program after such a short time in our new location at Memorial Hermann-TMC,” said Dr. Slawin. “This recognition provides objective validation that our revolutionary approach of integrating technology and research into the daily care of our patients is raising the quality of care we are able to provide.”

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Vanguard Urologic Institute to sponsor Gynecologic Urology Conference

July 14, 2008

Together with the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, the Vanguard Urologic Institute is sponsoring the 13th Annual Update of Gynecologic Urology in Palm Beach, Aruba, February 5 – 7, 2009.

This intent of this course is to provide gynecologists, urologists, and affiliated healthcare providers with a functional understanding of the latest innovations in the evaluation and treatment of women with urogenital tract complaints.

Rodney Appell, MD, Director of the Texas Continence Center of Vanguard Urologic Institute, will serve as moderator for two days and will be the featured presenter for six sessions.

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Implanting AxoGen's Avance Nerve Graft Using a Robot for Cavernous Nerve Repair

May 16, 2008

Dr. Kevin Slawin and Dr. Tung Shu, founders of the Vanguard Urologic Institute, are the first in the U.S. to use AxoGen’s Avance nerve grafts to repair the cavernous nerves robotically.

Click here to view the May 16, 2008, Business Wire release.back to top

Dr. Rodney Appell joins Vanguard Urologic Institute and establishes the Texas Continence Center

May 1, 2008

Rodney A. Appell, MD, FACS, has joined the Vanguard Urologic Institute (VUI), after having served as Professor of Urology and Gynecology and Chief, Division of Voiding Dysfunction and Female Urology, at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston since 2002.

As Director of the new Texas Continence Center at VUI and Memorial Hermann Hospital - Texas Medical Center, Dr. Appell will focus his practice and research in the sub-specialty area of voiding dysfunction, both neurogenic and non-neurogenic in origin, and incontinence in both women and men. Because VUI houses a state-of-the-art urodynamics laboratory, a fully equipped cystoscopy and treatment suite, and is just an elevator ride away from the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center, he will be able to diagnose and treat patients with voiding dysfunction and incontinence within the confines of the Center.

Click here to read Dr. Appell's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.back to top

Vanguard Urologic Institute opens flagship facilities in the new Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza Tower

Feb 1, 2008

The Vanguard Urologic Institute has relocated to its new, state-of-the-art outpatient facility on the 23rd floor of the new Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza Building in the Texas Medical Center.

This new facility features a completely paperless office experience; kiosk check-in and check-out to streamline and speed the process of seeing physicians; minimally invasive and robotic technologies to treat urologic problems; and integration of the Internet, multimedia content, Web-based medical outcome prediction software (i.e., nomograms), and other Web-based tools for routine care of the Institute’s patients.

Click here for a virtual tour of the VUI flagship facility. back to top

In the News

View a Webcast of Dr. Kevin Slawin's Recent Lecture at the European Association of Urology in Barcelona Spain Chronicling the Development of the [-2]proPSA Prostate Screening Test

May 29, 2010

View a Webcast of Dr. Kevin Slawin’s recent lecture at the European Association of Urology in Barcelona Spain chronicling the development of the [-2]proPSA prostate screening test, a product of work he initiated a decade ago (See February 9th and May 11th news items below). Pivotal trial results of the performance of the Beckman Coulter “Prostate Health Index”, based on this test, were presented at the American Urological Association meeting in San Francisco May 30 – June 3, 2010 (view 1st abstract, view 2nd abstract). The Vanguard Urologic Research Foundation was a key participant in these important studies currently under review by the FDA. For more coverage of this new test, visit http://prostatecancerinfolink.net/2010/04/20/coming-soon-beckman-coulters-prostate-health-index/

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. Click here to view the Video. back to top

VUI Partner Dr. Tung Shu to Lecture at BIT's 3rd World Cancer Congress 2010 in Singapore

May 26, 2010

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Center for Kidney Health will be lecturing on urologic cancers for the BIT's 3rd World Cancer Congress 2010 at the Singapore EXPO in Singapore from June 22nd through the 25th. This year's theme will be Health Science without Borders.

Click here to read Dr. Tung Shu's bio. Official BIT World Cancer Congress website. back to top

New Prostate Cancer Screening Test Approved in Europe and Awaiting FDA Regulatory Determination in the U.S.

May 11, 2010

Prostate cancer remains the leading cancer diagnosed and the second leading cause of cancer mortality in men in the United States. Despite these sobering statistics, and the common sense notion that earlier detection through prostate cancer screening can reduce these numbers, there remains significant controversy about the role prostate cancer screening should play in the management of this disease. At the root of this controversy is the use of the Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) blood test in prostate cancer screening, which has been the mainstay of early detection programs since its development in the early 1990’s. When elevated, the PSA blood test signifies an abnormality in the prostate gland but it is not specific enough to differentiate prostate cancer from other benign problems in the prostate gland, including benign enlargement or inflammation. In order to determine the cause of the PSA elevation, a urologist must perform a prostate biopsy which, while safe, may sometimes lead to complications like infection.

Recently published randomized clinical trials have demonstrated this lack of specificity associated with PSA-based screening leads to some overdiagnosis and overtreatment for each life saved. Based on these findings, the American Cancer Society recently updated their screening recommendations cautioning against routine PSA-based screening without careful input from each patient’s physician, and the American Urologic Association, while reaffirming their support for PSA-based screening beginning at age 40, also emphasized the importance of an individualized approach directed by physicians. Despite these controversies, it is widely agreed that new screening tests that are more specific for identifying aggressive cancers would be a major advance in the field.  Over the past two decades, research into the molecular biology of PSA has led to advancements and new tests that have move the field closer to this goal. In 1998, based on a pivotal clinical trial performed by six leading investigators nationwide, including Kevin Slawin, M.D., director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, the FDA approved the “free PSA” test as a more specific way to differentiate between men with prostate cancer and those with a benign condition when the PSA blood test was modestly elevated. “The PSA test has evolved in the same way measuring cholesterol has,” says Dr. Slawin. “We used to evaluate cholesterol as a single level but now we look at the ratio of LDL (“bad cholesterol”) to HDL (“good cholesterol”) to predict the risk of heart disease. In a similar way, the “free” or “good” PSA in a ratio with the total PSA improved the specificity of PSA testing and reduced the risk of unnecessary biopsies in men with an elevated PSA.

However, over the next decade, through successful use of these tests in ferreting out many men with prostate cancer, the “free” PSA test has lost much of its ability to enhance the specificity of PSA based screening, leaving doctors back to the drawing board in searching for a better, more specific prostate cancer screening test.

Dr. Slawin, instrumental in performing the pivotal studies that led to FDA approval of the free PSA test, has now once again played a leading role in advancing the field of PSA and prostate cancer screening. In studies initiated in his laboratory and published back in 2000, he and his co-workers discovered two novel, disease specific forms of “free” PSA, BPSA or “benign” PSA associated with benign enlargement of the prostate, and [-2]proPSA, associated with prostate cancer. Now, after a decade of clinical development by Beckman Coulter, Inc., which licensed this technology, and after completing pivotal international clinical trials, has obtained regulatory approval for a new test, the “Prostate Health Index (phi)” in Europe and is awaiting a decision by the FDA for determination of this test in the United States. The results of these trials, to be presented at the Annual Urological Association meeting this spring, demonstrated that the “phi” improved the specificity of PSA by 3-fold for the detection of prostate cancer, fulfilling the call for more specific tests to screen and diagnose prostate cancer. Furthermore, researchers at Johns Hopkins recently reported that the phi could also help determine which cancers were the more aggressive needing treatment and which might be safely monitored.

‘It’s been gratifying to play a role in moving the field of prostate cancer screening and early detection forward over the years with focused research on the problem”, Dr. Slawin said. “I’m excited that work we began a decade ago is now finally achieving regulatory approval so that patients and physicians can benefit” he added. Dr. Slawin is continuing his work in advancing the field of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment, and is a leader in robotic surgery for prostate cancer, and in developing protocols for active surveillance, focal therapy and other modalities of therapy including advance image guided radiation therapy, vaccine therapy, etc.
Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. Click here to view the Video.

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A New Vaccine Technology Shows Promise in the Treatment of Metastatic Castration-Resistant Prostate Cancer

April 29, 2010

In a development likely to be viewed as a major milestone in the history of cancer therapy, the Food and Drug Administration on April 29, 2010 approved the first cancer vaccine, Provenge, developed by Dendreon Corp. for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. In clinical trials, it extended the lives of patients about four months compared with placebo, longer than the 2 to 3 month survival advantage gained using the only other approved therapy for these patients, docetaxel chemotherapy, but without the serious side effects including fatigue, hair loss and neuropathy associated with chemotherapy. One unusual aspect of treatment with Provenge that has generated controversy is that the vaccine doesn’t shrink tumors or change the PSA level in most patients, so while the vaccine extends survival, patients have no way of knowing whether the vaccine is working.

Now, researchers at the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center are conducting a trial to test an innovative vaccine product, BPX-101, that builds on this success but will hopefully lead to more effective, longer responses in patients while maintaining the safety and lack of side effects seen with Provenge.

BPX-101 is a novel cancer vaccine specifically designed to be “activated” precisely at the optimal time and location in the body through the administration of an activating agent called AP1903. AP1903 acts as a molecular “key” that exactly fits a complementary molecular “switch” engineered into the cells comprising the vaccine product. AP1903 is administered to patients once vaccinated cells have traveled to local lymph nodes, where activation leads to a potent immune response against the targeted cancer cells. BPX-101 is designed to be effective against a broad range of cancers, including prostate cancer.

Developed by Kevin Slawin, M.D., a nationally recognized expert in prostate disease and director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute, in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine researcher David Spencer, Ph.D., the promising new therapy is mid-way through completion of the first-in-human Phase I-II clinical trial for patients with mCRPC, with the results recently reported in a Late-Breaking abstract session at the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association of Cancer Research held recently in Washington, D.C.

The trial was designed to establish the safety and maximum tolerated dose of BPX-101 in combination with activating agent AP1903, administered every other week for six doses. Exploratory efficacy endpoints include radiological and biochemical assessments of clinical response, and assessments of serum and biopsy samples for systemic and antigen-specific immunological responses.

Interim data from six subjects shows the combination of BPX-101, with no unexpected drug-related adverse events reported. Clinical responses, including shrinking tumors and reduced PSA levels, were evident within the first 12 weeks of treatment, in both low and mid dose cohorts.

The apparent dose-response correlation between clinical and immunological responses will be further investigated in six subjects now enrolling in the final, high dose cohort. “We are very excited and encouraged by this early data, which appears to contradict the prevailing belief that while cancer vaccines can prolong overall survival, they do not elicit measurable clinical or biomarker responses in the near term,” said Dr. Slawin. “We look forward to completing our trial later this year and initiating Phase II trials in 2011.”

All procedures are being conducted on an outpatient basis at the Memorial Hermann-TMC Clinical Research Unit under the auspices of The University of Texas Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. KPRC Local 2 News story. Houston Chronicle/NY Times story. KHOU Channel 11 News story.back to top

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Center for Kidney Health at the Vanguard Urologic Institute presenting as the 2010 Herbert Seybold Lecturer in Urology at UTMB Galveston

April 29, 2010

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology & Minimally Invasive Surgery and Director of the Center for Kidney Health will be presenting as the 2010 Herbert Seybold Lecturer in Urology at annual meeting of the Singleton Surgical Society at UTMB Galveston on Friday, June 11th, 2010. This program will be held on campus in the Caduceus Room. Organized in April of 1953, the Singleton Surgery Society was established in honor of Albert Olin Singleton, Professor of Surgery from 1927 - 1947 at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. Dr. Tung Shu is a renowned urologist with many subspecialties including treatment of the Prostate, Bladder and Kidneys. For additional information on Dr. Shu, you may read his bio below.

Click here to read Dr. Tung Shu's bio. back to top

VUI leader Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of Urology at Memorial Hermann - Texas Medical Center, Among Elite Group of Prostatectomy Experts in the Nation

February 15, 2010

A recent study published in The Journal of Urology suggests that prostate cancer patients treated by more experienced urologic surgeons achieve improved results.

Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in American men, who have about a 1 in 6 chance of being diagnosed with this disease in their lifetime. Radical prostatectomy, performed either through a standard incision, or more recently through a robotic-assisted minimally invasive approach, is a surgical procedure in which the surgeon attempts to remove the cancer-containing prostate gland, without damaging the surrounding structures that control sexual and urinary function.

According to the study, “Low Annual Caseloads of United States Surgeons Conducting Radical Prostatectomy”, conducted by Caroline Savage and Andrew Vickers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, a surgeon needs to have completed a minimum of 250 prostatectomies to reach the “learning curve plateau” at which point cancer cure is maximized and surgical complications minimized. After adjusting for tumor severity, a typical patient treated by a surgeon who reached the learning curve plateau had a 10.9% risk of recurrence at 5 years compared to 17.7% for those treated by a less experienced surgeon. Similarly, surgical complications were decreased by 20% in patients treated by the highest versus the lowest volume surgeons studied.

Furthermore, for the 75% of patients diagnosed today with cancers still confined to the prostate gland, the most highly experienced surgeons, those who had performed at least 1,500 prior surgeries, achieved recurrence rates of less than 1%, suggesting that recurrence is largely dependent on surgical technique.

Despite these findings, the study authors found that approximately 25 percent of United States surgeons performing radical prostatectomy surgery perform only a single procedure per year, while about 80 percent of surgeons performed fewer than 10 procedures per year. Nationally, only 1.8 percent of surgeons perform more than 50 prostatectomies per year. The study also concluded that most surgeons will never reach the key threshold of 250 radical prostatectomy cases in their surgical careers.

“Practice patterns in which the majority of prostate cancer patients undergoing surgery are treated by surgeons performing fewer than 10 procedures a year suggest that better results may be achievable for many of these men. The study provided data that supports what common sense suggests; that a more experienced surgeon will likely produce more positive results for patients undergoing a procedure as technically complex and challenging as radical prostatectomy,” said Kevin Slawin, M.D., director of urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center and the Vanguard Urologic Institute.

In a February 13 article on the outcomes achievable with either open or robotic prostatectomy reported on the front page of the New York Times, respected NYT medical correspondent Gina Kolata suggested that experienced surgeons achieve the best outcomes regardless of the approach. However as Dr. Michael Barry, a professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital said in the article, “Everyone tends to cite data from centers of excellence as though they were their own,”. The handful of expert surgeons in both open and robotic prostatectomy quoted in the article had performed thousands, not tens or even hundreds, of operations.

During the course of his career, Dr. Slawin, a nationally renowned urologist and prostate specialist, has performed more than 1,700 prostatectomies, consistently averaging between 100 – 150 cases per year for more than a decade. This makes him a member of this small, select group of surgeons in the country that are true experts in the field.

Since joining Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center in 2007, Dr. Slawin has continued his high volume practice in early stage prostate cancer, and has broadened his focus to patients with more advanced disease, spearheading the clinical development of a novel cancer vaccination technology for metastatic, castration resistant prostate cancer.

Just this month, Dr. Slawin was recognized as one of America's Top Doctors in Urology & Cancer for 2009 - 2010 by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. Dr. Slawin has consistently been recognized as one of America's Top Doctors for over a decade as a leader in his field.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio.back to top

Dr. Kevin Slawin to lecture at the European Association of Urology in Barcelona about a New Blood Test for the Screening and Detection of Prostate Cancer

February 9, 2009

Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute and the Texas Prostate Center will be presenting to the European Association of Urology at the Fira Gran Via Convention Centre in Barcelona on April 19th. His presentation, titled’ “Serum Prostate Health Index (phi) Significantly Increases Specificity when Selecting Men for Biopsy”, will review the discovery of molecular forms of free PSA associated with benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) and prostate cancer made in his laboratory, and their subsequent clinical development culminating in the new Prostate Health Index (phi), that incorporates -2proPSA, a novel form of free PSA, together with total PSA and free PSA, into a new index to identify men at higher risk of prostate cancer. The Prostate Health Index (phi) immunoassay is marketed by Beckman Coulter in Europe and is pending FDA review in the United States.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio.  Click here to view Event Flyer.  Click here to visit Beckman Coulter. Click here to view the Video.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.back to top

Dr. Kevin Slawin recognized as one of America's Top Doctor's in Urology & Cancer for 2009 - 2010 by Castle Connelly's established survey and research process

January 21, 2009

Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute was once again recognized as one of America's Top Doctors in Urology & Cancer for 2009 - 2010 by Castle Connolly Medical Ltd., a healthcare research and information company that has an established survey and research process, under the direction of an MD, involving tens of thousands of top doctors in America and the medical leadership of leading hospitals.

Dr. Slawin has consistently been recognized as one of America's Top Doctors for over a decade as a leader in his field.

Click here to read Dr. Kevin Slawin's bio. back to top

Dr. Tung Shu establishes the Center for Kidney Health at the Vanguard Urologic Institute

January 1, 2010

Dr. Tung Shu, Director of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, announces the establishment of the Center for Kidney Health. The Center for Kidney Health focuses on the management of kidney diseases/conditions such as benign and malignant kidney tumors, ureteral diseases (e.g. ureteropelvic junction obstruction and ureteral obstruction) and kidney stone management. The Kidney Cancer Program is an integrated, multidisciplinary team of specialists in urology, oncology, and radiology offering the highest standard of patient care and current treatment advances. Our comprehensive evaluation, personalized treatment and minimally invasive approach provide a seamless integration of medical care. Our Kidney Stone Management Program offers a multidisciplinary management approach to the treatment of kidney stones and is designed for all patients who suffer from renal stone disease. Dr. Shu sets a plan of long-term management for recovery and prevention designed to keep the patients free of future kidney stones.

Click here to read Dr. Tung Shu's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.

John Dodge establishes the Center for Male Sexual Health and Wellness to focus on the treatment of Erectile Dysfunction

August 14, 2009

John Dodge, PA-C, M.P.A.S announces the establishment of The Center for Male Sexual Health and Wellness at the Vanguard Urologic Institute.  The Center will provide evaluation and management of erectile dysfunction in the broader context of health issues that impact the incidence and treatment of this problem that commonly affects men as they age, including cardiovascular health, testosterone levels and replacement, prostate enlargement and elevated prostate specicific antigen (PSA) levels.

Click here to read John Dodge's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.

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Dr. Kevin Slawin, Director of the Vanguard Urologic Institute and Consulting Chief Medical Office for Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, announces initiation of Phase I/IIa Clinical Trial of a Novel Vaccine for Patients with Advanced Prostate Cancer
 

August 6, 2009

Bellicum Pharmaceuticals, Inc. today announced dosing of the first patient in a Phase I/IIa clinical trial of BP-GMAX-CD1, a novel pharmacologically regulated dendritic cell vaccine for the treatment of prostate cancer. The disease-specific trial is being conducted under a Bellicum Investigational New Drug application allowed by the FDA in 2008. The company anticipates reporting initial results of the study in 2010. 

BP-GMAX-CD1 is a novel cancer vaccine that can be precisely activated at an optimal time and location in the body. It is produced by genetically modifying autologous antigen-loaded dendritic cells to express an inducible costimulatory CD40 (iCD40) receptor. Twenty-four hours after intradermal administration, these genetically modified dendritic cells are activated in draining lymph nodes by intravenous administration of AP1903, a small-molecule dimerizer agent developed by ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARIA). In this way, the immune system’s innate homeostasis is overridden and a potent and durable antigen-specific T cell response may be generated.

The dose-escalation trial will evaluate the safety of BP-GMAX-CD1 and AP1903 in a minimum of 24 patients with androgen independent prostate cancer (also known as castrate resistant prostate cancer or CRPC). Six doses will be administered on a weekly or every other week schedule, with responses assessed at week 13. Patients whose disease has not progressed at the end of this acute phase will be eligible to receive booster vaccinations every eight weeks for up to one year. Exploratory efficacy endpoints include prostate-specific antigen dynamics, circulating tumor cell count, antigen-specific immune response, and clinical response.

Bellicum consulting Chief Medical Officer, Kevin M. Slawin, M.D., stated, “This first clinical trial of BP-GMAX-CD1 is designed to establish proof of principle for our core iCD40 technology, which has been engineered to overcome the critical potency limitations of previous cancer vaccine strategies. Dosing the first patient is an exciting and significant milestone in our quest to deliver safer and more effective therapies to patients with advanced cancer.”

The small-molecule dimerizer, AP1903, and the ARGENT™ cell-signaling regulation technology underlying BP-GMAX-CD1 were licensed from ARIAD Pharmaceuticals, Inc. AP1903 is designed to bring together two proteins and activate them. In the case of BP-GMAX-CD1, administration of AP1903 to patients leads to controlled activation of the ARGENT-regulated protein iCD40. AP1903 was previously shown by ARIAD to be well-tolerated with defined pharmacokinetics in a Phase 1 clinical trial. 

“This is an exciting application of ARIAD’s dimerizer technology, with the potential for therapeutic benefit linked to precise control of signaling events inside cells,” stated Timothy P. Clackson, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Scientific Officer of ARIAD. “We congratulate Bellicum on this first application of the dimerizer technology in cancer patients.”

For additional information or to learn how to participate in this Clinical Trial, you may access www.clinicaltrials.gov here.

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Dr. Kevin Slawin establishes the Center for Screening, Prevention, Detection, Surveillance, and Minimally Invasive and Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer

August 1, 2009

The Vanguard Center for Screening, Prevention, Detection, Surveillance, and Minimally Invasive and Focal Therapy for Prostate Cancer was developed specifically to bring to bear the entire body of knowledge with respect to controversial issues surrounding PSA-based screening for prostate cancer.  We apply the most up to date knowledge and guidelines, and use the latest online web-enabled nomograms and other tools, to help men make the best, most well-informed decisions that fits each man’s philosophy and goals with respect to his health and lifestyle

Dr. Slawin will serve as the Director of the Center.  Dr. Shu, the Director of Endourology and Minimally Invasive Surgery, will also be seeing and treating patients in the Center.

Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.

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Dept. of Urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, headed by VUI leader Dr. Kevin Slawin, earns distinction as one of the nation's top Urology programs in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" for the second year in a row

July 16, 2009

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center has earned distinction as one of the nation's top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals" issue for the second year in a row in the categories of kidney disease and urology.

Just 174 hospitals of more than 5,100 U.S. hospitals meet the rigorous criteria required to be recognized as a "Top 50 hospital" in key medical/surgical specialties.The magazine scores the quality of inpatient care based on each hospital's teaching status, advanced technological capabilities, patient volumes, reputation with physicians, mortality statistics, nursing proficiency and other measures relevant to each specialty.

"Continued national recognition for our programs speaks to the combination of innovation and medical expertise from our University of Texas Medical School at Houston partners and the caring nurses and staff at Memorial Hermann-TMC who work diligently to uphold the highest standards of patient care," says Juanita Romans, CEO, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. "The care offered at Memorial Hermann-TMC is found only among national leaders in medicine, and that's what makes us one of America's best hospitals."

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center is home to the Vanguard Urologic Institute, headed by world-renowned urologist and researcher Dr. Kevin Slawin. Dr. Slawin, professor in the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is a leader in prostate cancer research.

In July 2009, the first patient was enrolled in an early phase clinical trial for men with advanced prostate cancer, evaluating a novel prostate cancer vaccine technology developed by Dr. Slawin and his colleagues.

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Vanguard physicians now participate in a number of insurance plans

June 9, 2009

Our physicians are now “in network” providers for the following insurance plans.  Click here to visit our Insurance Participation page.
 

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Dr. Christopher Jayne joins Vanguard Urologic Institute specializing in urogynecology and voiding dysfunction at the Texas Continence Center, now known as the Rodney A. Appell Center for Continence and Pelvin Health 

March 1, 2009

Christopher J. Jayne, M.D., F.A.C.O.G., a board-certified gynecologist with expertise in urogynecology, voiding dysfunction, pelvic pain and female sexual dysfunction, has joined the medical staff at the Vanguard Urologic Institute’s Rodney A. Appell Center for Continence and Pelvic Health and Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

A native of central New York, Dr. Jayne graduated with honors from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Medicine. After completing a residency in obstetrics and gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine in 2000, he served on active duty with the United States Air Force through June 2003.

In August 2003, he founded the Center for Women’s Sexual Health at The Woman’s Hospital of Texas, specializing in the treatment of female sexual dysfunction and chronic pelvic pain. As the medical director, he also participated in clinical research as a principal and coordinating investigator through June 2008. Dr. Jayne was pursuing additional subspecialty training in urology, a rarity among gynecologists, under the tutelage of world-renowned urologic surgeon Rodney Appell, M.D., when Dr. Appell passed suddenly and unexpectedly in January 2009. As Dr. Appell’s fellow, Dr. Jayne focused on the diagnosis and treatment of voiding dysfunction and incontinence in men and women. Dr. Jayne plans to continue in the great tradition established by Dr. Appell, providing state of-the-art diagnosis in Vanguard’s on-site Urodynamics Laboratory, and treatment to men and women with incontinence and voiding dysfunction.

Dr. Jayne will also continue his research interests, focusing on incontinence and novel methods of treating these disorders. Dr. Jayne has clinical faculty appointments at the Scott Department of Urology and the department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine. He is a fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and is a diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. He is also certified by the American Association of Sex Educators, Counselors and Therapists.

Click here to read Dr. Jayne's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.
 

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World-renowned surgeon Rodney A. Appell, M.D., Director of the Texas Continence Center, passed away on January 19, 2009 

January 20, 2009

World-renowned surgeon Rodney Appell, M.D., Director of the Texas Continence Center, in the Vanguard Urologic Institute at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, died on January 19, 2009, following an illustrious career in academic urology. Prior to joining Vanguard in 2008, he served as a professor of urology and gynecology and chief of the Division of Voiding Dysfunction and Female Urology at Baylor College of Medicine. Dr. Appell was also a clinical professor in the Department of Urology at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston and a member of the medical staff at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center. In honor of his memory and outstanding contributions to urology, the center will be renamed the Rodney A. Appell Center for Continence and Pelvic Health.

Dr. Appell grew up in Philadelphia and earned his undergraduate degree at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. He attended medical school at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, and went on to complete his residency training in urology at Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Appell served on the faculty at Louisiana State University in New Orleans and spent many years practicing at the Cleveland Clinic. He moved to Houston in 2000, joining the faculty of the Scott Department of Urology at Baylor College of Medicine.

Dr. Appell received numerous awards, including, most recently, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Society for Urodynamics and Female Urology. He was a member of many professional societies and served on the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee of the National Association for Continence and both the Guidelines Committee and the Special Women’s Issues in Urology Committee of the American Urological Association. Dr. Appell was also on the editorial boards of several publications, including the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, International Urogynecology Journal, Journal of Urology, International Journal of the Proctological and Perineal Diseases, Neurourology and Urodynamics and Urology. During the past 25 years, he was invited as visiting professor or speaker at more than 800 national and international society meetings, symposia and conferences. He was awarded many grants to investigate urinary incontinence and authored or coauthored more than 150 journal articles, 16 books and 40 book chapters. His research interests were injectable agents for stress urinary incontinence and pharmacological agents for the overactive bladder.

Dr. Appell was also an extraordinary teacher and mentor, having trained countless students, residents and fellows in the art and science of caring for patients with voiding dysfunction and incontinence. He will be remembered for his seriousness of purpose, his directness in his personal interactions and his limitless love for his family, his friends and his work.

Click here to read Dr. Appell's posthumous bio.

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Dept. of Urology at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, headed by VUI leader Dr. Kevin Slawin, earns distinction as one of the nation's top Urology programs in U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Hospitals"

July 21, 2008

Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center earned distinction as one of the nation’s top hospitals in U.S. News & World Report’s “America’s Best Hospitals” issue, published July 21, 2008.

After an absence of several years, Memorial Hermann-TMC returned to the rankings at number 39 in the country for its urology program in only the first year after it entered into a strategic partnership with the Vanguard Urologic Institute, led by Dr. Kevin Slawin, who was appointed Director of Urology at Memorial Hermann-TMC in May 2007.

A world-renowned urologist and researcher, Dr. Slawin is Clinical Professor of Urology, Baylor College of Medicine, and Adjunct Professor in the Center for Clinical and Translational Sciences at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. He has been a leader in prostate cancer research dating back to his tenure as Director of the Baylor Prostate Center, a position he held until last year when he opened the new Vanguard Urologic Institute. Dr. Slawin and his colleagues at the Institute offer the latest technologies in urologic care, including minimally invasive, laparoscopic, and robotic surgical options for all aspects of urologic disease, at Memorial Hermann-TMC.

Just 176 hospitals of more than 5,100 U.S. hospitals meet the rigorous criteria required to be recognized by U.S. News & World Report as a “Top 50 Hospital” in key medical/surgical specialties. The magazine scores the quality of inpatient care based on each hospital's teaching status, advanced technological capabilities, patient volumes, reputation with physicians, mortality statistics, nursing proficiency, and other measures relevant to each specialty.

“Earning this national recognition for our urology program and distinguished medical staff highlights the expertise Memorial Hermann provides and demonstrates why this hospital is at the forefront of medical breakthroughs every day,” said Juanita Romans, CEO, Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center.

“We are delighted to be recognized as a leading urology program after such a short time in our new location at Memorial Hermann-TMC,” said Dr. Slawin. “This recognition provides objective validation that our revolutionary approach of integrating technology and research into the daily care of our patients is raising the quality of care we are able to provide.”

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Vanguard Urologic Institute to sponsor Gynecologic Urology Conference

July 14, 2008

Together with the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, the Vanguard Urologic Institute is sponsoring the 13th Annual Update of Gynecologic Urology in Palm Beach, Aruba, February 5 – 7, 2009.

This intent of this course is to provide gynecologists, urologists, and affiliated healthcare providers with a functional understanding of the latest innovations in the evaluation and treatment of women with urogenital tract complaints.

Rodney Appell, MD, Director of the Texas Continence Center of Vanguard Urologic Institute, will serve as moderator for two days and will be the featured presenter for six sessions.

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Implanting AxoGen's Avance Nerve Graft Using a Robot for Cavernous Nerve Repair

May 16, 2008

Dr. Kevin Slawin and Dr. Tung Shu, founders of the Vanguard Urologic Institute, are the first in the U.S. to use AxoGen’s Avance nerve grafts to repair the cavernous nerves robotically.

Click here to view the May 16, 2008, Business Wire release.back to top

Dr. Rodney Appell joins Vanguard Urologic Institute and establishes the Texas Continence Center

May 1, 2008

Rodney A. Appell, MD, FACS, has joined the Vanguard Urologic Institute (VUI), after having served as Professor of Urology and Gynecology and Chief, Division of Voiding Dysfunction and Female Urology, at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston since 2002.

As Director of the new Texas Continence Center at VUI and Memorial Hermann Hospital - Texas Medical Center, Dr. Appell will focus his practice and research in the sub-specialty area of voiding dysfunction, both neurogenic and non-neurogenic in origin, and incontinence in both women and men. Because VUI houses a state-of-the-art urodynamics laboratory, a fully equipped cystoscopy and treatment suite, and is just an elevator ride away from the Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza Ambulatory Surgery Center, he will be able to diagnose and treat patients with voiding dysfunction and incontinence within the confines of the Center.

Click here to read Dr. Appell's bio.  Click here to visit the Vanguard Centers of Excellence.back to top

Vanguard Urologic Institute opens flagship facilities in the new Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza Tower

Feb 1, 2008

The Vanguard Urologic Institute has relocated to its new, state-of-the-art outpatient facility on the 23rd floor of the new Memorial Hermann Medical Plaza Building in the Texas Medical Center.

This new facility features a completely paperless office experience; kiosk check-in and check-out to streamline and speed the process of seeing physicians; minimally invasive and robotic technologies to treat urologic problems; and integration of the Internet, multimedia content, Web-based medical outcome prediction software (i.e., nomograms), and other Web-based tools for routine care of the Institute’s patients.

Click here for a virtual tour of the VUI flagship facility. back to top