The journey from patient to researcher
Long before Erin Mobley, Ph.D., was an assistant professor in the department of surgery at the University of Florida College of Medicine – Jacksonville, she was a newborn baby at University Hospital, now UF Health Jacksonville. Born at 27 weeks gestation at just 2 pounds, 3 oz. (992 grams), Mobley was considered extremely preterm and was cared for in the neonatal intensive care unit for three months.
She experienced many complications common for preemies: cardiovascular issues requiring emergency surgery, poor lung development requiring chest tubes, inability to regulate her body temperature and jaundice, all while having IVs in her head, feet and ankles. Mobley’s parents were extremely happy with the care she received from faculty, nurses, technicians and other staff.
Years later, the former patient is now a faculty member working and conducting research in the same halls.
“UF welcomed me into the world, and now I’m happy to be back,” Mobley said. “My early-life experiences as a patient framed my perspective of what a health care system should embody: high-quality patient care that allows for advancement in medicine and research. I am excited to be part of that legacy.”
At 6 years old, Mobley was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma in her bladder. She received treatment at Nemours Children’s Health and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, undergoing surgery and countless rounds of chemotherapy. Now, almost 30 years after her cancer diagnosis and treatment, her personal experience continues to fuel her desire to improve the lives of fellow cancer survivors.
New Clinical Trials Open for Enrollment
A Phase 2, open-label, non-randomized study evaluating the safety of administering high dose cytarabine (HiDAC) consolidation therapy on days 1-3 of each cycle, as compared to standard administration on days 1, 3, & 5 of each cycle, in patients 61 years or older with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Principal Investigator: Jack Hsu, M.D. | Cell: 352-672-0704
A Phase 2, randomized study that investigates the use of the Signaterra ctDNA assay versus the standard scan-based approach to guide treatment in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. The aim of this study will be to measure and compare the overall survival, progression-free survival, and best overall response while on study of patients whose treatment has been guided by these two approaches.
Principal Investigator: Sherise Rogers, M.D. | Cell: 718-614-5727
Patients with locally advanced TNBC are at high risk of developing lethal metastatic disease within 2 years of diagnosis, especially for those without a pathologic complete response (pCR) after neoadjuvant chemotherapy. This study will advance a novel and potent strategy to eliminate minimal residual disease (MRD) in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) present even after multimodal treatment, thereby improving survival and increasing cure rate in this aggressive cancer.
Principal Investigator: Karen Daily, D.O. | Cell: 352-222-1423
Measuring the Effects of Talazoparib in Patients with Advanced Cancer and DNA Repair Variations
This disease-agnostic, Phase 2 trial tests the PARP inhibitor Talazoparib (a highly selective and potent inhibitor that also provides significant PARP trapping activity) in advanced stage cancers with mutations to DNA damage response genes. Blocking the PARP protein abrogates a major DNA repair pathway, resulting in ineffective DNA repair mechanisms and encouraging apoptosis in tumor cells. Patients with advanced solid tumors may be eligible with any of the following germline or somatic dDDR mutations: BRCA1/2 (including those previously treated with a different PARPi), ARID1A, ATM, ATR, BACH1 (BRIP1), BAP1, BARD1, CDK12, CHK1, CHK2, IDH1, IDH2, MRE11A, NBN, PALB2, RAD50, RAD51, RAD51B, RAD51C, RAD51D, and RAD54L, as well as loss of function in any of the Fanconi anemia genes (FANCA, FANCB, FANCC, FANCD2, FANCE, FANCF, FANCG, FANCI, FANCJ, FANCL, FANCM, FANCN).
Principal Investigator: Thomas George, M.D. | Cell: 352-339-6672