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Dec 28 2023 Johns Hopkins Medicine

The Radiopharmaceutical Therapy and Dosimetry Lab at Johns Hopkins Medicine, headed by George Sgouros, Ph.D., has been awarded a $15 million grant, to be dispersed over the next five years, from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. They will use these funds to investigate a type of radiation therapy for hard-to-treat cancers.

The award will fund several research projects, all of which will investigate a promising cancer treatment known as alpha-particle emitter radiopharmaceutical therapy, or alpha-emitter RPT. This therapy has proved successful in treating widespread, treatment-resistant cancers through directly delivering radiation to cancer cells.

Administered into the bloodstream, alpha-emitter RPT treatment delivers highly potent radiation directly to cancer cells. Radioactive atoms that emit alpha-particles (helium nuclei) are attached to special molecules that target, or latch on to, dispersed cancer cells in the body. Alpha-particles delivered to cancer cells cause massive DNA damage that kills the cancer. Alpha-emitter RPT also limits the amount of damage to normal tissues surrounding the cancer, which can prevent some of the debilitating side effects patients with cancer may face with radiation and chemotherapy.

Sgouros, who has investigated this particular treatment his entire career, has previously demonstrated that this therapy is highly effective in targeting a variety of metastatic cancers that do not respond to traditional radiation and chemotherapy.

Within the last decade, several agents that use this approach of delivering radiation therapies that target treatment-resistant cancer have been approved by the FDA, and Sgouros explains that the need to improve delivery of these treatments and investigate additional specific radiation treatments is growing. The study of these types of radiation treatments is a very active field that is also very niche. It is a unique area of study because a multidisciplinary team is needed to fully optimize such therapies, everything from physics, radiochemistry, biology and pharmacokinetics impacts this treatment approach."

George Sgouros, director of the radiological physics division and professor of radiology and radiological science at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Related StoriesCinnamon extract shows promise in reducing obesity by inhibiting fat cell growth and boosting fat breakdownPomegranate's power: Studies show promise in cardiovascular and diabetic healthLeaky gut linked to depressive disorders: New insights into microbiota-induced epigenetic changes

Now, with the $15 million award, Sgouros and a diverse set of researchers in the lab will work to hone alpha-emitter RPT and optimize its application. This includes developing approaches to imaging and understand how the radiation is deposited in tissues so that treatment can be tailored to individual patients. Sgouros and his assembled team will specifically focus on the mathematical and physics-based components of alpha-emitter RPT to address these issues.

"We received this grant because we're the group that can solve these problems," says Sgouros. "This award is a testament to the collective expertise we have here at Hopkins, and what we've proposed to do with this grant can only be done with the group of investigators we have assembled here." Source:

Johns Hopkins Medicine

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Georgia Tech stuns Clemson with walk-off FG

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Georgia Tech stuns Clemson with walk-off FG

ATLANTA — Aidan Birr made a 55-yard field goal as time expired and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upset the No. 12 Clemson Tigers on Saturday.

With no timeouts left and the clock running with under 20 seconds to play, the Georgia Tech special teams squad sprinted onto the field and lined up.

And on fourth-and-3, Birr connected and the home crowd rushed the field.

Quarterback Haynes King returned from a lower-body injury that kept him out of Georgia Tech’s Sept. 6 win over Gardener-Webb.

King was 19-for-27 for 216 yards and added 25 carries for 103 yards and a touchdown on a 1-yard quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter for the Yellow Jackets (3-0, 1-0 ACC).

King’s score and the 2-point conversion gave the Yellow Jackets a 21-14 lead.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik had an uneven performance in which he turned the ball over twice — one fumble and one interception.

Klubnik was 15-for-26 for 207 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown pass to Bryant Wesco early in the second half to give the Tigers a 14-13 lead. Klubnik added 62 yards and one touchdown on the ground.

For the second straight week, Clemson (1-2, 0-1) had to overcome a slow start and halftime deficit.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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Simpson, Williams shine as Tide roll Wisconsin

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Simpson, Williams shine as Tide roll Wisconsin

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Ty Simpson threw for 382 yards and four touchdowns, including two to returning star Ryan Williams, and No. 19 Alabama overpowered Wisconsin for the second consecutive year, winning 38-14 on Saturday.

Simpson completed 24 of 29 passes, with two of his misses being drops by Williams and freshman Lotzier Brooks. Williams finished with five receptions for 165 yards after missing last week’s game because of a concussion.

Simpson, who was equally solid last week against Louisiana-Monroe, joined Mac Jones (2020) as the only quarterbacks in school history to complete at least 80% of their passes and throw three TDs in consecutive games.

The Byrant-Denny Stadium crowd erupted as Williams took a screen pass and went 75 yards on the first play of the second half. It gave Williams his first 100-yard game since facing Georgia last September.

Bray Hubbard‘s two interceptions led an Alabama (2-1) defense that held Wisconsin to 209 yards. The Crimson Tide notched four sacks.

Danny O’Neil, subbing for injured Wisconsin starter Billy Edwards Jr., completed 11 of 17 passes for 117 yards. His 41-yard TD pass to Jayden Ballard was one of the few highlights for the Badgers (2-1). Vinny Anthony II also returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.

The injury-riddled Badgers couldn’t find a rhythm on either side of the ball and have dropped consecutive games to Alabama by a combined score of 80-24, while the Tide have outscored their last two opponents by a combined score of 111-14 following their season-opening loss to Florida State.

Alabama defensive end LT Overton left the game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury and did not return. He walked to the locker room without assistance.

Wisconsin returns home to face Maryland next Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.

Alabama gets the week off before opening conference play against No. 6 Georgia.

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OU’s Thomas tossed, faces suspension next week

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OU's Thomas tossed, faces suspension next week

Oklahoma defensive lineman R Mason Thomas will be suspended for the first half of the Sooners’ Week 4 visit from No. 24 Auburn following a targeting ejection Saturday.

Thomas, Oklahoma’s 2024 sack leader, was ejected in the third quarter of the program’s Week 3 visit to Temple on Saturday afternoon following a high hit on Owls quarterback Evan Simon.

Thomas was initially penalized for roughing the passer with the Sooners leading 28-3. The penalty was upgraded to targeting following an official review. Per NCAA rules, targeting penalties incurred in the second half of a game result in a first-half suspension in the subsequent game.

Thomas’ ejection will leave the 13th-ranked Sooners without one of their top defenders for the first half of next week’s SEC opener against Auburn. That game also marks the return of former Sooner and current Tigers starting quarterback Jackson Arnold to Norman, where the former five-star quarterback made nine starts for OU last season before entering the transfer portal and landing with Auburn last December.

Thomas’ ejection aside, Oklahoma faced very little adversity Saturday against Temple. Quarterback John Mateer threw for 282 yards and a touchdown and had a 51-yard rushing score, and running back Tory Blaylock rushed for 100 yards and a pair of TDs in the 42-3 victory.

The Sooners (3-0) took a 25-0 lead in the first half of the game, which was played at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, and never looked back.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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