Dr. Susan Band Horwitz Honored for Research Contributions
On March 19, 2016, the Society of Gynecologic Oncology (SGO) presented its Innovation Award to Dr. Susan Band Horwitz, distinguished professor of molecular pharmacology and the Rose C. Falkenstein Chair in Cancer Research at Einstein, during its 47th annual meeting on women's cancer, held in San Diego.
Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D., receives the SGO Innovation Award from Mary Eiken, SGO executive director (Buxbaum/ICDA courtesy of Society of Gynecologic Oncology)The SGO is among the premier medical specialty societies for the management of gynecologic cancers. Its Innovation Award recognizes the contributions of “creative thinkers whose work has significantly impacted the understanding of and approaches to preventing, diagnosing and treating gynecologic cancers.” The award acknowledges Dr. Horwitz’ pioneering research that elucidated the mechanism by which Taxol–a compound derived from the Pacific yew tree–kills cancer cells. Her dedication to the study of Taxol and its development as one of the most successful chemotherapeutic agents has touched millions receiving treatment for cancers in the breast, ovary and lung.
Dr. Horwitz was one of two researchers honored by the SGO. Her fellow awardee, William Patrick McGuire, M.D., was among the first clinicians to test the effectiveness of Taxol in treating patients with ovarian cancer.
“What was particularly nice about this award was that many of the gyn-oncology fellows who had been at Einstein and worked in my lab were at the meeting and we celebrated together. Drs. Gloria Huang and Dennis Yi-Shin Kuo are on the faculty at Einstein. Among others, Drs. June Hou is on the faculty at Columbia, Rebecca Arend at the University of Alabama and Shohreh Shababi is chief of the division of gyn-oncology at Northwestern. They are leaders in their field. This has all happened because of the excellent fellowship program in gyn-oncology at Einstein that is directed by Dr. Gary Goldberg,” noted Dr. Horwitz.
Barking Up the Right Tree
Dr. Horwitz at a luncheon with former research fellows from her lab (clockwise from left) Dr. Dennis Yi-Shin Kuo, Dr. Horwitz, Drs. Gloria Huang, Rebecca Arend and June Hou.The discovery of Taxol’s clinical potential started 40 years ago. “I received a letter from the National Cancer Institute in 1976 that asked me to study Taxol,” recalled Dr. Horwitz. At the time she was already known for investigating the potential of small natural molecules as treatments for cancer.
However, Taxol’s journey from bench to bedside was not easy. “Taxol is a complex molecule and, at the time, it was quite difficult to isolate it from the bark of the yew tree from which it was taken,” explained Dr. Horwitz. “I only received 10 milligrams of the compound, and I told my graduate student Peter Schiff that he had one month to find something interesting before we would have to move on.”
Fortunately, shortly after receiving the sample, she and Peter (now Dr. Schiff, professor and interim chair of radiation oncology at NYU Langone Medical Center) made a discovery in cells they had treated with the compound.
“We looked in the microscope and saw the cells chock full of microtubules,” she said. The findings demonstrated that the drug prevented the disassembly of microtubules, thereby inhibiting cell division – an important process that enables cancer to spread.
Continued Efforts and Headway
Dr. Horwitz with fellow award winner Dr. William Patrick McGuire (Buxbaum/ICDA courtesy of Society of Gynecologic Oncology) Dr. Horwitz’ current research indicates that Taxol’s journey is far from over. Because some tumors have developed resistance to Taxol, her lab team is studying potential causes and improved drug combinations to treat these drug-resistant cancers. She and her colleagues also are digging deeper into the molecular workings of Taxol’s unique mechanism. Her current efforts hold promise for bringing to light where exactly the drug binds to its target and what signals are sent to the cell instructing it to self-destruct.
“There’s still much we can learn from and about Taxol,” she said. “I’m grateful for the opportunities I’ve had to work with this remarkable compound, and for the many individuals who’ve been part of my lab team and the exciting discoveries we’ve made.”
Posted on: Tuesday, April 19, 2016