Dr. Vincent Anto "Anastomotic Adjuncts for the Colorectal Anastomosis: A Rat Model" and Dr. Lauren Rosenblum "Targeted intraoperative imaging of neuroblastoma"

Dr. Vincent Anto, MD

Title: Anastomotic Adjuncts for the Colorectal Anastomosis: A Rat Model
Anastomotic leak is a dreaded complication after colorectal anastomoses with an incidence up to 20%. Leaks result in increased mortality and morbidity, including reoperations, prolonged fecal diversion, and higher local cancer recurrence rates. Advances in oncologic management and modern surgical techniques have resulted in rates of sphincter sparing surgery of 70-90%, thereby increasing the importance at reducing complications from colorectal anastomoses. Despite immense clinical interest, innovations to reduce anastomotic leaks have been relatively unsuccessful. One barrier to product development is the lack of a reliable small animal model. 
We are developing a rat model of a high-risk colorectal anastomosis. We will use a multi-modal approach to assess anastomotic quality as well as the ability to reduce anastomotic leak rates using urinary bladder matrix anastomotic adjuncts. 

Mentors: Drs. Stephen Badylak, David Medich

Dr. Lauren Rosenblum, MD PhD

Tite: Targeted intraoperative imaging of neuroblastoma
Neuroblastoma is the most common pediatric solid malignancy, affecting 700-800 children per year in the US with a 5-year overall survival of 81.5%. Mainstays of treatment include surgical resection, chemotherapy, and consolidation therapy with recently approved immunologic, dinutuximab. Unfortunately, about one third of these tumors are high risk and have around 50% 5-year-mortality, despite those treatments. Incomplete resection in localized neuroblastoma contributes to worse local control and overall survival. Small deposits of disease and nodal deposits, however, are difficult to detect and resect, and encasement of neurovasculature structures can prohibit full resection (22-AoS). 
We have constructed a dual-labeled antibody targeting GD2, which is overexpressed in neuroblastoma, to optimize surgical resection. It is labeled with In-111, which enables detection of gamma decay at up to 5 cm of depth, and with a near-IR fluorescent probe, IR800, which helps elucidates tumor borders, enabling more careful and specific dissection of tumor tissue. 

Mentors: Drs. Marcus Malek, Gary Kohanbash