San Diego Cirrhosis Study
Metabolic-Associated Fatty Liver Disease (MAFLD) affects 24% of adults in the US. The most severe form occurs in 2-5% and has become a leading etiology of liver transplantation. Among liver transplant recipients in UC San Diego, Hispanic/Latino patients are disproportionately high relative to general population. Current outreach aims to enable regional patients who are at risk for developing severe disease to receive earlier diagnosis, thus affording a chance to avoid future bad outcomes. A research study of liver cancer screening and surveillance will follow patients with cirrhosis for long-term by MRI imaging.
Website: UCSD Cirrhosis Registry Study
PDF: UCSD Gastro Hep Publications
Assessment of Long-Acting Amphetamines to Reduce Harm in Methamphetamine Use Disorder
Methamphetamine (Meth) use and associated harms constitute a significant portion of the burden caused by substance use disorders in the US. There is no treatment available for meth use disorder. Meth use is disproportionately high in communities such as rural youths and men who have sex with men (MSM). Clinical investigators at University of Maryland School of Medicine are currently testing the theory that a long-acting amphetamine, at low end of the therapeutic doses for attention-deficit disorder, administered once weekly can reduce meth use for risky sex behavior and increase in HIV treatment or prevention practices among MSMs.
Clinical Proof-Of-Concept of an Affordable Oral Cancer Immunotherapy in India
Low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) bear the bulk of the burden of cancer incidence and mortality yet the access to top-line treatments, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), is very limited or non-existent. This disparity is due to high costs and inconvenient dosing (IV infusion) of the currently approved products. Calibr-Skaggs at Scripps Research in La Jolla is developing a small molecule ICI (OX-4224) that can be dosed once daily by oral administration. OX-4224 is a potent PD-L1 inhibitor with a good safety profile. This proof-of-concept phase 2 study is recruiting patients in India. An oral small molecule ICI is projected to be more affordable and thus is ideal for LMICs. This project has the potential to achieve global distribution of a top-line cancer therapeutic.