Methods and Techniques for Clinical and Preclinical Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy (CIPN) Research

In this webinar, Dr. Alberti discussed methods for studying chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) in preclinical studies and building collaborative translational teams. Dr. Smith then addressed methods and techniques for assessing CIPN in clinical trials.

Speakers

Paola Alberti, M.D., Ph.D.

Neurologist
Assistant Professor, Human Anatomy
School of Medicine and Surgery
University of Milano-Bicocca
Faculty Links: https://en.unimib.it/paola-alberti
Personal page: – Paola Alberti – Ion Nerve Project

Dr. Paola Alberti, M.D., Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Human Anatomy at University of Milano-Bicocca, Monza, Italy.

She is a preclinical and preclinical expert on Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (CIPN). She is a consultant Neurologist at the IRCCS San Gerardo dei Tintori, in Monza, Italy, for outpatients affected by Chemotherapy Induced Peripheral Neurotoxicity (CIPN), and she is the PI in this Center for the INTERNATIONAL CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED NEUROTOXICITY (CIPN) ASSESSMENT AND VALIDATION STUDY (ICAVS, NCT04633655) which involves 30 Centers around the globe (US, Canada, South America, Africa, India, Australia). In the same Center, she is also PI of the CIPN COST (NCT04986891) study (www.cipncare.com), aiming at ascertaining socio-economic burden related to CIPN (awarded a 115,000 euros grant, by UNIMIB), and of the NEUPER (NCT05088681) study, aiming at ascertaining efficacy of physical treatment to reverse sensory ataxia due to polyneuropathy.

At a preclinical level she has developed a line of research that applies morpho-functional techniques to study axonal damage mechanisms, with particular attention to ion channel dysfunctions. In 2022 she received a personal grant of 250,000 euros from Fondazione Cariplo to carry out a 3-year preclinical project, entitled Sodium-calcium exchanger (NCX) and ion channels: pivotal elements leading to axonal damage in peripheral nerves, with the aim of investigating mechanisms of axonopathy with a translational approach (www.ionnerve).

She is currently a member of the board of the Italian Association of Peripheral Neuropathies (ASNP), vice chair of the junior committee of the Peripheral Nerve Society (PNS) and represented of this committee within the Toxic Neuropathy Consortium of PNS, chair of the neurological complication study group of the Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC).

She is the author of 85 publications in international journals (H-index: 33 on Scopus)

Ellen M. Lavoie Smith, Ph.D., M.S.N., R.N., AOCN®, FAAN

Professor and Marie O’Koren Endowed Chair
Assistant Dean of Research and Scholarship
Co-Director Cancer Prevention and Control T32 Training Program (T32CA047888: NCI)
Department of Acute, Chronic & Continuing Care
The University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Nursing
Faculty Link: https://scholars.uab.edu/16926-ellen-smith

Dr. Ellen M. Lavoie Smith is a Professor, Assistant Dean for Research and Scholarship, and the Marie O’Koren Endowed Chair at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing. Dr. Smith has lectured nationally and internationally regarding multiple cancer-related topics and has published 100 peer-reviewed manuscripts. Her research is well recognized as pioneering and pivotal in identifying interventions for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), a life-altering complication of neurotoxic chemotherapy for which no known treatments have been discovered. She has received independent extramural research funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and foundation and industry sponsors. Her research revealed duloxetine efficacy for painful CIPN (JAMA, 2013). As a result, duloxetine is remaining the only treatment for painful CIPN recommended by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (JCO, 2020). Further, she has led multiple instrument development studies involving both adults and children with CIPN. She currently leads an NCI/R01-funded Phase II-III trial to test duloxetine to prevent CIPN through the Alliance NCI-funded Cooperative Group network. As recognition for her pioneering work, Dr. Smith has received numerous national awards including the 2018 Fellows of the National Institute of Nursing Research Welch/Woerner Path Paver Award.

Moderator

Rachel Altshuler, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention

Contacts

Rachel Altshuler, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention

Catherine Schweppe, Ph.D.
Program Officer
Gastrointestinal and Other Cancers Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention

Brennan P. Streck, Ph.D., R.N., M.P.H.
Program Officer
Breast and Gynecologic Cancer Research Group
NCI Division of Cancer Prevention