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t m c » p u l s e | n o v e m b e r 2 0 1 7 12 But thanks to the Department of Defense's grants and the Good Manufacturing Practices facility housed within the Houston Methodist Research Institute, Ferrari and his team will be able to accelerate the process of completing safety studies, filing an Investigational New Drug appli- cation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and conducting Phase I and II clinical trials with 46 metastatic TNBC patients within four years. "With all the different treatments we have—be it immunotherapy, targeted therapy, chemotherapy— we prolong life, but we do not cure. If we're able to cure half the women with TNBC, it's something that we will prepare, package and go to the FDA to ask for expedited approval. Therefore, we would be able to offer it to women quickly," said Chang, who will lead the clinical trials. "If the delivery works, it will genuinely be revolutionary." The results of the preclinical trials have given the scientists good reason to hope that there finally will be a cure for metastatic breast cancer and that women can be saved from the devas- tating side effects of traditional cancer treatments. If the drug proves to be as effective in curing humans as it was in curing mice, Ferrari and his team believe it could open the door to a whole new world of cancer therapy for other types of cancers, as well. "Very few times in life do you have a chance to take a shot on goal, but when the ball is there and the goal is there, you have to take it," Ferrari said. "You cannot shy away. You have to kick it as hard as you can." WHY HCC? Healthcare accounts for one in every 10 jobs in the region Degrees and certication programs in over 20 fastest-growing careers are offered. The school's outstanding faculty are acknowledged by their peers for there leadership. Learn more about our health care programs hccs.edu/coleman HCC_TMCPulse1/2pagAd.indd 2 8/22/17 6:34 AM If the delivery works, it will genuinely be revolutionary. — JENNY CHANG, M.D. Director of the Houston Methodist Cancer Center