Newswise — Chicago (March 29, 2016): The Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) awarded Meghana V. Trivedi, Pharm.D., Ph.D., BCOP, the 2016 Basic Science and Clinical Research Literature Award at the 12th HOPA Annual Conference on March 17 in Atlanta. This prestigious award recognizes distinct articles that describe hematology/oncology basic science and/or translational research or clinical trials evaluating drug efficacy and/or safety. Dr. Trivedi received this award for her work, Circulating and Disseminated Tumor Cells from Breast Cancer Patient-derived Xenograft-bearing Mice as a Novel Model to Study Metastasis, published in January 2015. Her work was done in collaboration with researchers from Baylor College of Medicine, including her co-senior author Rachel Schiff, Ph.D.; University Federico II (Naples, Italy); and Harvard Medical School.
Since 2010, Dr. Trivedi has served as a tenure-track assistant professor in the department of Pharmacy Practice and Translational Research at the University of Houston College of Pharmacy. She also holds an adjunct faculty appointment in Lester and Sue Smith Breast Center at Baylor College of Medicine and is a board-certified oncology pharmacist.
The paper for which Trivedi was recognized “demonstrates for the first time that circulating tumor cells and disseminated tumor cells, which have prognostic and predictive value in cancer patients, can be detected in patient-derived xenograft (PDX) mice. Another novel observation was the strong association between the presence of CTC clusters and lung metastases in PDX mice. This study highlights the role of CTCs, especially CTC clusters, as precursors to distant metastases, which should be targeted using existing or novel drugs for prevention and treatment of metastatic disease. This study also has strong implications on preclinical and clinical drug-based studies to evaluate CTCs and CTC clusters as markers of treatment response, which is an ongoing area of Dr. Trivedi’s laboratory and clinical research.”
Dr. Trivedi’s research is focused on breast cancer, translational oncology pharmacology, and clinical oncology. The two main areas of research in her laboratory are (1) to understand the role of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in breast cancer metastasis and (2) to discover G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) targets in breast cancer and drug resistance. Dr. Trivedi’s clinical research interests include identification of markers to predict treatment outcomes, individualization of anti-cancer therapies, and supportive care issues in cancer patients.
Dr. Trivedi obtained both her Pharm.D. and Ph.D. in Pharmacology at the University of Houston in 2004 and completed her clinical and translational research in oncology fellowship at UC San Diego. She also gained drug discovery research experience at J&J Pharmaceutical Research and Development in La Jolla.
HOPA
HOPA is a nonprofit professional organization formed in 2004 to help oncology and hematology pharmacy practitioners and their associates provide the best possible cancer care. HOPA supports research, conducts educational conferences to advance knowledge, encourages professional development and advocates for health policy issues that improve patient care. HOPA has more than 2,500 members and includes oncology pharmacists, as well as pharmacy administrators, researchers, residents, interns and technicians specializing in hematology/oncology practice.
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