Race Oncology Ltd (ASX:RAC, OTC:RAONF) has appointed international cardiometabolic expert Associate Professor Erin Howden of the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Melbourne, Australia, to the company’s Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).
Dr Howden is a world-leading expert on the serious negative effects of chemotherapy on cardiorespiratory fitness and patient quality of life and the SAB appointment enhances Race’s cardioprotection-focused clinical program.
As head of the Cardiometabolic Health and Exercise Physiology Lab and co-lead of the Physical Activity Program and co-chair of the Research Training and Education Committee at the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Dr Howden brings a wealth of experience to Race.
She has published more than 100 scientific publications on numerous topics, including the serious adverse effects that chemotherapy has on the cardiovascular fitness of cancer patients.
“Delighted” to join SAB
Associate Professor Howden said “I am delighted to be joining the Scientific Advisory Board at Race Oncology.
"I am passionate about reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease for cancer patients and I am looking forward to sharing my expertise to help tackle this major problem in cancer survivorship.”
Recent work by Dr Howden and her collaborators identified that VO2 peak is a highly sensitive and clinically relevant measure of the significant reductions in cardiorespiratory fitness experienced by many cancer patients following exposure to anthracyclines.
This work found anthracycline-containing treatments reduced average VO2 peak levels in cancer patients by 11% (equivalent to 11 years of normal ageing), with the rates of functional disability nearly doubling.
In the same cancer patient population, currently used metrics of chemotherapy-induced cardiac damage (eg reductions in left ventricular ejection fraction or LVEF) showed no significant change (59% vs 58%).
Highly renowned
Dr Howden is an honorary Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Cardiometabolic Medicine at the University of Melbourne and the School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine at Monash University.
After receiving her PhD from the University of Queensland in 2012, she completed four years of postdoctoral training at the Institute for Exercise and Environmental Medicine (Texas, USA).
In 2020, Dr Howden was awarded a prestigious Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellowship and was recognised by the Baker Institute as an Emerging Leader through the award of the Sir Laurence Muir Prize.
She is also co-chair of the Cardio-oncology Exercise Rehab Working Group of the International Cardio-oncology Society; has received more than $5 million in competitive grant funding and has an H-index of 28.
“An incredible opportunity”
Race chief executive officer Dr Daniel Tillett said: “I am thrilled to welcome Erin to Race’s Scientific Advisory Board.
"It is no overstatement to say that Erin and her collaborators’ discoveries have provided Race with an incredible opportunity to accelerate our clinical program and bring our new formulation of bisantrene to patients sooner.
"The importance of VO2 peak as a clinically relevant endpoint in cardiology is well established, but its use is highly innovative in oncology.
"The entire team at Race is looking forward to drawing on Erin’s insights and experience as we advance bisantrene through the clinic in 2024 and beyond.”
About Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute
The Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute is an independent, internationally renowned medical research facility, with a history spanning more than 97 years.
Its work extends from the laboratory to wide-scale community studies with a focus on diagnosis, prevention and treatment of diabetes, cardiovascular disease and associated metabolic diseases.
The comprehensive range of research undertaken to target these deadly diseases, combined with the flexibility and innovation to respond to changing health and community needs, is unique and sets the Baker Institute apart from other health and research Institutes.
Its mission is to reduce death and disability from cardiovascular disease, diabetes and related disorders; two prevalent and complex diseases responsible for the most deaths and the highest health costs in the world.