Contact: Will Sansom
Phone: (210) 567-2579
E-mail: sansom@uthscsa.edu

GILES
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(San Antonio) February 27, 2007 ― Francis J. Giles, M.D., M.B., F.R.C.P.I., F.R.C.Path., has been named chief of the division of hematology and medical oncology at the Health Science Center and director of the experimental therapeutics program at the San Antonio Cancer Institute (SACI), a partnership between the Health Science Center and the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC).

Dr. Giles also was appointed vice president and director of CTRC’s Institute for Drug Development and will hold the CTRC’s AT&T Distinguished Chair in Drug Development.

Giles, known for his research in leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma, will assume his new duties on April 1. He currently is professor of medicine and chief of the section of developmental therapeutics for the department of leukemia and co-chair of the division of cancer medicine Phase I group at the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston.

William L. Henrich, M.D., M.A.C.P., dean of the School of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs at the Health Science Center, said, “As the principal investigator on numerous clinical research studies, Dr. Giles is tremendously experienced at moving novel anti-cancer agents from the laboratory to the bedside, where they can help save the lives of critically ill patients. His groundbreaking work, including pioneering the use of alpha interferon to treat essential thrombocythemia, brings an exciting new dimension to our academic oncology research team in San Antonio.”

Strengthens SACI
SACI Director Tyler Curiel, M.D., added, “The recruitment of Dr. Giles strengthens the mission of the San Antonio Cancer Institute and marks another significant step towards recapturing our comprehensive cancer center status. I also look forward to Dr. Giles’ contributions towards developing targeted therapies and expanding our translational portfolio in immunotherapies for cancer.”

Giles said, “San Antonio has a very proud record of major contributions to improvements in anti-cancer care. The progress in curing cancer has been striking with much more to be achieved. By building on and expanding the synergy between the scientists at CTRC and the Health Science Center, the contributions of both to anti-cancer therapy will increase significantly and progress will be more rapid. This synergy will allow us to bring additional innovation directly to San Antonio and South Central Texas and enhance all aspects of the local research, academic, and educational missions.” He said, “We will deliver locally and have an international impact which is a truly valuable endeavor.”

Giles, who was born in Ireland and received his medical training at the National University of Ireland, has focused his clinical and research efforts on providing therapy for patients suffering from treatment-resistant or pervasive disease. His interests include lymphomas, multiple myeloma, developmental therapeutics, stem cell transplantation, and leukemias. His career also has included a concentration on biologic response modifiers for myeloprolific disorders, leukemias, and multiple myeloma, and he was the first to use interferon-based combination regimens as a means of treating chronic myeloid leukemia and to show the effect of alpha interferon in essential thrombocythemia, a rare disorder characterized by the overproduction of platelets.

Giles is the founder and chairman of the International Oncology Study Group, a cooperative research group created in 1993 and composed of over 170 oncologists from 90 institutions throughout the U.S., Australia, China, New Zealand, Philippines, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, South Africa, Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries organized to conduct clinical therapeutic studies aimed at improving the prognosis for patients with cancer. He has served as principal investigator on numerous clinical studies of many novel agents. He has published more than 375 peer reviewed articles related to hematological disorders, in leading scientific journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Journal of Clinical Oncology, British Journal of Haematology, Cancer and Lancet.

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The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is the leading research institution in South Texas and one of the major health sciences universities in the world. With an operating budget of $536 million, the Health Science Center is the chief catalyst for the $14.3 billion biosciences and health care industry, the leading sector in San Antonio’s economy. The Health Science Center has had an estimated $35 billion impact on the region since inception and has expanded to six campuses in San Antonio, Laredo, Harlingen and Edinburg. More than 22,000 graduates (physicians, dentists, nurses, scientists and allied health professionals) serve in their fields, including many in Texas. Health Science Center faculty are international leaders in cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, aging, stroke prevention, kidney disease, orthopaedics, research imaging, transplant surgery, psychiatry and clinical neurosciences, pain management, genetics, nursing, allied health, dentistry and many other fields. For more information, click on www.uthscsa.edu.