Contact: Elizabeth Allen, 210-450-2020

SAN ANTONIO (Nov. 3, 2011) – Three researchers have taken leadership positions at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. They include a new deputy director, director of the Institute for Drug Development and associate director for clinical research at the CTRC.

Director of the Institute for Drug Development
Steve Weitman, M.D., Ph.D., will begin Dec. 1 as the new director of the Institute for Drug Development. For the last five years Dr. Weitman has been a full-time consultant to academic organizations and industry focused on bringing new anticancer therapies to patients. Prior to that, he was chief medical officer and senior vice president at ILEX Oncology.

Tim Hui-Ming Huang, Ph.D., who became CTRC’s deputy director on Oct. 1, also is chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Institute of Biotechnology. He will lead translational and basic science research programs at the CTRC.
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Dr. Weitman is a pediatric oncologist who works on the development of new therapies for both adult and pediatric patients. He is returning to the Health Science Center, where from 1996 to 2001 he was a program director within the IDD. He has worked to create or support oncology drug development programs, building experimental clinical (Phase I and Phase II) programs and developing individualized patient cancer treatment initiatives involving both laboratory and clinical teams.

CTRC Deputy Director
Tim Hui-Ming Huang, Ph.D., began his new role on Oct. 1 as deputy director of the CTRC and chair of the Department of Molecular Medicine at the Institute of Biotechnology. He was recruited from Ohio State University, where he served as professor of human cancer genetics in the Department of Molecular Virology, Immunology and Medical Genetics.

Dr. Huang will lead translational and basic science research programs at the CTRC. In addition, he and his lab team will focus on developing new technology toward early detection of cancer and to further developing “cocktail approaches” (using appropriate combinations of therapies) to treat cancer.

Athanassios (Ethan) Argiris, M.D., CTRC’s associate director for clinical research, also is chief of the Division of Hematology/Oncology in the School of Medicine.

Director of the Division of Hematology/Oncology
Athanassios (Ethan) Argiris, M.D., assumed the role of chief of the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology in the School of Medicine at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio on July 1. He is also the associate director for clinical research at the Cancer Therapy & Research Center.

Dr. Argiris comes from the University of Pittsburgh, where he was a professor of medicine and medical director of the Aerodigestive Cancers Program. His main research interests and expertise have been in the development of novel targeted agents and combined modality regimens for the treatment of head and neck and lung cancers. Dr. Argiris is a nationally recognized investigator who has chaired several cooperative group trials, led multidisciplinary teams and conducted well-funded projects, including translational research in the Specialized Programs of Research Excellence of the National Cancer Institute.

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The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the elite academic cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated Cancer Center, and is one of only four in Texas. A leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer, the CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) conducts one of the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug programs in the world, and participates in development of cancer drugs approved by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration. For more information, visit www.ctrc.net.