Michael W. Deininger, MD, PhD

Targeting Sirt5 in Acute Myeloid Leukemia
The V Foundation for Cancer Research

 11/01/2017 – 10/31/2020

The Deininger/O’Hare translational research team has discovered that cells from many patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) are dependent on the lysine deacylase SIRT5, a central regulator of energy metabolism, suggesting that SIRT5 is a potential therapy target in AML. To test this hypothesis they will assess whether knockdown or genetic deletion of SIRT5 inhibits leukemia in mouse models of AML, and identify specific and potent small molecule inhibitors of SIRT5 as potential novel therapeutics. They hope that targeting SIRT5 will improve the prognosis of AML, one of the most aggressive hematologic malignancies.

Adam J. Gordon, MD, MPH

Provider-Targeted Behavioral Interventions to Prevent Unsafe Opioid Prescribing for Acute Non-Cancer Pain in Primary Care
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI)

08/01/2017 – 07/31/2020

Acute non-cancer pain is one of the most common conditions seen in primary care settings. Although beneficial in the short-term in certain cases, early opioid therapy for acute non-cancer pain has the potential to progress to chronic opioid therapy and contribute to the current opioid epidemic in the United States. Health system interventions to encourage providers to use non-opioid strategies and, when opioids are deemed necessary, to adopt safer prescribing practices for acute non-cancer pain management is urgently needed.

We plan a health system intervention to deliver provider-targeted behavioral interventions through the Epic electronic health record (EHR) to prevent unsafe opioid prescribing, encourage non-opioid management, and improve pain and function in opioid-naïve patients with acute non-cancer pain. We will conduct a pragmatic cluster-randomized clinical trial across 3 health systems (UPMC, Pittsburgh, PA; Geisinger Health System, Danville, PA; University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City, UT) that participate in the PaTH Network, a member of the Clinical Data Research Network (CDRN), part of PCORnet.

Over 12 months of follow-up, we will assess opioid prescribing, including unsafe opioid prescribing, and resource utilization via the EHR in 10,936 patients, and patient reported outcomes of pain and function.

Our multidisciplinary research team across the 3 geographic PaTH Network sites will work closely with a Stakeholder Advisory Committee comprised of patients, patient advocates, primary care providers, pain medicine specialists, payers, health system executives, experts in behavioral science, and regional and national organizations. Once completed, the project will provide evidence that health systems and other stakeholders need to implement interventions to prevent unsafe opioid prescribing.