VA Research Wrap Up: New findings on skin cancer, artificial lungs and physical therapy

VA’s Office of Research and Development recently published three News Briefs highlighting research findings on a potential new skin cancer treatment, artificial lung engineering and improving physical therapy access in VA.

Potential new skin cancer treatment identified

William S. Middleton Veterans’ Hospital and University of Wisconsin researchers identified a potential new treatment option for melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer.

Researchers first learned that an enzyme called SIRT3 is essential to the life cycle of melanoma cancer cells. Then, using tissue samples and mouse models, they showed that blocking SIRT3 production reduced tumor growth and cell colony formation. Furthermore, applying a compound that inhibited both SIRT3 and the related enzyme SIRT1 significantly decreased tumor volume and weight, suggesting combined targeting of these two enzymes could be a promising new therapeutic target for this deadly form of skin cancer.

View the full study from the “Journal of Dermo-Oncology.”

New artificial lung material reduces clotting

Current artificial lung technology is highly prone to dangerous blood clotting where synthetic material comes into contact with natural tissue. VA Ann Arbor researchers developed a 3D-printable, silicone-based resin that mimics biological conditions to address this problem.

When exposed to freshly drawn blood, the new material reduced clotting area over currently available resins by between 58% and 65%. This resin could potentially reduce the need for systemic anticoagulation use with artificial lungs, which carries the risk of severe bleeding events, and could increase the artificial lung device’s lifetime.

View the full study from “Langmuir.”

Adding physical therapy to care teams improves results

Researchers at the VA Eastern Colorado Healthcare System integrated physical therapy into primary care to reduce burden and increase care participation for Veterans with chronic pain or mobility issues.

The researchers interviewed Veterans and VA staff from a pilot program that added physical therapy to the clinics’ patient-aligned care teams. Participants reported increased access to physical therapy, reduced wait times and less transportation burden to attend therapy.

The service also allowed Veterans to try conservative interventions for pain before resorting to surgery and enabled greater continuation of VA care without community care referrals, particularly in rural areas where physical therapy options may be limited. Veterans also reported high satisfaction with the program. The findings highlight how including physical therapists in primary care teams can decrease barriers to care and improve Veterans’ well-being.

View the full study from the “Journal of General Internal Medicine.”

For more Office of Research and Development updates, visit ORD online or go to https://www.research.va.gov/news_briefs/.