Clinical Trials, UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology (IUO)
The UCLA Institute of Urologic Oncology (IUO) prides itself on being able to offer patients access to ground-breaking experimental drugs in its Clinical Trials Program that allows patients to receive tomorrow’s approved drugs today.
The UCLA IUO has a history of translating its pioneering research into advanced care for our patients, including:
- UCLA initiated a clinical trial of BCG bladder irrigation for superficial bladder tumors, which was one of the early studies confirming the role of BCG in the treatment of carcinoma in situ of the bladder.
- Dr. Arie Belldegrun led the development of abiraterone acetate (Zytiga®). UCLA was one of the first centers to conduct clinical trials in patients with advanced prostate cancer. Zytiga® received Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval in April 2011 and is now offered as a standard of care to patients with advanced disease.
- Oncologists and Biochemists at UCLA discovered and developed Xtandi®, now an FDA approved treatment for advanced prostate cancer.
Nazy Zomorodian, Director, UCLA IUO Clinical Trials Program
- UCLA identified prostate stem cell antigen, or PSCA, a cell surface protein and a new marker and molecular target for prostate cancer treatment.
- Basic and clinical researchers at the IUO played instrumental roles in helping to bring targeted therapies such as Sutent® and Afinitor® to patients with advanced kidney cancer.
- UCLA was one of the first centers involved in clinical testing of Provenge,® allowing our patients access to it seven years before commercial availability.
- The IUO is currently offering patients with advanced kidney cancer a first-in-class, targeted kidney cancer vaccine. The technology was discovered and developed in UCLA laboratories.
- A first-of-its-kind clinical trial involving bladder cancer, now open and enrolling patients, is exploring the ideal treatment sequence — which patients should receive immunotherapy as a first-line therapy and which should get the treatment after chemotherapy or surgery.
- Studies designed and performed at UCLA were the first to demonstrate a drug approach capable of decreasing the risk of cancer recurrence after surgery for patients for advanced kidney cancer.
Clinical trials are an important step in discovering new treatments for urologic cancers. View educational information about clinical trials or to enroll in an open clinical trial, please call our trials office at 310-794-3550.
