REALITY Acclaimed physician returns to Houston

Dr. James MusserTurning resea BY DENNY ANGELLETurn on the TV, or flip to the Health section of the daily newspaper, and you are liable to find news of a potentially groundbreaking medical cure or treatment. But way below the headline is the inevitable disclaimer that research is still ongoing and this breakthrough is years — or decades — away, if it ever comes at all. Turning research into reality is a top priority for clinicians and researchers at The Methodist Hospital Research Institute (TMHRI). Dr. James Musser, executive vice president and codirector of TMHRI, says the first step in accomplishing this is to make clinical trials and new treatments available to all Methodist patients. “Our top priority is to bring more clinician-scientists, and with them more clinical trials, to patients in Houston,” Musser said. “Patients will have increased access to cutting-edge therapies and new treatment options, particularly when all of their other options aren’t successful.” Musser is casting his net across America to attract other top-flight Dr. James Musser

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researchers to Methodist. “We are extremely fortunate to have one of the best hospitals in the country. When we increase the amount of patient-oriented clinical research performed in the Research Institute, I believe we can offer our patients even more outstanding patient care that is available in only a few places in the world,” he said.

An acclaimed clinical investigator in his own right, Musser served as professor of pathology, microbiology and immunology at Baylor College of Medicine until 1998. He then was recruited by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, a division of the National Institutes of Health, (NIH), to be the founding chief of the Laboratory of Human Bacterial Pathogenesis. He has received many national honors and awards including the Warner-Lambert/Parke-Davis Award sponsored by the American Society for Investigative Pathology (1999). Musser has published approximately 300 academic papers and book chapters in the field of bacterial infectious diseases.

Musser, who also serves as the director of TMHRI’s Center for Human Molecular and Translational Infectious Diseases Research, joined Methodist in late 2005. He holds the Fondren Distinguished Endowed Chair, funded by the Fondren Foundation. This philanthropic support enables him to continue his work in studying the genetics of group A streptococcus, a bacteria that causes strep throat, as well as the “flesheating” disease, an infection that killed Jim Henson of the Muppets fame. “My group is focusing on understanding how toxins made by the pathogen help the germ to grow in the body during infections,” Musser said. “By understanding this process, we seek to identify new strategies to treat life-threatening infections and perhaps develop a vaccine to prevent them.” This vaccine would not only protect against the “flesh-eating” disease, but also against the more common strep throat, an infection that can affect a child many times. “The goal would be to provide this vaccine to every child worldwide…group A streptococcus is also the cause of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease, an affliction that can permanently damage the heart, and is most often found in developing countries,” Musser said.

And of course, the question is — when?

“In a couple of years, we believe we can begin Phase 1 human trials,” Musser said. “The trials are generally done in specialized units that are determined by the NIH. They determine where these types of trials take place.”

One thing that helps improve the odds considerably is Methodist’s alliance with New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Weill Medical College of Cornell University. Through this partnership, a number of joint research projects are ongoing.

Another plus is a willingness to work with the private sector — in this case, the pharmaceutical industry — to conduct research and bring about new treatments.

“Every year promising research comes out of private industry. Our job is to be savvy and pick and choose the best science available,” he said. “The NIH is devoting more of its budget to funding patient-oriented research, including much done in partnership with industry, so the possibilities are there to have research at Methodist funded not only by the NIH and other federal agencies but by the private sector.”

Researchers at TMHRI have recently submitted grants to the NIH in areas including cardiology, infectious diseases, pathology and interventional radiology. These applications are just the latest projects to join more than 600 existing clinical studies in Methodist’s research portfolio.

“We are well on our way to building an institute for biomedical research that puts the patient at the forefront,” Musser said. “Methodist has a long-standing reputation for quality patient care, and now we will distinguish ourselves with additional outstanding patient-oriented and translational research — all designed to enhance discovery of new drugs, new preventive treatments and new diagnostics.”

With some of the best minds working in medicine today, keep an eye out for Methodist in the news. One day soon, that headline may read: “Medical breakthrough offered to patients today.”