San Antonio Historical Advancements and Developments of Modern Medicine

By Noor Wadi, OMS-I and Abdullah Ghali, MS-III

The development of accessible health care in San Antonio is due to an exponentially growing population with a vast base of ethnicities that mimic populations throughout the nation. This allows San Antonio to rapidly develop into a city now home to 29 large-scale health care facilities spanning the region and servicing the community. Along with dedication to service, health care development has brought along the advances of multiple research centers invested in creating solutions that impact local and international challenges in health care. San Antonio has grown to develop into the top three Texas cities for funding from the National Institutes of Health in the Fiscal Year of 2021, with the UT Health San Antonio (UT Health) alone receiving $116,658,251 in funding in the year 2021.5 There are over 600 research projects conducted at University Hospital alone, including clinical trials in collaboration with the UT Health San Antonio system. This allows for the development of novel treatments and further understanding of disorders that affect our communities.

UT Health holds a legacy in research innovation. It is home to the development of the first clinical estrogen receptor test developed by Dr. William L. McGuire, MD, former Chief of Medical Oncology at UT Health.1 This novel discovery allowed for further depth of understanding of the estrogen receptor, which lead to the development of targeted anti-estrogen receptor drugs for treatment of breast cancer. This development opened the door to current research projects investigating the efficacy of 12 breast cancer management clinical trials led by UT Health for FDA registration. One of the projects that can be highlighted is the development of an antidepressant that functions as an inhibitor of breast cancer proliferation. This was developed by Dr. Manjeet Rao, PhD and colleagues.1,3 These developments were presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the world’s current largest symposium devoted to breast cancer research nationwide.

The UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center established the Mays Cancer Center as the only National Cancer Institutedesignated cancer center in South Texas. Community members seeking clinical trials for the management of certain adult and pediatric cancers can find them exclusively at the Mays Cancer Center. The Mays Cancer Center also developed the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute.4 It remains as one of the few institutes that explores pediatric cancer methods, prevention and treatment options to decrease the instance of cancer prevalence in South Texas.

Among other branches of the institution, The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies is now the only aging-intensive research institute in the country to have four designations. The designations are two NIA-funded centers (Nathan Shock and Claude D. Pepper), a testing site of the NIA-sponsored Interventions Testing Program and a U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center.1 Their team, along with the collaboration with Sam and Ann Barshop Institute, the University of Michigan and the Jackson Laboratory, developed the anti-aging drug Rapamycin. This is currently in clinical trials and showing promising results in geriatric patients. This key development will lead to further studies assessing its application in treatment for patients with Alzheimer’s and prostate cancer.

These are a few among many exciting advances in science and the health care field as San Antonio develops into a health care destination. The accessibility to health care and drive to continue enhancing and widening the depth of knowledge available is felt throughout many of our local institutions. The ability to have access to the latest clinical trials for risk populations is invaluable to those in search of limited treatment options.

Abdullah Ghali is a third year medical student at the UT Health San Antonio Long School of Medicine.

Noor Wadi is a first year Osteopathic medical student at the University of Incarnate Word School of Osteopathic Medicine.

Sources: 1. Honoring a Foundation of Innovation. Magazines of the Schools at UT Health San Antonio. (2020, October 22). 2. Hospitals by County. Txcip.org. Published 2019. Accessed March 28, 2021. 3. Manjeet Rao, Ph.D. - Feature Presentation at 2020 San Antonio

Breast Cancer Symposium. Cell Systems and Anatomy 4. Our Cancer Research | UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson

Cancer Center. (2021). UTHSCSA 5. “RePORT 〉 RePORTER.” National Institutes of Health, U.S.

Department of Health and Human Services 2021 Funding.