‘Life just changed.' How Miami doctors use tech to treat cancer and sickle cell

Miami Herald

10 hours ago

Technology is fueling the future of health in South Florida.
Lots of innovation is happening in the region. Medical students are using simulators to train. AI is targeting Alzheimer's, cancer and other health conditions. Elon Musk's brain chips are undergoing clinical trials in Miami.
Some of the emerging tech is already making a difference in patient care and is changing how doctors treat cancer, strokes and genetic conditions like sickle cell disease. It's also helping boost quality of life for patients.
Ultrasounds target cancerous tumors
High-intensity ultrasounds are being used to liquefy cancerous tumors in the liver as part of a new pain-free treatment at Memorial Healthcare System, one of Broward's public hospital networks. It's one of the latest innovations helping doctors treat difficult and life-threatening conditions in South Florida, sometimes by assisting the body's own natural immune response.
The procedure 'is going to open the doors to really allow us to be more aggressive' against advanced cancers that have limited treatment options, said Dr. Omar Llaguna, a surgical oncologist with the Memorial Cancer Institute at Memorial Healthcare System.
The ultrasound tech will be used to target tumors in the liver, often caused from cancer that spread to the organ from the colon or other parts of the body. Invisible sound waves transcend the skin to'drill' into, and carve out, the cancerous tumor from the organ, the doctor said. Bubbles form and pop within the infected tissue, rupturing and destroying the tumor.
'It almost looks like a little hurricane underwater,' said Llaguna, who closely watches the procedure through a screen.
The destroyed tumor turns into a jelly-like liquid. Then it's time to let the body's immune system do its thing, absorbing and ridding itself of the unnecessary and extra fluid. No surgery, no chemotherapy, no radiation needed.
It 'destroys the tumor beyond recognition. ... It really opens up the opportunities for us to treat patients who normally would have needed invasive procedures but also treat patients who may not have been candidates for these procedures due to co-morbidities or other medical problems,' Llaguna said.
Memorial expects the FDA-approved technology, known as the Edison Histotripsy System, could help hundreds of cancer patients who are not eligible for surgery. Memorial plans to begin offering the treatment soon and is assessing several patients to ensure the treatment is right for them.
Llaguna said the ultrasound beams will first be used in combination with other treatments to target liver cancer and metastatic cancer that spread to the organ in patients not eligible for surgeries. The company behind the tech is hosting clinical trials to see whether it can be used to treat pancreatic, kidney and other cancers, too.
More affordable 3D-printed prosthetic
At Florida International University, 3D printing is helping to create more affordable kid-size prosthetics as part of a new at-home exercise program to help kids learn how to better manage everyday tasks.
'I know how costly' a traditional prosthetic is, said Amanda Thomas, clinical assistant professor for physical therapy at FIU. Her son was born without a right hand and is now using one of the 3D-printed prosthetics created at FIU's Miami Beach Urban Studios.
Prosthetics usually cost thousands and are made fit-to-order, with kids often needing new prosthetics for their growing body every one to two years. Some insurances may cover at least part of the prosthetic cost. Others may require patients to wait a certain amount of time before ordering a new prosthetic.
That means some families could be left with a hefty bill or priced out of giving their kids the option to explore what it's like to use a prosthetic, Thomas said.
That's where 3D-printing comes in.
Her 11-year-old son Hayden's 3D-printed yellow-colored hand prosthetic has helped him perform every-day activities more easily. He feels more confident in himself. Hayden, who loves playing soccer and other sports, has even used his prosthetic hand to help play tennis.
The cost of his 3D-printed hand: $30, she said.
'Seeing how he's progressed and going through this whole process is amazing. It's a wonderful feeling,' said Thomas.
Hayden, like other kids who were born without a part of their upper limb, will sometimes experience an uncomfortable hypersensitivity around their limb. It's a common reason why kids tend to not like using prosthetics, Thomas said.
That led Thomas and her doctor of physical therapy students to create an at-home exercise program to help kids like Hayden strengthen and desensitize their limbs and learn how to use the 3D-printed prosthetic.
The exercises use items families have around their home and requires the limb to be exposed to different sensations, including using shaving cream to write the alphabet and draw shapes, putting the limb in a bucket of rice, and create shapes with Play-Doh, according to Thomas.
Hayden's 3D-printed hand is 'body powered,' which means he has to use his limb to manipulate the hand. With the 3D-printed hand, Hayden would have to do a variety of repetitive exercises, including picking up and setting down an empty water bottle, learn how to open and close his hand, turn pages in a book, push blocks and wave.
After four weeks, his strength, sensitivity and coordination had improved, according to Thomas. She saw similar results with other kids. Her research, which was published in the Journal of Hand Therapy, has drawn global interest, according to FIU.
Thomas' team is now looking to build 3D-printed kid orthotics — devices that can help relieve pain associated with foot conditions — and custom made prosthetics. Families interested in getting a 3D-printed prosthetic or joining the at-home exercise program, can contact Thomas at [e-mail].
The future of gene therapy
At Miami-Dade's public hospital system Jackson Health, new advancements in genetic research recently helped doctors modify a patient's blood cells to lessen the effects of sickle cell disease, a painful blood disorder that can lead to life-threatening complications.
The inherited blood disorder deforms red blood cells, turning them into sickle-like shapes, which can get stuck in the bloodstream, preventing oxygen flow. The disease, which has no cure, is known to cause excruciating pain and fatigue, and can lead to serious complications, including strokes, lung problems and organ damage.
'I'm screaming the whole way to the hospital. That's how bad the pain is,' said Javarian Weatherspoon, 21, of the Orlando area, who has lived with sickle cell disease his entire life.
Weatherspoon grew up alongside his four siblings like any other child, going to school, and playing sports and video games. But he also saw hospital walls more than the average person.
He had his first surgery — the removal of his spleen — at age 2. At 7, the Make-A-Wish recipient and his family were gifted a trip to the Nickelodeon hotel in Orlando to celebrate his birthday and visit the theme parks. At 14, his gallbladder was removed. By 17, chronic pain led to monthly hospital visits.
One day, his blood pressure and hemoglobin levels dropped to dangerous levels.
'His doctor said, had we not brought him in, he probably would have died in his sleep,' said his mom Raheeda Fisher.
Now at 21, Weatherspoon became the first patient in South Florida to undergo a new gene therapy, part of a clinical trial by Beam Therapeutics to reduce the disease's symptoms. The therapy, known as Beam-101, is being administered by a medical team at Holtz Children's Hospital and the University of Miami Health System.
The trial utilizes 'base editing' to give scientists the ability to rewire the body's genes, similar to how a programmer will delete and input new code to fix a faulty computer program.
With gene editing, scientists are able to input code into the body's genes that tell it to stop producing the mutation that is causing the abnormal red blood cells. The new genes tell the body to produce a fetal form of hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein found in normal shaped red blood cells. The goal is to help reduce a patient's symptoms.
'We're fixing very small parts of it so it's nothing like the science fiction' tech that turns people into super humans, said Dr. David Crawford, director of pediatric stem cell transplantation at UHealth and Holtz Children's. 'We're modifying a single gene to fix us a little problem. But it is an amazing thing.'
Crawford sees gene therapy as a useful alternative for patients like Weatherspoon who were not eligible for a bone marrow transplant due to damage from the disease.
Sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people in the United States, the majority of which are non-Hispanic Black or African American, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The condition usually worsens as patients age, with symptoms often making it difficult for patients to attend school or work, according to Jackson Health.
So far, about 13 patients have received the new gene therapy at select medical centers in the United States and Europe, according to the Miami hospital.
And Crawford has high hopes for the future of gene therapy and its use in treating sickle cell and other conditions. Federal regulators have already approved several gene therapies to help treat certain conditions, including blood disorders like sickle cell disease, neurological conditions like spinal muscular atrophy in kids, and cancers, including certain types of leukemias and lymphomas.
And advancements continue to be made. A Philadelphia baby who spent most of his life hospitalized with a rare and deadly genetic disease recently made headlines after doctors crafted a new personalized gene-editing treatment for him. The treatment seems to have worked and the baby was discharged from the hospital earlier this month, according to ABC News.
'My whole life just changed,' patient says
When Weatherspoon's doctor recommended he join the clinical trial in Miami, he and his mom were wary. But they decided to try it. Once doctors determined he was an eligible candidate, Weatherspoon and his family drove down to Miami. His stem cells were harvested in September — in a process similar to a 'prolonged blood draw' — and sent to a specialized lab for editing, a process that took about three months, according to Crawford.
In January, Weatherspoon began chemotherapy to destroy the damaged cells and make room for the newly edited cells. He felt tired. His hair fell out. He turned to video games like Fortnight and Grand Theft Auto to try and escape reality.
Finally, the time came to infuse the new cells into his body. For four weeks, he was monitored at Holtz to make sure everything went well and to keep him safe as his immune system recovered.
His twin brother, who had joined the U.S. Army, surprised him with a visit, just in time to watch the Super Bowl together. His girlfriend surprised him for Valentine's Day. Family members cycled in and out of his hospital room.
'To see people take time out of their day ... to come see me, that just means a lot,' said Weatherspoon.
After 45 days in the hospital, Weatherspoon was discharged. He's now back home in Sanford, part of Central Florida.
'He's doing extraordinarily well and the treatment was really perfect for him,' Crawford said. 'It's a complete change of his life and he really doesn't have sickle cell disease anymore and he's pretty much leading a normal life.'
Weatherspoon will need to visit Holtz monthly for monitoring and is taking penicillin for infection prevention. Clinical trial researchers will keep tabs on him for years.
He's also taking advantage of his new pain-free life.
Weatherspoon went ATV riding for his 21st birthday, without needing any pain medications. His crippling migraines are gone. He said he's been able to walk to the grocery store and come back home, for the first time ever, with no pain.
'I'm actually at a loss for words,' he said. 'My whole life just changed because everything I was doing before I could do it even better now. I'm not in pain every day.'