Overcoming the Challenges of Sarcoma and the Drive to Significantly Improve Sarcoma Prognosis
Dr. Kurt R. Weiss, MD is an Associate Professor and Vice Chair of Translational Research in the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Musculoskeletal Oncology; Director, Musculoskeletal Oncology Laboratory; Chair, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society Research Committee
Dr. Weiss was diagnosed with metastatic osteosarcoma at the age of 15 and attributes his survival to participation in a Phase II clinical trial. He went on to attend the University of Notre Dame and Jefferson Medical College. During medical school he participated in the Howard Hughes Medical Institute/NIH Research Scholars Program and did a year of research with Lee Helman, MD in the National Cancer Institute (NCI) Pediatric Oncology Branch.
Dr. Weiss then performed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh and his fellowship in musculoskeletal oncology at the University of Toronto. He was recruited back to the University of Pittsburgh in 2010 as a surgeon/scientist and has over 60 peer-reviewed publications in the musculoskeletal oncology literature. He has been supported by the NCI as well as many sarcoma research foundations. He is a founding member of the Pittsburgh Cure Sarcoma patient advocacy group and the Pittsburgh Sarcoma Research Collaborative, a multidisciplinary team of clinician/investigators in the Pittsburgh area. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Orthopedic Surgery and is a proud member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Musculoskeletal Tumor Society, Children’s Oncology Group, and Connective Tissue Oncology Society.
He is proud to be a member of Anya’sArmy.
Our Lab is the Musculoskeletal Oncology Lab (MOL). We are affiliated with the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Musculoskeletal Oncology.
Our Vision: We will be THE SARCOMA METASTASIS EXPERTS and build the best Center for this research in the world. We will ERADICATE metastatic disease as a source of mortality for patients with sarcoma, effectively curing these diseases.
Our Mission: Nearly all sarcoma deaths are the result of sarcoma cells that have metastasized (spread) from the primary tumor to another location, most often the lungs. The MOL’s Mission is to better understand the biology of metastatic sarcoma and translate discoveries into effective treatments.
The MOL Director, Dr. Kurt Weiss, established the Musculoskeletal Oncology Tumor Registry and Tissue Bank (MOTOR) in 2012. After a series of mistakes and improvements, the MOTOR is now a well-oiled machine that collects data and tissue from our sarcoma patients who consent to be part of the MOTOR. We possess nearly 10,000 sarcoma biological specimens that can be used by the MOL and other sarcoma laboratories as precious resources and reagents for sarcoma research. The MOTOR supports the work of many Pittsburgh Sarcoma Research Collaborative (PSaRC) members. Dr. Weiss is a founding member of PSaRC.
An Important Message from Dr. Weiss
Largely because of the difficulties inherent to sarcoma research, there have not been any significant improvements in sarcoma prognosis for several decades. The prognosis for an osteosarcoma patient diagnosed by Dr. Weiss today is the same as his was in May, 1989. This is unacceptable! The MOL team of students, doctors, and scientists are working every day to find better ways to target the deadliest aspect of sarcoma-sarcoma metastases.
How You Are Making A Difference
Sarcomas are rare diseases and often neglected when research resources are being allocated. Therefore, the life blood of the MOL and other sarcoma laboratories is the generosity of private donors that enable us to keep the lights on. From equipment to personnel to supplies, your generosity is essential to help us do what we do best-fighting sarcoma with science. For example, it takes several hundred dollars to process one tissue sample. Thank you for your consideration to support Sarcoma research.