Peter Vu
· M.D.VerifiedUniversity of California, San Diego · Hematology and Medical Oncology
Active 2009–2026
About
Peter Vu is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Medicine at UC San Diego. His research focuses on various aspects of oncology, including cancer detection, molecular targeted therapy, and the molecular and clinicopathologic characteristics of different cancers such as colorectal, gastric, lung, and renal cancers. Vu has contributed to studies on the use of liquid biopsies, targeted therapies, and the molecular mechanisms underlying cancer progression and treatment response. He has authored multiple publications derived from sources like MEDLINE/PubMed, covering topics such as colorectal cancer screening guidelines, the impact of weight change during targeted therapy, and the molecular analysis of tumors. Vu's work involves collaboration with other researchers at UCSD and contributes to advancing understanding in cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.
Research topics
- Internal medicine
- Medicine
- Family medicine
- Gastroenterology
- Nursing
- Oncology
- Intensive care medicine
- Emergency medicine
- Medical emergency
Selected publications
Burns · 2026-04-01
articleJournal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network · 2026-03-27
articleCancer Research · 2025-04-21
articleSenior authorAbstract Introduction: Total neoadjuvant therapy (TNT) is the standard curative-intent treatment for locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC), where patients receive all of their chemotherapy and radiation therapy before surgery. However, monitoring treatment response during TNT can be challenging since radiographic changes are often delayed. Methylation changes in colorectal cancer (CRC) and other cancers are relatively consistent and can be monitored in real time using cell-free DNA (cfDNA), making them a promising strategy for cancer detection and treatment monitoring. This study aims to determine if methylation changes in cfDNA can be used to monitor treatment response in LARC undergoing TNT. Methods: Plasma of CRC patients stage I-IV and healthy controls were obtained to establish the methylation classifier. Patients with stage II or III rectal cancer undergoing TNT were recruited. Blood samples were collected at baseline and about 6 weeks after the start of treatment. Tumor and normal CRC genomic DNA were analyzed using the Agilent Avida Methyl 3400 DMR panel to generate a methylation index score. Cancer treatment response was assessed by the investigator based on computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance imaging. Results: We confirmed low background methylation signals in cfDNA and peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy controls. Subsequently, we analyzed methylation signals from plasma of CRC patients with stage I (n=20), II (n=12), and IV (n=5) disease. The sensitivity of the assay was 60%, 75%, and 100% for stages I, II, and IV, respectively, while the specificity was 87.5%. Among LARC patients undergoing treatment with TNT, we observed a decrease in methylation index scores compared to baseline in all three patients who experienced a treatment response and an increase in all three patients who experienced disease progression. Notably, the methylation index scores did not correlate with carcinoembryonic antigen values. Conclusions: Our preliminary results show the feasibility of monitoring rectal cancer treatment response during TNT using a tumor-independent cfDNA methylation analysis. Methylation analysis is a promising technology that may aid in quantifying treatment response to systemic therapy and/or radiation. Citation Format: Kim Nguyen-Ta, Grace Zhao, Heng Wang, Teressa Celma, Lisa Kim, Jeff Pawelek, Bram Herman, Annie Wu, Yun Bao, Gregory Botta, Aaron Miller, Hitendra Patel, Shengrong Lin, Peter Vu. Tumor-independent cfDNA methylation analysis for cancer monitoring during total neoadjuvant treatment in rectal cancer patients [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2025; Part 1 (Regular Abstracts); 2025 Apr 25-30; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2025;85(8_Suppl_1):Abstract nr 5900.
Regular and Young Investigator Award Abstracts · 2025-11-01 · 2 citations
articleOpen accessPsychopharmacology Bulletin · 2025-08-12 · 7 citations
reviewOpen accessFibromyalgia is a complex clinical entity characterized by a broad range of symptoms including chronic widespread musculoskeletal pain, profound fatigue, impaired cognition, and mood disturbances. Current understanding of disease pathogenesis assumes neurotransmitter dysregulation and central pain sensitization play a key role resulting in heightened pain sensitivity. Genetic predisposition as well as alterations in endocrine and immune function have been implicated. Accurate diagnosis requires a comprehensive evaluation, and a personalized treatment approach is needed to address the biopsychosocial components of the disease process. Among pharmacologic treatment options, serotonin norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) have demonstrated analgesic effects in addition to mood stabilizing properties. Currently, duloxetine and milnacipran are approved by the Food and Drug Administration although other agents in this drug class including venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine have been studied in the management of fibromyalgia. In addition, selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, esreboxetine and reboxetine, as well as tramadol, a weak opioid mu-receptor agonist with SNRI activity have shown potential utility. Although some studies have demonstrated SNRIs to be effective and well tolerated in patients with fibromyalgia, individual response may vary. There remains a continued need for large scale clinical trials to establish the safety and clinical effectiveness of these agents in this patient population. Further information is needed to optimize patient selection and dosing regimens as well as elucidate the clinical factors associated with poor response. Moreover, pharmacologic agents may be combined with lifestyle changes and non-drug-based treatments to address the complex interactions of biological and psychosocial factors that facilitate disease development and persistence of symptoms.
Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer · 2025-06-01 · 15 citations
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: Despite progress in cancer therapeutics, there remains an unmet need for treatment of advanced solid tumors. The cGAS-cGAMP-STING pathway plays a pivotal role in innate antitumor immunity processes. IMSA101 is a small molecule analog of cGAMP and a potent STING agonist. Preclinical studies demonstrate antitumor activity of IMSA101 alone and in combination with immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). METHODS: IMSA101-101 was an open-label, multicenter, phase 1 first-in-human dose-escalation study to establish a recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D) of IMSA101 both as monotherapy and in combination with a programmed death ligand 1 (PD-(L)1)-ICI. Secondary objectives were to evaluate safety, tolerability and antitumor activity, and to characterize pharmacokinetics. Adult patients with advanced solid tumors with ≥2 Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors evaluable lesions, at least one of these suitable for injection, were enrolled. IMSA101 was administered by intratumoral injection with weekly injections for the first 3 weeks, followed by biweekly injections. The dose escalation explored doses of 100-1,200 µg (monotherapy) and 800-2,400 µg (combination therapy with ICI) in a 3+3 design. No formal statistical analysis was planned for this study. RESULTS: 40 patients (22 monotherapy, 18 combination therapy) received at least one dose of IMSA101. IMSA101 1,200 µg (monotherapy) and 2,400 µg (combination therapy) doses, well-tolerated and associated with signs of antitumor activity, were selected as provisional RP2Ds. The most common IMSA101-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were injection site pain (8 (36.4%)) and fatigue (4 (18.2%)) for monotherapy and chills (3 (16.7%)), injection site pain (2 (11.1%)), and fever (2 (11.1%)) for combination therapy. No clear dose-response relationship between IMSA101 and occurrence of TEAEs was observed. The elimination half-life of plasma IMSA101 was approximately 1.5-2 hours, with no reported plasma accumulation. With monotherapy, no patients achieved complete response (CR) or partial response (PR), so overall response rate (ORR) was not determined; 17 (77.3%) patients had progressive disease (PD) and one patient (4.5%, 400 µg cohort) had stable disease (SD) as best response. With combination therapy, ORR was 5.6%; remaining patients had PD (10 (55.6%)) and SD (2 (11.1%)) as their best response. CONCLUSIONS: IMSA101 doses of 1,200 µg (monotherapy arm) and 2,400 µg (combination therapy arm) were well tolerated but demonstrated minimal signals of antitumor activity in patients with advanced solid tumors. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT04020185.
Journal of Clinical Oncology · 2025-01-27 · 1 citations
articleTPS788 Background: MSLN is a desirable candidate for targeted therapy given its limited expression in normal tissues and its overexpression in several malignancies, including PANC, mesothelioma, non-small cell lung, and ovarian cancers (TCGA 2022). MSLN-targeted CAR T and T-cell receptor therapies have shown promising clinical activity; however, on-target, off-tumor toxicity, including fatal events, have occurred (1-3). Autologous logic-gated Tmod CAR T therapies address the challenges of on-target, off-tumor toxicity by combining 2 CARs: activating and blocking receptors. The activator recognizes a tumor-associated antigen present on the surface of both tumor and normal cells; the blocker prevents CAR T activity when it binds HLA-A*02, which is present in normal cells and often lost in tumor cells. Thus, in patients with tumor-associated HLA-A*02 LOH, the blocker prevents on-target, off-tumor toxicity on normal cells due to retained HLA-A*02 expression (4). HLA-A*02 LOH is observed in various solid tumors, including ~20% of PANC (5). Two autologous CAR T therapies are currently under investigation: A2B530, targeting carcinoembryonic antigen, in the EVEREST-1 trial, and A2B694, targeting MSLN, in the EVEREST-2 trial, described herein. A2B694 may provide a therapeutic window to treat patients with PANC and other MSLN-expressing solid tumors exhibiting HLA-A*02 LOH due to its unique discriminatory mechanism. Methods: EVEREST-2 (NCT06051695) is a first-in-human, phase 1/2, open-label, nonrandomized study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of A2B694 for recurrent unresectable, locally advanced, or metastatic cancers with MSLN expression, including PANC. Eligible patients must have exhausted options of potentially curative therapy and have recurrent disease. Enrollment to EVEREST-2 occurs through the prescreening study BASECAMP-1 (NCT04981119), in which patients with tumor-associated HLA-A*02 LOH are identified via next-generation sequencing (Tempus AI, Inc) and leukapheresis product is collected. A2B694 is manufactured from cryopreserved T cells when clinically appropriate for patients. The primary objective of phase 1 is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of A2B694 and identify the recommended phase 2 dose (RP2D). The dose-expansion phase will confirm RP2D and collect biomarker data to further characterize A2B694. Phase 2 will assess the primary endpoint overall response rate per RECIST v1.1 and secondary endpoints progression-free survival and overall survival. The first patient was dosed on April 24, 2024 and dose escalation is ongoing. 1. Beatty, et al. Gastroenterology . 2018. 2. Haas, et al. Mol Ther . 2023. 3. Hong, et al. ESMO 2021. Abstr 9590. 4. Hamburger, et al. Mol Immunol . 2020. 5. Hecht, et al. J Clin Oncol . 2022. Clinical trial information: NCT06051695 .
Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology · 2025-02-19
articleOpen accessRegular and Young Investigator Award Abstracts · 2025-11-01
articleOpen accessBurns · 2025-07-30 · 9 citations
articleOpen accessBACKGROUND: Moisturizing is a widely recommended and accessible approach to scar management, yet objective evidence supporting the efficacy of commonly used products remains limited. Research suggests that moisturizers may reduce hypertrophic scar activity by normalising transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and enhancing skin hydration. AIM: This study aimed to provide insights into the effect of generic moisturizers on TEWL and hydration in a scar model, helping clinicians make informed recommendations for scar treatment. METHODS: The performance of eight moisturizing products were evaluated using a tape-stripping method on normal skin to simulate the elevated TEWL conditions observed in active scars. Thirty participants were recruited based on power calculations, with TEWL and hydration measurements recorded at baseline and hourly for four hours. Untreated tape-stripped areas served as controls for each participant. RESULTS: Eucerin demonstrated the highest efficacy, significantly increasing hydration and normalising TEWL. Sorbolene ranked second, showing notable improvements in both hydration and TEWL regulation. Alhydran produced mixed results, effectively normalizing TEWL but reducing hydration. QV Lotion increased hydration but had minimal impact on TEWL. Aqueous Cream exhibited a non-significant trend toward TEWL normalisation. The silicone gel sheet provided high hydration levels but caused elevated TEWL after removal due to rapid evaporation of retained moisture. Liquid silicone (Strataderm) and BioOil performed poorly, with negligible effects on hydration and TEWL. CONCLUSION: These findings reveal significant variability in the effectiveness of common scar management products, emphasising the limited utility of liquid silicones compared to basic moisturizers. Products with balanced formulations of humectants, emollients, and occlusives showed objective evidence to indicate efficacy in managing hypertrophic scars during their active phase. This study offers evidence-based guidance for clinicians and highlights the need for further research to optimise formulations for scar management.
Frequent coauthors
- 36 shared
Alison Ho
King's College London
- 36 shared
Javed Siddiqi
Arrowhead Regional Medical Center
- 36 shared
José A. López
- 36 shared
Tony Alarcon
- 36 shared
Tye Patchana
Neurological Surgery
- 36 shared
Gohar Majeed
Riverside University Health System - Medical Center
- 36 shared
Natasha Plantak
Neurological Surgery
- 7 shared
Lyudmila Bazhenova
University of California, San Diego
Labs
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