Our Work
The overarching aim of Dr. Tchou's research is to empower breast cancer patients with chemotherapy-free strategies that contribute to improved outcomes. Dr. Tchou’s multidisciplinary team of Penn Medicine clinicians and basic and translational scientists conduct immunotherapy-based clinical trials that harness and bolster pre-existing anti-tumor immunity to prevent breast cancer recurrence. Dr. Tchou's laboratory utilizes pre-clinical models to unravel the molecular mechanisms that govern anti-tumor immunity elicited by immunotherapy. This “reverse translation” approach helps her refine and improve current clinical trial immunotherapy strategies. Dr. Tchou and her team also recognize the importance of breast cancer survivors adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles as a strategy to improve long-term outcomes. Her team has successfully developed a novel use of telehealth to deliver a behavioral weight loss program for breast cancer survivors treated at Penn Medicine. Dr. Tchou and her team are now focusing on identifying and mitigating factors that prevent breast cancer patients, particularly those from minoritized populations, from adopting and maintaining healthy lifestyles.
Current Studies
BreastVax: Preoperative use of radiation boost to enhance effectiveness of immune checkpoint blockade therapy in operable breast cancer (NCT04454528)
Telehealth Weight Loss Program for Breast Cancer Survivors (NCT04855552)
CAR T Cells in Mesothelin-Expressing Breast Cancer (NCT 05623488)
Select Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Uslu U, Da T, Assenmacher CA, Scholler J, Young RM, Tchou J, June CH. Chimeric antigen receptor T cells as adjuvant therapy for unresectable adenocarcinoma. Sci Adv. 2023;9(2):eade2526.
- Shah PD, Huang AC, Xu X, Orlowski R, Amaravadi RK, Schuchter LM, Zhang, Paul, Tchou J, et al. Phase I Trial of Autologous RNA-electroporated cMET-directed CAR T Cells Administered Intravenously in Patients with Melanoma and Breast Carcinoma. Cancer Res Commun. 2023;3(5):821-9.
- Verbus EA, Rossi AJ, Clark AS, Taunk NK, Nayak A, Hernandez JM, Tchou JC. Preoperative Use of a Radiation Boost to Enhance Effectiveness of Immune Checkpoint Blockade Therapy in Operable Breast Cancer. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022;29(3):1530-2.
- Burkbauer L, Goldbach M, Huang C, Lewandowski J, Krouse R, Allison K, Tchou J. Awareness of link between obesity and breast cancer risk is associated with willingness to participate in weight loss intervention. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 2022;194(3):541-50.
Dr. Brooks is a Surgical Oncologist who has a special interest in device development in Medicine. He has experience in bringing new technologies from needs assessment to the engineering lab and through pre-clinical and clinical studies. Most of his work is done in collaboration with engineers and small businesses who are looking to solve today's healthcare problems with new technologies.
One such device, the iBE (intelligent breast exam), is a handheld module that quantifies and records a palpation-type breast examination. The device uses capacitance to palpate the breast in each area determining the presence or absence of masses within the tissue below. The readout is a color map that does not require a radiologist for interpretation and would allow other healthcare providers to do quantitative breast exams. Hundreds of thousands of exams have been done worldwide in medically underserved areas such as India, Africa, and Brazil. Dr. Brooks serves as a medical director for the company and works with physicians, hospitals, and health ministries to introduce and study the use of the device in their own clinical environments/populations.
Dr. Brooks is currently participating in two clinical trials studying fluorescent dyes for margin assessment in breast cancer surgery. The Integro Theranostics trial is currently enrolling for a Phase I/II study in patients with breast cancer (NCT05900986).
The SBI ALApharma study is a Phase III clinical trial evaluating the use of an intra-operative fluorescence-imaging device after administration of 5-amino levulinic acid in breast cancer patients undergoing lumpectomy (NCT04815083).
In robotics, Dr. Brooks is working closely with Intuitive Surgical on 2 FDA trials looking at the use of the DaVinci SP robot for prophylactic (in high-risk patients) (NCT03892980) and therapeutic (in patients with cancer) undergoing nipple-sparing mastectomy (NCT05720039).
Dr. Brooks is the Clerkship Director for the Department of Surgery at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, and the Clerkship Partner for the Department of Surgery at the VinUni School of Medicine in Hanoi, Vietnam. These roles allow him to run multiple lines of research in medical education innovation, delivery, and quality assessment.
For the past 20 years, Dr. Brooks has run a program to provide access to breast screening, diagnostic tests and treatment for uninsured women in the Delaware Valley. This program has reached well over 20,000 patients and has provided access to care for over 400 people. During this time, Dr. Brooks’ team has had the opportunity to study the dynamics of healthcare inequity and methods to combat them.
Current Studies
Robotic-Assisted da Vinci Xi Prophylactic Nipple-Sparing Mastectomy (NCT03892980).
Robotic vs. Open NSM for Early-Stage Breast Cancer (SP NSM) (NCT05720039).
LS301-IT in Partial Mastectomy and Sentinel Lymph Node Biopsy (SLNB) for DCIS or Stage I-II Primary Invasive Breast Cancer (NCT05900986).
Fluorescence Imaging of Carcinoma During Breast Conserving Surgery (NCT04815083).
Select Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Goodsell KE, Familusi O, Mulvey HE, Williams C, Yeguez A, Brooks AD. Teaching what matters: Integrating health equity education into the core surgery clerkship. Surgery. 2022 Jun;171(6):1505-1511. doi: 10.1016/j.surg.2021.10.010. Epub 2021 Nov 29. PMID: 34857383.
- Guerra CE, Verderame E, Nicholson A, Wan L, Brooks AD. A Plan-Do-Study-Act Approach to the Development, Implementation and Evaluation of a Patient Navigation Program to Reduce Breast Cancer Screening Disparities in Un and Under-Insured, Racially and Ethnically Diverse Urban Women. Front Public Health. 2021 Feb 19;9:595786. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2021.595786. PMID: 33681122; PMCID: PMC7933216.
- Familusi O, Rios-Diaz AJ, Tilahun ED, Cunning JR, Broach RB, Brooks AD, Guerra CE, Butler PD. Post-mastectomy breast reconstruction: reducing the disparity through educational outreach to the underserved. Support Care Cancer. 2021 Feb;29(2):1055-1063. doi: 10.1007/s00520-020-05589-5. Epub 2020 Jun 26. PMID: 32592032.
- Clanahan JM, Reddy S, Broach RB, Rositch AF, Anderson BO, Wileyto EP, Englander BS, Brooks AD. Clinical Utility of a Hand-Held Scanner for Breast Cancer Early Detection and Patient Triage. JCO Glob Oncol. 2020 Feb;6:27-34. doi: 10.1200/JGO.19.00205. PMID: 32031433; PMCID: PMC6998011.
Dr. Zhang is a fellowship-trained breast surgical oncologist investigating strategies for circumventing mechanisms of immune evasion in breast cancer. She is currently evaluating the effect of dendritic cell (DC) activation on T cell priming in murine models of HR+ luminal breast cancer, and how this process synergizes with chemotherapy and/or checkpoint blockade to allow for improved tumor response and outcomes.
Current Studies
Agonistic CD40 demonstrates anti-tumor efficacy and synergizes with immune checkpoint blockade in hormone receptor positive breast cancer.
Investigators: Olivia Lanchoney, Robert Vonderheide, and Jennifer Zhang
Select Peer-Reviewed Publications
- Montagna G, Zhang J, Sevilimedu V, Charyn J, Abbate K, Gomez EA, Mehrara B, Morrow M, Barrio AV. Risk Factors and Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Patients With Breast Cancer-Related Lymphedema. JAMA Oncol. 2022 Aug 1;8(8):1195-1200. doi: 10.1001/jamaoncol.2022.1628. PubMed PMID: 35679026; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC9185510.
- Zhang JQ, Barrio AV. ASO Author Reflections: Acute or Chronic? The Effect of Axillary Lymph Node Dissection on Arm Symptoms and Quality of Life Over Time. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Apr 18;. doi: 10.1245/s10434-022-11771-2. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35435563.
- Zhang JQ, Montagna G, Sevilimedu V, Abbate K, Charyn J, Mehrara B, Morrow M, Barrio AV. Longitudinal Prospective Evaluation of Quality of Life After Axillary Lymph Node Dissection. Ann Surg Oncol. 2022 Apr 1;. doi: 10.1245/s10434-022-11623-z. [Epub ahead of print] PubMed PMID: 35364766; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC10329458.
- Zhang JQ, Dong J, Pardo J, Emhoff I, Serres S, Shanafelt T, James T. Burnout and Professional Fulfillment in Early and Early-Mid-Career Breast Surgeons. Ann Surg Oncol. 2021 Oct;28(11):6051-6057. doi: 10.1245/s10434-021-09940-w. Epub 2021 Apr 19. PubMed PMID: 33876361.