Gregory J Aune, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Pediatrics with Tenure

Greehey Distinguished University Chair for Cancer Survivorship in Children

Stephanie Edlund Distinguished Professorship in Pediatric Cancer Research

Currently seeking M.S. & Ph.D. students

Dr. Gregory J. Aune is the Greehey Distinguished University Chair for Cancer Survivorship in Children, the Stephanie Edlund Distinguished Professor of Pediatric Cancer Research, and a tenured Associate Professor of Pediatrics. His experience in pediatric cancer spans over 30 years and encompasses his own patient experiences, research in experimental therapeutics, clinical care of pediatric oncology patients, and childhood cancer advocacy. His interest in pediatric oncology began at age 16, when he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. While fortunate to survive, the experiences he encountered as a patient initiated a path towards a research and clinical career aimed at developing less toxic chemotherapy regimens. His experience as a long-term survivor included open-heart surgery at age 35 to replace his aortic valve and bypass three blocked coronary arteries that were damaged by his teenage cancer therapies. This life-changing event initiated his research interest in cardiac disease. His training to become a successful physician scientist and pediatric oncologist has included time spent at some of the most well-respected oncology institutions in the United States including, M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, the National Cancer Institute, and Johns Hopkins Hospital.

In the laboratory setting, Dr. Aune has a wide range of experience in the laboratory approaches to investigate tumor biology and experimental therapeutics. Most recently he has applied this existing knowledge to both the in vitro and in vivo studies of the cardiovascular system from the level of the cardiac fibroblast to global cardiac function. His laboratory has successfully developed a novel pediatric mouse model of anthracycline-induced cardiac toxicity. Dr. Aune directs the Greehey Children’s Cancer Research Institute Shared Resource for Cardiac Function Assessment. He and his laboratory team are experts in the evaluation of cardiac function in mice by echocardiography, including advanced methods of analysis, such as ventricular strain. Collectively, expertise in these areas is supported by recent publications and the receipt of over half a million dollars annually in extramural funding from the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, Hyundai Corporation, the Pablove Foundation, the National Cancer Institute, and the National Institute on Aging.

Dr. Aune is the director of survivorship research for the South Texas Pediatric Cancer Survivorship program at University Hospital, San Antonio, Texas. In this role, he has established a cohort of long-term survivors of pediatric cancer. He serves as Co-principal investigator and clinical director of the first investigator-initiated survivorship study in the South Texas region. This study is assessing the utility of using cardiac MRI to detect subclinical cardiac disease in survivors and is funded by the San Antonio Clinical and Translational Science Award. To date, 32 patients have been enrolled and MRI evaluation is ongoing. His expertise in the clinical arena is further supported by active participation in national task forces focusing on the cardiac effects of chemotherapy and radiation. (National Cancer Institute Community Cardiotoxicity Task Force and the Children’s Oncology Cardiometabolic Task Force).

Finally, Dr. Aune is a national leader in childhood cancer advocacy efforts. In San Antonio, he has been a leader in local fundraising and awareness efforts. Since 2010, he has spearheaded efforts by the St. Baldrick’s Foundation and For the Kids Dance Marathon at the University of Texas San Antonio that have raised over $1 million for childhood cancer patients and research efforts. In September 2014, his appointment to the National Cancer Institute Council of Research Advocates (NCRA) was announced by NCI Director Dr. Harold Varmus at a White House briefing on childhood cancer.

http://childhoodcancer-mccaul.house.gov/press-release/caucus-applauds-nci-naming-pediatric-oncologist-its-council-research-advocates

In addition, Dr. Aune is a policy advisor for the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship, serves on the Board of Directors of the American Childhood Cancer Organization, is a member of the St. Baldrick’s Foundation National Advocacy Committee, and serves on the scientific advisory board for the Canines-N-Kids foundation.

In May 2015, Dr. Aune addressed the 68th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland and called on the World Health Organization to make childhood cancer a top global health priority.

Professional Background
Education
- 2010 - Clinical Fellowship - Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology - University of Texas Health Science Center
- 2008 - Residency - Pediatrics - Johns Hopkins Hospital
- 2006 - Internship - Pediatrics - Johns Hopkins Hospital
- 2005 - MD - Medicine - University of Texas at Houston
- 2005 - PhD - Biomedical Sciences - University of Texas at Houston
- 1997 - BA - Biology (Summa Cum Laude) - Pacific Lutheran University
- 1997 - BS - Chemistry (Biochemistry emphasis) (Summa Cum Laude) - Pacific Lutheran University
Highlights

Recipient Pediatric Loan Repayment Program, NIH

KL2 Scholar, IIMS

St. Baldrick’s Scholar

Hyundai Hope Scholar

Texas Super Doctors, Rising Star

Best of San Antonio Award (Health and Medical Service)

Inducted into the Society for Pediatric Research (SPR)
Appointments
- 9/2015 - Stephanie Edlund Distinguished Professor in Pediatric Cancer Research - Greehey Children's Cancer Research InstituteSan Antonio
- 6/2014 - Credentialed Faculty in the UTHSCSA Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences - UTHSCSASan Antonio
- 11/2010 - Assistant Professor - University of Texas Health Science Center, Pediatrics, San Antonio
- 9/2019 - Associate Professor of Pediatrics with Tenure - University of Texas Health Science Center, Pediatrics, San Antonio
- 11/2018 - Greehey Distinguished University Chair for Cancer Survivorship in Children - University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio
Instruction & Training
- 7/2017 - 8/2020, CSA6075
- 7/2017 - 8/2020, CSA6069
- 12/2015 - Present, High School/Junior High School Student Supervision, UTHSCA
- 6/2015 - Present, Ph.D. Dissertations Directed, UTHSCSA
- 4/2015 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, UTHSCSA
- 3/2015 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 11/2014 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 6/2014 - Present, Ph.D. Dissertations Directed, UTHSCSA
- 5/2014 - Present, High School/Junior High School Student Supervision, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 11/2013 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 5/2013 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 7/2011 - Present, Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology Fellows Lecture Series, University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio
- 5/2011 - Present, Pre-Doctoral Student Supervision, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
- 7/2009 - Present, Pediatrics Hematology/Oncology Noon Conference Lecture Series, University of Texas Health Science Center
Research & Grants

Animal Models, Pediatric Cancer

Population Science and Prevention Program

Aune Lab

Research profile

Grants

Federal

Funding Agency NIH Title NIH R01 grant HL138093-01 Status Active Period 7/2017 - 6/2021 Role Co-Investigator Grant Detail The goal of this project is to determine whether the degradation of mitochondrial inner membrane protein disrupts the structural interaction between mitofilin and cyclophilin D and determines the extent of ischemia/reperfusion injury.

Private

Funding Agency Title Boerne High School Go Gold Status Active Period 9/2018 - 8/2019 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail Direct donation to the Aune laboratory. Funds used to perform Single Cell RNAseq expiriments on non-myocyte cells isolated from mouse hearts.

Funding Agency St. Baldrick?s Foundation Title St. Baldrick?s Foundation Scholar Grant Status Active Period 9/2014 - 8/2019 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail Evaluate the long-term cardiac outcomes in mice exposed to liposomal encapsulated doxorubicin

Funding Agency Turn it Gold Foundation Title Turn it Gold Foundation Status Active Period 7/2017 - 6/2019 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail The overall goal of this project is to facilitate basic laboratory investigations with relevance to childhood cancer late effects. Focus areas have been thrombin-generating potential of plasma isolated clinical populations of survivors and the generation of new transgenic mice strains used to test hypotheses implicating anthraycline-induced damage in cardiac fibroblasts as a contributor to long-term cardiac toxicity.

Funding Agency San Antonio Medical Foundation Title San Antonio Medical Foundation Status Active Period 7/2018 - 6/2019 Role Co-Principal Investigator Grant Detail This is a collaborative grant with investigators from UTSA and Texas Biomedical Institute focused on Kawasaki disease , which is a common infectious disease of childhood, whose after-effects cause lifelong damage to the heart. Our collaborative project seeks to leverage unique skills and already ongoing work in San Antonio to develop novel biomarkers and potentially avenues for new treatments for this disease. Our approach is to evaluate proteins from the heart tissue of mice affected with this disease, and correlate this to disease activity, functional changes and translate this to human samples.

Funding Agency Pablove Foundation Title Pablove Foundation Childhood Cancer Research Seed Grant Status Active Period 7/2016 - 6/2018 Role Principal Investigator Grant Detail The overall goal of this project is to utilize our novel mouse model of early anthracycline exposure to evaluate the cardiotoxic equivalence of the six most commonly used anthracyclines in clinical populations.

State

Funding Agency UTHSA Long School of Medicine Title Clinical Investigator Kickstarter Grant Status Active Period 9/2018 - 8/2019 Role Co-Principal Investigator Grant Detail The goal of this grant is to evaluate plasma from long-term childhood cancer survivors with respect to thrombin-generating potential. With the epidemiological observation that survivors are more prone to thrombotic processes, stroke and myocardial infarction, this study seeks to establish the underlying mechanisms for these clinical observations.
Publications
Clinical
Board Certifications
- 2011 - American Board of Pediatrics/Hematology-Oncology
- 2009 - American Board of Pediatrics

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Gregory J Aune, MD, PhD

Professional Background

Education

Highlights

Appointments

Instruction & Training

Research & Grants

Grants

Federal

Private

State

Publications

Abstract

Editorial

Electronic/Web Publication

Journal Article

Clinical

Board Certifications