Q&A with Pediatric Cancer Specialist Julio Barredo
Instrumental in the creation of alex’s place, Dr. Barredo is energized by the combination of advanced science and patient relationships his position entails.
A physician-scientist with an internationally recognized expertise in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), Julio Barredo, M.D., combines clinical work and research to bring the latest discoveries to his patients and beyond.
With September shining a spotlight on both Blood Cancer Awareness Month and Childhood Cancer Awareness Month, the professor of pediatrics, medicine, biochemistry and molecular biology and director of children’s cancer programs at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, sat down with us to reflect on progress and look ahead with hope for continued, life-changing breakthroughs. His answers have been lightly edited.
Can you tell me about the work you do at Sylvester?
Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is the most common leukemia in children and adolescents and a leading cause of death for kids with cancer.
We investigate how ALL cells deal with energy stress. We’ve uncovered the mechanisms by which leukemia cells die when they are undergoing an energy crisis and, more recently, we’ve also uncovered that the energy sensor in the cell is capable of responding to this energy crisis by binding to a complex of proteins on the chromatin to orchestrate an adaptive survival response in cancer cells.
My lab focuses on understanding these adaptive survival responses to identify targets and develop new strategies to induce death in ALL. And by understanding these processes, we can intervene and block those downstream events that are allowing the cells to adjust and survive.
What is stimulating for me is to bring together the experiences and findings from the lab and those from pediatric patients facing cancer. This interaction between the clinical and scientific worlds is the reason I’ve been doing this for a long time.
How has knowledge and care advanced for children with blood cancer?
I’ve been practicing pediatric oncology for 25 years, and certainly things have changed dramatically in this time. The efficacy of treatments has improved significantly. So has our ability to fine-tune treatments to make them less toxic. We’ve seen a lot of advances, but we aren’t done yet.
How do you see treatment evolving in the coming years?
There is still a significant need to develop and improve the treatments we have so we can cure every single pediatric patient with cancer. The only way to do that is by understanding the biology and molecular genetics of cancer cells to be able to target them and, as best we can, spare normal cells in the body. This is especially important when you’re treating children because, if they get cured and go on to live a long life, it is critical that their life is as normal as possible, with the least amount of long-term side effects.
How did you decide to focus your work on children with blood cancer?
I like being around kids, so pediatrics was a natural choice. I’m interested in the science behind oncology and working to better understand how cancers develop and how they progress. Being afforded the opportunity to try to develop new and better treatments for the cancers these patients have has been rewarding.
I also like the combination of providing acute care to very sick kids and being able to develop relationships with them and their families over time, because we interact with them for many years during and after they are done with treatment.
Your fundraising efforts are credited with bringing to life your brainchild, alex’s place. Why did you want to open this pediatric oncology clinic and tell us about its impact on the community?
When I came to the University of Miami 18 years ago, the space we were in was inadequate. We wanted to provide our patients with improved care and increase the visibility of our pediatric program within Sylvester. We were able to secure funding to renovate a portion of the existing Sylvester outpatient space to become the home for pediatric cancer. alex’s place allowed us to not only see patients but also treat on-site patients who did not require hospitalization. As a result, the program grew to what it is today.
What do you do for fun outside of work?
I like to stay active. I like to cycle. I like to travel. I like to spend time with my family. My kids are grown up now, but they are still a big part of my life.
What are you reading right now?
I read a variety of things for pleasure unrelated to medicine and science. I like to read historical novels, and there are a couple of books about ancient Rome and ancient history that I’ve read recently that have been very interesting.
Tags: acute lymphoblastic leukemia, alex's place, Dr. Julio C. Barredo, Leukemia, pediatric cancer, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center