CLINICAL CARE: DR. COLIN WEEKES

Since peering into his mother’s nursing instruction books as a young boy, Colin Weekes, MD, PhD, has always had the investigative nature of a researcher—but the personality, he now says, to treat patients.

Weekes

Weekes, a researcher of new cancer therapies and a physician who sees eight to ten patients during a clinic day at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, appreciates his dual role.

“Cancer is an ominous word,” he said. “I’m interested in the biology of the disease and developing new therapies to treat it, but I also want to guide patients through the process…so they understand the options and know that we’re working toward as positive an  outcome as possible.”

Weekes is a member of UCCC’s GI Tumor Multidisciplinary Program, which comprises medical, radiology and surgical oncologists. Although he focuses on developing therapies for pancreatic cancer, in which he is an expert, Weekes also participates in and leads clinical trials in other GI cancers. The multidisciplinary team has developed a novel platform for testing patients’ tumors for certain biomarkers that requires input from all three specialists.

He is collaborating with researchers at Johns Hopkins University, Emory University and Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo to facilitate early phase clinical trials and a phase II pancreatic cancer study. Weekes also is a member of an international group of  clinical investigators called the Pancreatic Cancer Research Team. The group performs clinical trials and biomarker development  specifically in pancreatic cancer patients.

At UCCC, Weekes is part of the Phase I Clinic, a group of physicianscientists who are conducting clinical trials to assess the toxicity of drugs, combinations of drugs and appropriate dosing. Patients in Phase I are those whose health can withstand the treatment, he explains, but have exhausted all standard treatment options. UCCC has the most active Phase I clinical trials program in the region.

Despite collaborations here and around the globe, and the numbers of people affected by cancer, Weekes thinks of oncology as a  small world. Word travels about the people and work going on in cancer research, and Weekes came to UCCC in 2007 because of the opportunities for translational research. The doctor he trained with during his fellowship trained with Gail Eckhardt, MD, who heads the Medical Oncology Division at University of Colorado Denver.

“Translational researchers—that is, investigators who are skilled at both developing laboratory findings into patient-oriented research, and taking clinical needs to the lab to develop new tools—are the least common. It’s unusual for a single individual to have the necessary skills to be successful in this path,” Weekes said. “Gail Eckhardt is an example of someone who possesses those skills, and I am learning to be a better translational researcher by working with her.”

Still, if anyone ever challenged him to choose between one career path and another—research or patient care—Weekes said he’s not sure he could do it.

“I enjoy the intrigue and challenge of laboratory investigation, but on the other hand, I enjoy the interactions involved with patient care, which motivates me in the lab,” he said. “A lot of cool things are going on in research, but the key question is, How do we apply what we know to help patients?”

Weekes was drawn to cancer research because of what he regards as a unique patient population. “This is a patient population where one can truly have an impact on another’s life.” he said. “I treat patients as I’d want to be treated.”