Harvey Cushing Professor, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery Professor of Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Oncology and Biomedical Engineering Neurosurgeon-in-Chief Director, Hunterian Neurosurgical Research Center
Known for
Image guidance computer system to deliver targeted chemotherapy to intraoperative brain tumors, viral mapping, vaccine development
Henry Brem, M.D. is an American neurosurgeon, researcher, educator and inventor known for introducing an image guidance computer system to deliver targeted chemotherapy to intraoperative brain tumors.[1] As of 2023, he is the Harvey Cushing Professor, Director of the Department of Neurosurgery, Professor of Neurosurgery, Ophthalmology, Oncology and Biomedical Engineering Neurosurgeon-in-Chief, and Director, Hunterian Neurosurgical Research Center and Director at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Maryland.[2] Brem has written more than 490 peer-reviewed articles,[3] 50 books and book chapters and holds 11 patents.
He is credited along with Robert Langer for co-inventing the Gliadel® wafer, an implantable device that enables direct chemotherapy placement during brain tumor surgery.[9] This has led to other novel therapies, such as chemotherapy "cocktail" delivery systems by way of electrospun fiber membranes. This technology is being developed in conjunction with Andrew Steckl at the University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science.[10]
Grants
Brem has been the Principal- or Co-Investigator on 27 research studies focused on brain tumors and therapy delivery, such as controlled release polymers, brain-penetrating DNAnanoparticles, and enhancement of brain tumor immunotherapy.[11][12][13]
Patents
Controlled Local Delivery of Chemotherapeutic Agents for Treating Solid Tumors[14] Henry Brem, Robert S. Langer, Abraham J. Domb
Cytokine Enhanced Immunotherapy for Brain Tumors[15] Henry Brem, Drew M. Pardoll, Reid C. Thompson, Elizabeth M. Jaffee, Kam W. Leong, Matthew G. Ewend
Antibiotic Composition for Inhibition of Angiogenesis[16] Henry Brem, Rafael J. Tamargo, Robert A. Bok
Vitamin D3 Analog Loaded Polymer Formulations for Cancer and Neurogenerative Disorders[17] Martin Burke, Maria-Christina White, Jae Kyoo Lee, Mark C. Watts, Betty M. Tyler, Gary H. Posner, Henry Brem.[18]
Combination of Local Temozolomide with Local BCNU[19] V. Renard Recinos, B. Tyler, S. Brem Sunshine, H. Brem.
Use of Adjuvant Focused Radiation Including Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Augmenting Immune Based Therapies Against Neoplasms[20]
Intraoperatively Placed Markers for Post-surgical Imaging M. Lim, H. Brem, B.Tyler, J. Liauw, S. Lo
Local Delivery Forms of Acriflavine for Treating Tumors[21] Brem H, Mangraviti A, Olivi A, Tyler B, Raghavan T.
Flexible Control and Guidance of Minimally Invasive Focused Ultrasound[22] Manbachi A, Siewerdsen J, Ellens N, Zhang X, Belzberg M, Cohen A, Brem H.
Combination of Immunotherapy with Local Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Malignancies[22] Dimitrios M, Tyler B, Pardoll D, Brem H, Lim M
Publications
Books and chapters
As of 2023, Brem has written 58 book chapters and monographs. Books include: Guest Editor, Special Edition: Implant Approach to Chemotherapy, (JNO) 1995, Section Editor, Youmans Textbook of Neurological Surgery-5th Edition, 2004 ISBN072163933X, and Section Editor, Youmans Textbook of Neurological Surgery-6th Edition, 2011.
Peer-reviewed articles
According to Google Scholar, Brem has, as of 2024, been cited 42,023 times, has an h-index of 102 and an i10-index of 350.[8] His 10 most cited works include:
Detection of circulating tumor DNA in early-and late-stage human malignancies, doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.3007094. PMID24553385 4,173 citations[23]
Placebo-controlled trial of safety and efficacy of intraoperative controlled delivery by biodegradable polymers of chemotherapy for recurrent gliomas, doi: 10.1016/s0140-6736(95)90755-6 PMID7723496 1,646 citations[24]
Bone morphogenetic proteins inhibit the tumorigenic potential of human brain tumour-initiating cells, doi: 10.1038/nature05349. PMID17151667 1,403 citations[25]
Anti-PD-1 blockade and stereotactic radiation produce long-term survival in mice with intracranial gliomas, doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2012.12.025 PMID23462419 919 citations[26]
Survival following surgery and prognostic factors for recently diagnosed malignant glioma: data from the Glioma Outcomes Project, doi: 10.3171/jns.2003.99.3.0467. PMID12959431 855 citations[27]
Independent association of extent of resection with survival in patients with malignant brain astrocytoma, doi: 10.3171/2008.4.17536 PMID18847342 828 citations[28]
Interstitial chemotherapy with drug polymer implants for the treatment of recurrent gliomas, doi: 10.3171/jns.1991.74.3.0441. PMID1993909 645 citations[30]
Multi-pulse drug delivery from a resorbable polymeric microchip device, doi: 10.1038/nmat998 PMID14619935 626 citations[31]
Extent of surgical resection is independently associated with survival in patients with hemispheric infiltrating low-grade gliomas, doi: 10.1227/01.NEU.0000325729.41085.73 PMID18981880 595 citations[32]
^US5626862A, Brem, Henry; Langer, Robert S. & Domb, Abraham J., "Controlled local delivery of chemotherapeutic agents for treating solid tumors", issued 1997-05-06
^EP0930892A1, Brem, Henry; Pardoll, Drew M. & Thompson, Reid C. et al., "Cytokine enhanced immunotherapy for brain tumors", issued 1999-07-28
^US6482810B1, Brem, Henry; Tamargo, Rafael J. & Bok, Robert A., "Antibiotic composition for inhibition of angiogenesis", issued 2002-11-19
^US20080260834A1, Burke, Martin; White, Maria-Christina & Watts, Mark C. et al., "Vitamin d3 analog loaded polymer formulations for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders", issued 2008-10-23
^US20080260834A1, Burke, Martin; White, Maria-Christina & Watts, Mark C. et al., "Vitamin d3 analog loaded polymer formulations for cancer and neurodegenerative disorders", issued 2008-10-23
^US8895597B2, Recinos, Violette Renard; Tyler, Betty & Sunshine, Sarah Brem et al., "Combination of local temozolomide with local BCNU", issued 2014-11-25
^WO2012177624A2, Zeng, Jing; Drake, Charles George & Pardoll, Drew M. et al., "Focused radiation for augmenting immune-based therapies against neoplasms", issued 2012-12-27
^US20180036301A1, Brem, Henry; Mangraviti, Antonella & Olivi, Alessandro et al., "Local delivery forms of acriflavine for treating tumors", issued 2018-02-08
^ abUS20200001121A1, Manbachi, Amir; Siewerdsen, Jeffrey & Ellens, Nicholas et al., "Flexible control and guidance of minimally invasive focused ultrasound", issued 2020-01-02