Epithelial cells, which line the surfaces of the body, are fixed in place, while mesenchymal cells, which make up the body’s connective tissue, are loosely packed and can move around. During embryonic development and wound healing, cells can transform from epithelial cells into mesenchymal cells, a process known as mesenchymal transformation (MT). Unfortunately, MT is also a useful strategy for cancer cells, whose goal is to spread throughout the body.

Since the Food and Drug Administration approved the targeted therapy drug venetoclax in 2020, it has become a first-line treatment for acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a blood cancer. Unfortunately,  some AMLs have proven resistant to venetoclax—including those caused by mutations in the RAS gene family, which account for 10-20% of all cases.

It is with great sadness that we share the news that one of our Board Members, Steve Hayden, passed away on Wednesday, August 27th, 2025, at the age of 78. A visionary advertising executive, Steve launched his career with Apple’s iconic “1984” Super Bowl ad and went on to become Vice Chairman and Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy, where he was instrumental in guiding landmark campaigns for brands such as Kodak, Motorola, and Dove.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named 16 new Damon Runyon Fellows, brilliant postdoctoral scientists conducting basic and translational cancer research in the laboratories of leading senior investigators. This prestigious Fellowship encourages the nation's most promising young scientists to pursue careers in cancer research by providing them with independent funding ($300,000 total over four years) to investigate cancer causes, mechanisms, therapies, and prevention.

In 2022, the FDA approved the first therapy to target human leukocyte antigen (HLA), which has been implicated in a variety of cancers. (The approved drug, tebentafusp, treats uveal melanoma, an eye cancer.) Last year, another HLA-targeted therapy received FDA approval for the treatment of a sarcoma. There are now a plethora of clinical trials open to patients who are HLA-positive.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has named five new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators. The recipients of this prestigious award are outstanding, early-career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research at major research centers under the mentorship of the nation's leading scientists and clinicians.

Cancers caused by mutations in the RAS gene family—which include pancreatic, colorectal, lung, skin, and ovarian cancers, among others—have thwarted drug development efforts for decades. The RAS enzymes, KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS, act as molecular switches, turning “on” and “off” the cell’s ability to grow. When mutated, RAS proteins become stuck “on,” causing cells to proliferate uncontrollably. For 40 years, these mutants were considered “undruggable,” their surface too smooth for therapeutic molecules to bind.

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation held its Annual Breakfast at The Metropolitan Club in New York on Wednesday, June 11, 2025. The event raised over $1.1 million to support promising early-career scientists pursuing innovative strategies to prevent, diagnose, and treat all forms of cancer.

Enteroendocrine cells, which line the wall of the gut, secrete hormones that regulate glucose levels, food intake, and stomach emptying. Abnormal activity of these cells can cause gastrointestinal disorders, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), as well as intestinal tumors.

Three exceptional young clinicians with novel approaches to fighting cancer have been named the 2025 recipients of the Damon Runyon Physician-Scientist Training Award. This award, established to help bolster the ranks of this vital cohort of cancer researchers, provides physicians who have completed clinical specialty fellowship training with the opportunity to become leaders in translational and clinical research.