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New DiscoveriesJanuary 30, 2019

Damon Runyon Scientist Recognized for Contributions in Pancreatic Cancer Research

Costas A. Lyssiotis, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '10-'13 and Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist '13-'17) of the University of Michigan School of Medicine, Ann Arbor, received the American Gastroenterological Association Young Investigator Award for his contributions to immunotherapy for pancreatic cancer and new drug therapies targeting cancer metabolism. His lab has pinpointed several unique metabolic differences specific to the pancreas and is developing drugs to exploit them. Promising results in mice have led to a phase III clinical trial that will open soon at the Rogel Cancer Center comparing chemotherapy alone versus chemotherapy plus a metabolomic drug that switches off two pathways of energy.

New DiscoveriesJanuary 23, 2019

Damon Runyon Alumni Lead International Effort to Beat Colorectal Cancer

The Cancer Research UK Grand Challenge brings together the very best researchers from around the globe to unite their talent, pool resources and crack the biggest questions in cancer research. Matthew L. Meyerson, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '95-'98) of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, and Wendy S. Garrett, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '06-'09) of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Cambridge, received £20 million to lead an international, multidisciplinary team of researchers focusing on the microbiome and its role in colorectal cancer.

New DiscoveriesJanuary 14, 2019

Highly Mutated Cancers Respond Better to Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy has saved countless lives but it is not effective for all cancer patients and predicting who should be using this therapy has been difficult. New results from Luc G. Morris, MD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator '14-'17) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, and colleagues, now shed light on this dilemma.

New DiscoveriesDecember 12, 2018

Takeda and the New York Academy of Sciences 2019 Innovators in Science Award

In its second year, the Innovators in Science Award recognizes research excellence in Regenerative Medicine. Shruti Naik, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '14-'17 and Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist '17-'19) of New York University, received the Early-Career Scientist Award with a $200,000 grant.

New DiscoveriesNovember 27, 2018

Damon Runyon Alum Named AAAS Fellow

Carla Koehler, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '95-'98 and Scholar '99-'02) of the University of California, Los Angeles, was named an American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellow for significant contributions in characterizing mechanisms of protein and RNA transport in the mitochondria. The tradition of AAAS Fellows dates to 1874 and comprises an illustrious group of scientists, including many Nobel Laureates.

New DiscoveriesNovember 7, 2018

Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation Young Innovator Team Awards

Nicholas Arpaia, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '12-'16) of Columbia University, and his colleague received the $500,000 prize to support research on designing probiotic bacterial strains that find and attack lung cancer. The Young Innovator Team Awards were established in 2014 to encourage out-of-the-box thinking and foster leadership skills among young researchers, instilling confidence in them to drive breakthrough lung cancer research using a collaborative, cross-institutional approach.

New DiscoveriesOctober 16, 2018

New Class of Drugs for Metastatic Breast Cancer Treatment

Patients with metastatic breast cancer—when the tumor has spread to other organs in the body—face a terminal prognosis and toxic treatments. There is an urgent need for new ways to treat drug metastatic and resistant stages of the disease. Sarat Chandarlapaty, MD, PhD (Clinical Investigator ’12-’17), and colleagues, have developed a novel class of drugs that may help these patients by potentially stopping or even destroying breast cancer tumors.

New DiscoveriesOctober 15, 2018

Damon Runyon alumni elected to the National Academy of Medicine

Two Damon Runyon alumni were elected to the National Academy of Medicine. Election to the Academy is considered one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine and recognizes individuals who have demonstrated outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service.

Azad Bonni, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ’96-‘97) at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, was recognized for discovering fundamental signaling networks governing brain development and how deregulation of these circuits contributes to cognitive disorders.

New DiscoveriesSeptember 25, 2018

Understanding the Geography of a Tumor

Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is the most aggressive and hard-to-treat form of breast cancer. Doctors have observed that TNBC patients with higher numbers of immune cells in their tumors seem to have better survival than those with fewer, but it's not well understood why. Damon Runyon Fellow Leeat Yankielowicz-Keren, PhD, and Dale F. Frey Breakthrough Scientist Sean C.

New DiscoveriesSeptember 17, 2018

Blood Test Predicts Lymphoma Treatment Success in Days

One of the greatest challenges doctors face is predicting, which patients will respond to a particular cancer therapy. Ash Alizadeh, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator '14 - '17) and David Kurtz, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Physician Scientist '16 - '20), at Stanford University School of Medicine have developed a new blood test to guide doctors when treating diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). This research was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.