News

New Discoveries July 7, 2015

“Tumor Paint” receives FDA Orphan Drug Designation

James M. Olson, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Sohn Pediatric Cancer Fellowship Award Committee Member, Clinical Investigator ‘02-‘07), of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle Children’s Hospital, and the University of Washington, Seattle, developed “Tumor Paint” (BLZ-100) to allow surgeons to better see the tumor margins with high resolution in real time during surgery. This can aid surgeons in removing all of the cancerous tissue while sparing normal cells. A wide range of preclinical studies have demonstrated the potential of this technology.

New Discoveries July 1, 2015

Improved survival rate for patients with low-grade glioma brain cancers

Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow '04-'06), and colleagues at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, used clinical data collected over the past decade through a U.S. cancer registry to demonstrate that the survival of adult patients with low-grade glioma brain cancer has significantly improved. Survival has increased from 44 months (in 1999) to 57 months (in 2010). The findings were published in the journal Neuro-Oncology: Clinical Practice.

New Discoveries May 22, 2015

New chemical technology developed to degrade cancer proteins in the cell

Dennis L. Buckley, PhD (Damon Runyon Merck Fellow ’14-’18), James E. Bradner, MD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ’11-’13), and colleagues at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, reported the development of a new strategy that uses tumor cells’ own machinery to disintegrate and dispose of proteins that drive cancer growth. When tested in laboratory samples of leukemia cells and in animal models of the disease, the approach caused cancer cells to die much more quickly than with conventional targeted therapies.

New Discoveries May 19, 2015

New HHMI Investigators selected

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) announced its newest class of 26 Investigators, some of the nation’s top biomedical researchers who will receive the flexible support necessary to move their research in creative new directions. Four Damon Runyon scientists were selected for their individual scientific excellence. Their appointments will begin in September 2015.

New Discoveries May 7, 2015

Pershing Square Sohn Prizes for Young Investigators in Cancer Research

The Pershing Square Sohn Cancer Research Alliance has announced the winners of the 2015 Pershing Square Sohn Prize for Young Investigators in Cancer Research. The annual prize aims to catalyze collaboration among young investigators, academics, nonprofits, investors, and the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. The prize-winners will each receive funding for up to three years. Three of the six awards were granted to Damon Runyon scientists:

New Discoveries April 24, 2015

Prestigious cell biology prize awarded

Elaine V. Fuchs, PhD (Damon Runyon Board Member, Damon Runyon Fellow ‘77-‘79) of The Rockefeller University, New York, has received the E.B. Wilson Medal, the highest scientific honor bestowed by the American Society for Cell Biology. She is recognized for her pioneering research on mammalian skin and adult stem cells.

New Discoveries April 20, 2015

Combination therapy for treatment of advanced melanoma

Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘03-‘08) and colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, reported the results of a Phase I study testing a combination therapy (Yervoy plus Opdivo/nivolumab) vs. Yervoy alone in patients with metastatic melanoma (with wild type BRAF gene). In 72 patients, the rate of confirmed response was 61% for the combination therapy (22% with complete response) vs. 11% for Yervoy alone (0% complete response).

New Discoveries March 30, 2015

New drug combination promising for treating aggressive breast cancer in brain

Carey K. Anders, MD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator '12-'15), and C. Ryan Miller, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator '09-'12) of UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, and colleagues, reported that they identified a drug treatment strategy that can improve survival for a particularly aggressive breast cancer sub-type (triple negative breast cancer) after it has spread to the brain. They demonstrated, in a mouse model of this cancer, that a combination of the drugs carboplatin and a PARP inhibitor improved survival.

New Discoveries March 26, 2015

Blocking cellular mechanism may make chemotherapy more effective

Maximilian W. Popp, PhD (HHMI-Damon Runyon Fellow '12-'15) and colleagues at the University of Rochester, Rochester, discovered that stopping a cellular quality-control mechanism can make chemotherapy more effective. This mechanism is called NMD (nonsense-mediated mRNA decay). The researchers found that exposing breast cancer cells to a molecule that inhibits NMD prior to treatment with doxorubicin, a drug used to treat leukemia, breast, bone, lung and other cancers, speeds cancer cell death.

New Discoveries March 25, 2015

Genetics underlying rare blood cancer identified

Eirini Papapetrou, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Edward P. Evans Foundation Innovator '13-'16) of Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, reported the results of a technique called cellular reprogramming that takes mature blood cells from patients with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and reprograms them back into stem cells to study the genetic origins of MDS. MDS is a rare blood cancer that can progress into acute leukemia; its causes are not well understood.

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