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Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘04-‘06) of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, and colleagues, reported that FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumor-killing activity against the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma.
Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD (Dr. Bart A. Kamen Fellow ‘13-‘15) in the laboratory of Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘03-‘08) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, reported the clinical efficacy of a combined approach using checkpoint blockade, a strategy that harnesses the immune response to treat cancers, and oncolytic virotherapy, an investigational intervention that uses viruses to destroy tumors.
The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) named two Damon Runyon alumni as 2014 recipients of its prestigious awards. Elaine V.
Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘06-‘11) and colleagues at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, reported the success of immunotherapy treatment in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This is the largest clinical study conducted thus far; it showed that 88 percent of patients achieved complete remissions after being treated with their own T immune cells, which had been genetically modified to target and attack the cancer cells.
William Y. Kim, MD (Damon Runyon-Merck Clinical Investigator ‘09-‘14) of University of North Carolina Lineberger Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, and colleagues, reported the results of a comprehensive genetic analysis of 262 invasive bladder cancer tumors. The researchers found that the disease shares genetic similarities with two forms of breast cancer, basal-like and luminal. They hope that the identification of these subtypes will lead to improved diagnosis as well as effective targeted therapies for bladder cancer.
Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘11-‘14) of Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and colleagues, reported that a common inexpensive anti-fungal drug, called itraconazole, may be useful in treating basal cell carcinoma (the most common form of skin cancer). The drug was tested in a Phase II clinical trial with 29 patients who had a total of 101 tumors. Within a month, the size and spread of tumors had decreased in most patients. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Pardis C. Sabeti, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘04-‘06), Harvard University, Cambridge, was named one of three recipients of the 2014 Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Science. The awards from the Vilcek Foundation recognize young foreign-born biomedical scientists, 38 years old or younger, who demonstrate outstanding early achievement.
Adam de la Zerda, PhD (Dale F. Frey Scientist ‘13, Damon Runyon Fellow ‘11-‘12) of Stanford University, Stanford, was named to the Forbes Magazine “30 Under 30” list in Science and Healthcare for 2014. Adam is using sound waves to image the body at the molecular level, applying the technology to take pictures of brain tumors, blood, and living mice. Those on this list are described as the “brightest young stars” of their generation.
A team of researchers including Akinyemi I. Ojesina, MBBS, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘08-‘11) and Matthew L. Meyerson, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘95-‘98) of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and the Broad Institute, Cambridge, reported genome sequencing results for 115 cervical cancer patient tumor samples. The researchers identified genetic mutations not previously found in cervical cancer, including at least one for which targeted treatments exist for other forms of cancer.
Nathanael S. Gray, PhD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ‘08-‘10), of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, was honored as the recipient of the prestigious 2013 Meyenburg Cancer Research Award. He was recognized for his groundbreaking work in developing first-in-class chemical inhibitors for protein kinases, which are potential targets to treat cancer and other diseases.
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