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- Posted Wednesday December 14, 2011
Stand Up To Cancer and Melanoma Research Alliance fund $6 million TGen-led national and international study of deadly skin cancer
TGen, Mayo Clinic and ASU spearhead Arizona branch of 'Melanoma Dream Team' effort to provide cancer patients with better treatments
PHOENIX, Ariz. - Dec. 14, 2011 - The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute will lead a $6 million national and international study of a deadly type of skin cancer.
This unique clinical study will pursue new therapies for a type of melanoma known as BRAF Wild-Type, for which there are few treatment options. Melanoma is the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) are funding the study, which they announced today along with SU2C's scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR).
The SU2C-MRA Melanoma Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Grant provides $6 million for three years. The project is intended to accelerate the application of new therapeutic agents, quickly moving new scientific discoveries to clinics where they can immediately benefit patients. In the U.S., nearly 70,000 people are diagnosed with melanoma each year. Someone dies from melanoma every hour; about 8,000 annually.
The study, which will involve nearly 50 scientists and 150 patients at more than a dozen institutes, will be headed by SU2C-MRA Dream Team leaders Dr. Jeffrey Trent, Ph.D., President and Research Director at TGen in Phoenix, and Dr. Patricia LoRusso, D.O., Director of the Eisenberg Center for Experimental Therapeutics at the Karmanos Cancer Institute in Detroit.
"The Stand Up To Cancer-Melanoma Research Alliance grant gives us the remarkable ability to align cutting edge researchers across the globe to join forces to defeat this terrible disease," said Dr. Trent, an internationally recognized expert in molecular-based systems biology approaches to cancer who will supervise patients' genetic and genomic sequencing, spelling out their DNA.
"We hope to use this unique multi-stage clinical investigation to define new treatments that will produce benefits for metastatic melanoma patients, based on extensive genomic profiling. We have great scientists and clinicians from across the nation who will join forces on this," said Dr. LoRusso, who will supervise the selection of patients, tissue samples and clinical trials research.
In Arizona, TGen's collaborators on the study include Mayo Clinic and the Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University. Also contributing is TGen's affiliate institute, the Van Andel Research Institute (VARI) in Grand Rapids, Mich.
"This grant provides a tremendous opportunity to apply the recent advances in molecular medicine to treatment of melanoma. We are thrilled about the possibilities this research will bring to our melanoma patients who have very limited treatment options today," said Dr. Aleksandar Sekulic, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
"We look forward to participating in this outstanding, multidisciplinary melanoma research Dream Team to identify new therapeutic targets and ultimately translate our research to improve clinical outcomes," said Dr. Joshua LaBaer, M.D., Ph.D., and Director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics at ASU's Biodesign Institute.
"Our expertise in cell-based assays and proteomics hold promise for making new discoveries to advance our understanding of molecularly guided melanoma therapies and ultimately, improve patient outcomes," said Dr. Deirdre Meldrum, Ph.D., Director of the Biodesign Institute's Center for Biosignatures Discovery Automation.
"Stand Up to Cancer's Dream Team approach, and this project in particular, are truly emblematic of the collaborative nature of personalized medicine, in which experts from multiple disciplines converge as a dedicated team to integrate clinical expertise with unprecedented advances in knowledge and technologies, emphasizing the use of genetic information about an individual patient to optimize that patient's care," said Dr. Craig Webb, Ph.D., Co-Director of the VARI Pediatric Cancer Translational Research Program.
Other Dream Team institutes involved in the study include: Mayo Clinic campuses in Minnesota and Florida, Michigan State University, Scripps Research Institute, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Johns Hopkins University, University of California Santa Cruz, Scottsdale Healthcare, National Cancer Institute, and Queensland Institute for Medical Research.
"Having a Dream Team of physicians and scientists focus on such an important and unmet need for patients who are not able to benefit from the latest breakthrough drugs is a most welcome development," said Debra Black, co-founder and chair of the Melanoma Research Alliance. "MRA's joining with Stand Up to Cancer and AACR to field such a talented and committed team marks an event of great significance that could herald a next wave of discoveries for patients and all those at risk of being diagnosed with this deadly skin cancer."
"Combining resources to compete against this disease and accelerating the pace of cancer research are twin pillars of the Stand Up To Cancer approach, and we were delighted to work with the Melanoma Research Alliance on our first grant made in collaboration with another foundation," said Sherry Lansing, one of Stand Up To Cancer's co-founders. "Another exciting first is having Dr. LoRusso as the first woman among SU2C's Dream Team leaders and co-leaders."
Dr. Trent also is a Professor in TGen's Genetic Basis of Human Disease Division and Head of the Melanoma Therapeutics Lab. He also is President and Research Director at VARI. His work is focused on applying genomic tools to study melanoma, and he is recognized for this as well as his work in translational medicine and will act as the principal investigator overseeing translational research of this Dream Team project.
Dr. LoRusso also is a Principal Investigator for the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute's National Cancer Insitute-UO1-funded phase I program, and Professor of Oncology at Karmanos Cancer Institute and Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit. She is a leading clinical investigator in early developmental therapeutics and will act as principal investigator for the clinical trials, overseeing all clinical aspects of this Dream Team project.
The Melanoma Dream Team's Research Project
Currently, patients who develop metastatic melanoma have a dismal prognosis, with a median survival of six to nine months and a five-year survival rate of 15 percent to 20 percent. About half of patients with metastatic melanoma have an oncogenic mutation in their tumor's BRAF gene, but the other half of patients are BRAF wild type (BRAFwt) and have no mutation in the gene. Very little progress has been made to identify new therapeutic targets to treat metastatic melanoma patients with BRAFwt disease.
This Dream Team will investigate the utility of personalized target/therapy identification in patients with BRAFwt metastatic melanoma. It will explore the efficacy of molecularly guided therapy involving numerous Food and Drug Administration-approved and investigational agents. Team members will molecularly profile BRAFwt and BRAF-mutant cell lines and test for sensitivity to 100 prioritized compounds that might translate into therapeutic utility. Researchers will use these data to generate models that predict the sensitivity of BRAFwt melanomas to specific drugs. They will test these predictions using xenografts of the melanoma cell lines as well as primary tumors. An ensuing clinical trial will determine whether this personalized approach significantly improves clinical outcome. The goal is a 30-percent improvement in tumor response relative to standard-of-care therapy.
The team hopes that an individualized medicine approach to the treatment of BRAFwt metastatic melanoma will not only lead to therapeutic benefit for this patient population, but may also be beneficial to many other tumor and disease types.
Dream Team Selected Through Rigorous, Interactive Process
"The collaboration between Dr. Trent, an expert in human cancer genetics, and Dr. LoRusso, a clinician and clinical trialist, exemplifies the types of expertise Stand Up To Cancer brings together in hoping to move science from bench to bedside where it can benefit patients quickly," said Nobel Laureate Phillip A. Sharp, Ph.D., institute professor at the David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Sharp chaired the SU2C-MRA Joint Scientific Advisory Committee (JSAC) in its unique, interactive, rapid and rigorous evaluation of Dream Team applications via a multi-step scientific review process. The committee is composed of highly accomplished senior laboratory researchers and physician-scientists, as well as advocates.
Since the launch of Stand Up To Cancer in 2008, the AACR has played an integral role as SU2C's scientific partner by providing expert peer review and grants administration, as well as ongoing scientific oversight to ensure that progress is being made. AACR will work closely with MRA, the largest private funder of melanoma research.
Melanoma Dream Team Principals and Advocate Members
The "Personalized Medicine for Patients With BRAF Wild-Type (BRAFwt) Cancer" Dream Team is composed of a multidisciplinary group including experts in the medical management of patients with metastatic melanoma, drug development, genomics research, biostatistics, bioinformatics and patient advocacy. It includes laboratory and clinical researchers, senior and young investigators and senior scientists who have not worked together in the past, as well as patient advocates. In addition to Trent and LoRusso, team members include:
Principals:
- Svetomir Markovic, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
- Brian Nickoloff, M.D., Ph.D., Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
- Neal Rosen, M.D., Ph.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
- Nicholas J. Schork, Ph.D., The Scripps Research Institute & Scripps Health
- Aleksandar Sekulic, M.D., Ph.D., Mayo Clinic
- Jeffrey A. Sosman, M.D., Vanderbilt University
- Kristiina Vuori, M.D., Ph.D., Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
- Craig Webb, Ph.D., Van Andel Research Institute
- Joshua LaBaer, M.D., Ph.D., The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
Advocates:
- Mark Gorman, J.D., National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship
- Derrick Hall, President, Major League Baseball's Arizona Diamondbacks
- Connie Mack, U.S. Senator, Ret.
- Jane Perlmutter, Ph.D., Gemini Group
Prior to today's announcement, SU2C has funded five Dream Teams comprised of 221 scientists at 43 unique institutions, and has awarded Innovative Research Grants to 26 individual young investigators pursuing high-risk, high-reward research projects unlikely to be funded by traditional sources. MRA, in the three years since its founding, has awarded more than $30 million in funding to 73 projects at 55 institutions in 10 countries.
"We are very excited about the synergy between the AACR, SU2C and MRA on the first collaborative Dream Team model. The team has great potential for providing new hope for patients with a type of melanoma that is particularly challenging to treat, and for further advancing the field," said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D., (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR.
This is the second Dream Team grant for TGen. In May 2009, TGen
and the University of Pennsylvania received a SU2C grant to study
new approaches for treating pancreatic cancer.
A video featuring Dr. Trent and Dr. LoRusso is available at:
http://www.interdubs.com/r/su2c/filfo/31/68/3168/Melanoma_DT_v8.mov.
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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix, Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer, neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of translational research where investigators are able to unravel the genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute
Located in mid-town Detroit, Michigan, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is one of 40 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Caring for nearly 6,000 new patients annually on a budget of $216 million, conducting more than 700 cancer-specific scientific investigation programs and clinical trials, Karmanos is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1,000 staff, including nearly 300 physicians and researchers on faculty at the Wayne State University School of Medicine, and supported by thousands of volunteer and financial donors, Karmanos strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer. Its long-term partnership with the WSU School of Medicine enhances the collaboration of critical research and academics related to cancer care. Karmanos is southeastern Michigan's most preferred hospital for cancer care according to annual surveys conducted by the National Research Corporation. Gerold Bepler, M.D., Ph.D., is the Institute's president and chief executive officer. For more information call 1-800-KARMANOS or go to www.karmanos.org.
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a non-profit worldwide leader in medical care, research, and education for people from all walks of life. For more information, visit www.mayoclinic.org/about/ and www.mayoclinic.org/news.
Press Contact:
Julie Janovsky-Mason
Mayo Clinic
480-301-6173
[email protected]
About the Biodesign Institute
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University addresses today's critical global challenges in biomedicine & health outcomes, sustainability and security by developing solutions inspired from natural systems and translating those solutions into commercially viable products and clinical practices. www.biodesign.asu.edu.
Press Contact:
Joe Caspermeyer
Associate Director of Communications
The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University
480-727-0369
About Van Andel Institute
Established by Jay and Betty Van Andel in 1996, Van Andel Institute (VAI) is an independent research and educational organization based in Grand Rapids, Mich., dedicated to preserving, enhancing and expanding the frontiers of medical science, and to achieving excellence in education by probing fundamental issues of education and the learning process. VARI, the research arm of VAI, is dedicated to probing the genetic, cellular and molecular origins of cancer, Parkinson and other diseases and working to translate those findings into effective therapies. This is accomplished through the work of over 200 researchers in 18 on-site laboratories and in collaborative partnerships that span the globe. VARI is affiliated with the Translational Genomics Research Institute, (TGen), of Phoenix, Arizona.
Press Contact:
Joe Gavan
Vice President, Communications
(616) 234-5390
[email protected]
About Stand Up To Cancer
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) - a program of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a 501(c)(3) charitable organization - raises funds to accelerate the pace of groundbreaking translational research that will get new therapies to patients quickly.
SU2C's "Dream Team" approach to funding translational cancer research enables scientists from different disciplines at research centers across the country and internationally to collaborate on projects geared toward getting new, less toxic treatments to patients as quickly as possible. Monies also support innovative cancer research projects that are often deemed "too risky" by conventional funding sources. Currently, more than 200 scientists from over 60 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects - either as members of Dream Teams or as recipients of Innovative Research Grants. As SU2C's scientific collaborator, the American Association for Cancer Research, led by a prestigious SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, provides scientific oversight, expert review of the research projects and grants administration.
Members of the SU2C Executive Leadership Council include Katie Couric; the Entertainment Industry Foundation, represented by Board of Directors Chairperson Sherry Lansing (Founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation), CEO Lisa Paulsen and Senior Vice President Kathleen Lobb; Rusty Robertson and Sue Schwartz of the Robertson Schwartz Agency; Pam Williams, partner at Laura Ziskin Productions; and nonprofit executive Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin, a legendary film producer who executive produced the 2008 and 2010 SU2C telecasts, was also a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer.
About the Melanoma Research Alliance
The Melanoma Research Alliance is a public charity formed under the auspices of the Milken Institute, with the generous founding support of Debra and Leon Black. It supports an international, cross-disciplinary group of biomedical researchers possessing clinical and scientific expertise to explore, identify and pursue innovative solutions to critical research questions, leading to better treatments and a cure for melanoma patients.Since its founding in 2007, MRA has become the largest private funder of melanoma research. For more information about MRA's research programs, visit www.melanomaresearchalliance.org.
About the American Association for Cancer Research
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, the AACR is the world's oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes 33,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants, research fellowships and career development awards to young investigators, and it also funds cutting-edge research projects conducted by senior researchers. The AACR has numerous fruitful collaborations with organizations and foundations in the and abroad and functions as the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, a charitable initiative that supports groundbreaking research aimed at getting new cancer treatments to patients in an accelerated time frame. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment and patient care, and Educational Workshops are held for the training of young cancer investigators. The AACR publishes seven major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Discovery; Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Prevention Research. In 2010, AACR journals received 20 percent of the total number of citations given to oncology journals. The AACR also publishes Cancer Today, a magazine for cancer patients, survivors and their caregivers, which provides practical knowledge and new hope for cancer survivors. A major goal of the AACR is to educate the general public and policymakers about the value of cancer research in improving public health, the vital importance of increases in sustained funding for cancer research and biomedical science, and the need for national policies that foster innovation and the acceleration of progress against the 200 diseases we call cancer.
Visit AACR: www.aacr.org
Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org
Press Contacts:
Adam Pockriss
(212) 843-8286
[email protected]
Michele Sharp
(267) 312-8711
[email protected]
