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- Posted Thursday March 31, 2016
TGen and Mayo Clinic scientists issue report in Cell on advances in basal cell carcinoma treatment
Drugs target the Hedgehog cellular pathway to attack the nation's most common skin cancer, affecting nearly 2.8 million Americans each year
PHOENIX, Ariz. - March 31, 2016 - An article in
the journal Cell by top scientists from theTranslational
Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Mayo Clinic in Arizona
details how two relatively new drugs are helping patients with
basal cell carcinoma.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer,
producing nearly 2.8 million new cases annually in the U.S., and
sunny Arizona has one of the world's highest incidences of skin
cancer.
The anti-cancer drugs Vismodegib and Sonidegib both inhibit a
protein called Smoothened (SMO), part of the Hedgehog cellular
pathway, which transmits molecular signals from a cell's exterior
to its interior.
Uninhibited SMO signals other proteins along the Hedgehog pathway,
leading to activation of cancer, according to the article published
Feb. 25 in the scientific journal Cell.
The journal specifically requested the report by Drs. Daniel Von
Hoff and Aleksandar Sekulic.
Dr. Von Hoff is Distinguished Professor and Physician in Chief at
TGen, as well as Chief Scientific Officer for the clinical trials
partnership between TGen and HonorHealth in Scottsdale, and a
Professor of Clinical Medicine at Mayo Clinic.
Dr. Aleksandar Sekulic Associate Professor of Dermatology at Mayo
Clinic and Vice Chair of the Department of dermatology, as well as
Associate Director for the Center For Individualized Medicine at
Mayo Clinic in Arizona.
The FDA approved Vismodegib in 2012 as a first-line therapy for
basal cell carcinoma, following a TGen-led phase I clinical trial
at HonorHealth, and at a Mayo Clinic-led phase II clinical trial.
It was the first drug tested under the TGen-HonorHealth partnership
to receive FDA approval, and the first to receive FDA approval to
treat inoperable basal cell carcinoma.
Dr. Von Hoff's initial findings of the effectiveness of Vismodegib
in addressing gene mutations along the Hedgehog pathway was
documented in a study published in 2009 in the prestigious New
England Journal of Medicine.
Dr. Sekulic, a physician and scientist with a joint appointment at
Mayo Clinic and TGen, led the subsequent phase pivotal clinical
trials of Vismodegib at Mayo Clinic leading to the FDA approval in
2012. Dr. Sekulic's study, documented in a second article in
The New England Journal of Medicine in 2012, found that
Vismodegib (marketed as Erivedge) shrank advanced basal cell
carcinoma tumors in 43 percent of patients with locally advanced
disease and in 30 percent of patients whose disease spread to other
organs (metastatic).
The response rate for the second SMO inhibitor Sonidegib (marketed
as Odomzo), approved by the FDA in 2015, was a comparable 44
percent in patients with locally advanced disease. It is not
approved for metastatic cancer.
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About TGen
Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. TGen is focused
on helping patients with neurological disorders, cancer, and
diabetes, through cutting edge translational research (the process
of rapidly moving research towards patient benefit). TGen
physicians and scientists work to unravel the genetic components of
both common and rare complex diseases in adults and children.
Working with collaborators in the scientific and medical
communities literally worldwide, TGen makes a substantial
contribution to help our patients through efficiency and
effectiveness of the translational process. For more information,
visit:www.tgen.org. Follow TGen onFacebook,LinkedInandTwitter @TGen.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]
About Mayo Clinic
Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to medical
research and education, and providing expert, whole-person care to
everyone who needs healing. For more information, visithttp://www.mayoclinic.org/about-mayo-clinicor
http://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/.
About HonorHealth
HonorHealth is a non-profit health system serving an area of 1.6
million people in the greater Phoenix area. The network encompasses
five acute-care hospitals, an extensive medical group, outpatient
surgery centers, a cancer center, clinical research, medical
education, a foundation and community services with approximately
10,500 employees, 3,700 affiliated physicians and 3,100 volunteers.
HonorHealth was formed by a merger between Scottsdale Healthcare
and John C. Lincoln Health Network. HonorHealth's mission is to
improve the health and well-being of those we serve. Learn
more at HonorHealth.com.
Media Contact:
Alice Giedraitis
Media Relations Manager
480-323-1950
[email protected]
