DANI'S FOUNDATION http://danisfoundation.org Working to End Pediatric Sarcoma Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO to Award More Than $5 Million to Promising Oncology Researchers http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/18/conquer-cancer-foundation-of-asco-to-award-more-than-5-million-to-promising-oncology-researchers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=conquer-cancer-foundation-of-asco-to-award-more-than-5-million-to-promising-oncology-researchers http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/18/conquer-cancer-foundation-of-asco-to-award-more-than-5-million-to-promising-oncology-researchers/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:30 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4894

From http://www.conquercancerfoundation.org/conquer-cancer-foundation-asco-award-more-5-million-promising-oncology-researchers

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The use of genomic sequencing, understanding the role of epigenetics in tumor progression in non-small cell lung cancer, and identifying novel targeted therapy combinations are among the topics of research being presented by grant and award recipients at this year’s premier oncology meeting in Chicago. The Conquer Cancer Foundation of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) will present more than $5 million in grants and awards to more than 200 promising oncology researchers at ASCO’s 48th Annual Meeting, taking place June 1-5, 2012.

“The Conquer Cancer Foundation is dedicated to advancing the care of people with cancer by supporting vital cancer research and investigator career development. Our grants and awards program, one of the most extensive in the world, supports clinicians and ground-breaking research in the practice of oncology,” said Martin J. Murphy, DMedSc, PhD, Chair of the Foundation Board of Directors. “Research conducted by this year’s honorees will improve the lives of cancer patients as it draws us closer to creating a world free from the fear of cancer.”

With a focus on clinical and translational research, the Foundation’s Grants and Awards Program has grown and diversified into one of the largest grant programs among professional medical societies. Since its inception over 28 years ago, it has awarded more than $77 million to researchers worldwide, contributing to improved care for patients with cancer in every corner of the globe. Since 1984, the Grants and Awards Program has launched the careers of more than 800 physician-scientists – many of whom have become leaders in the field of oncology and have continued to receive additional research funding from the Foundation throughout their careers.

Drug Development Research Professorship
The Drug Development Research Professorship is designed to provide flexible funding to outstanding researchers who have made, and are continuing to make, significant contributions that have changed the direction of cancer research. The award supports researchers in exploring new and promising therapeutic compounds that will lead to improved treatments and mentoring young researchers in the scientific and regulatory aspects of drug development. This year’s recipient is:

  • Alex Adjei, MD, PhD, Roswell Park Cancer Institute
    Development of the toll-like receptor 5 agonist, CBLB502 for cancer therapy.

Advanced Clinical Research Award in Breast Cancer
The Advanced Clinical Research Award (ACRA) is designed to fund investigators who are committed to clinical cancer research in an area not currently funded. The ACRA supports physician-scientists in their fourth to ninth year of faculty appointment to perform original research, and provides a three-year grant totaling $450,000. This year’s ACRA recipient and research project is:

  • Janette Vardy, MD, PhD, The University of Sydney
    Cognitive rehabilitation for breast cancer survivors with perceived cognitive impairment.

Merit Awards
The Merit Awards are designed to promote clinical cancer research by young investigators and to provide them with the opportunity to present their research and interact with other oncology researchers at the ASCO Annual Meeting. This year, the Foundation will distribute 105 Merit Awards to oncology fellows who submitted high-quality research for presentation at the Annual Meeting. Five of these researchers will receive Special Merit Awards, including the inaugural James B. Nachman ASCO Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology. Established in memory of James B. Nachman, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Chicago and an internationally renowned pediatric cancer expert, this award is given to a junior faculty member who submitted the highest-ranking abstract in pediatric oncology. This year’s Special Merit Award recipients each authored the highest-ranking abstracts in select categories:

James B. Nachman ASCO Junior Faculty Award in Pediatric Oncology

  • Yael P. Mosse, MD, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
    Efficacy of crizotinib in children with relapsed/refractory ALK-driven tumors including anaplastic large cell lymphoma and neuroblastoma: A Children’s Oncology Group phase I consortium study.
  • Giles W.Robinson, MD, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
    Use of whole genome sequencing to identify novel mutations in distinct subgroups of medulloblastoma.

Bradley Stuart Beller Special Merit Award 

  • Tom Waddell, MBChB, MRCP, Royal Marsden Hospital
    A randomized, multicenter trial of epirubicin, oxaliplatin, and capecitabine (EOC) with or without panitumumab in previously untreated advanced esophagogastric cancer (REAL3).

Brigid Leventhal Special Merit Award

  • Fernanda I. Arnaldez, MD, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health
    Identification of TNK2 as a critical kinase in rhabdomyosarcoma through a loss of function shRNA screen.

Pain and Symptom Management Research Merit Award

  • Lisa K. Sprod, PhD, University of Rochester Medical Center
    Physical activity participation and functional limitations in geriatric cancer survivors.

To view the full list of 2012 Merit Award recipients, please click here.

Career Development Awards
The Career Development Award (CDA) provides funding to clinical investigators, who have received their initial faculty appointment, to establish an independent clinical cancer research program. This year’s 11 recipients will each receive a three-year grant totaling $200,000. The 2012 recipients and their research projects are:

  • Philippe Bedard, MD, FRCPC, Princess Margaret Hospital
    A randomized, open-label phase II trial of combined pathway blockade for PI3K and MAPK pathway mutated breast, colorectal, non-small cell lung, and ovarian cancer.
  • Mrinal Gounder, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    A phase III, double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of sorafenib in desmoid tumors or aggressive fibromatosis (DT/DF).
  • Michaela Higgins, MD, Massachusetts General Hospital
    A phase II trial of cabozantinib in women with metastatic hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer with involvement of bone.
  • Alan Ho, MD, PhD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    Targeting the oncogenic transcription factor c-myb in adenoid cystic carcinomas.
  • Gopakumar Iyer, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    TSC-1: Mutational analysis and clinical impact in metastatic bladder cancer.
  • Rom Leidner, MD, Case Western Reserve University
    Molecular cytology in Barrett’s esophagus.
  • Kasiani Myers, MD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center
    Chemoprevention of leukemia in a genetically susceptible population.
  • Geoffrey Oxnard, MD, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
    Characterizing a new familial lung cancer syndrome through the identification and study of patients with germline EGFR mutations.
  • Paul Paik, MD, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
    Squamous cell carcinoma of the lung mutation analysis program (SQ-MAP).
  • William William, Jr., MD, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
    Non-coding RNAs as predictive biomarkers of benefit from epidermal growth factor receptor-targeted therapies in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.
  • Toni Zhong, MD, University Health Network
    The use of human acellular dermal matrix in one-stage implant breast reconstruction: A multicentered, randomized controlled trial.

Young Investigator Awards
The Young Investigator Award (YIA) provides funding to promising investigators to encourage and promote quality research in clinical oncology. The award funds physicians, who are within the last two years of their final subspecialty training at an academic institution, to aid their transition from a fellowship program to a faculty appointment. This year’s 42 awardees will each receive a one-year grant of $50,000 to fund their investigative studies as they begin their careers in oncology research. To view the full list of YIA recipients, please click here.

2012 Young Investigator Award Recipients

Abby Rosenberg, MD – “Understanding Resilience in Parents of Children with Cancer”
Adam Schmitt, MD – “Long Non-coding RNA Modulation of the p53 Response to DNA Damage”
Aihua Yen, MD – “Novel Approaches to Eliminate Androgen Receptor Action in Prostate Cancer”
Alexander Drilon, MD – “A Phase II Trial of Subcutaneous Bortezomib and Analysis of the NF-kB Pathway in a Molecularly-Selected Cohort of Advanced Previously-Treated KRAS G12D-Mutant Lung Adenocarcinoma”
Andrew Lane, MD – “Defining chromosome 21 loci that promote lymphoid leukemogenesis”
Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD – “Single-nucleus sequencing to investigate circulating tumor cell origin in breast cancer patients”
Arjun Balar, MD – “Phase II Study of Gemcitabine and Pazopanib in Cisplatin Ineligible Patients with Metastatic Urothelial Cancer and the Potential Impact of Inherited Genetic Variation on Outcomes”
Breelyn Wilky, MD – “The Role of RNA Helicase DDX3 in Ewing’s Sarcoma Stem Cells”
Charles Ferte, MD – “Implementation of the Gene Expression Barcode method to produce more powerful prognostic signatures for patients diagnosed with lung cancer”
Christopher Kanakry, MD – “Novel, single-agent, short-course GVHD prophylaxis with post-transplant cyclophosphamide: mechanisms and GVT implications”
Christos Vaklavas, MD – “Targeting IRES Mediated Translation in Cancer Therapeutics”
Courtney DiNardo, MD – “DNA methylation profiling and prognostication in de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML)”
David Van Mater, MD, PhD – “A role for injury in sarcomagenesis”
Edward Allan Sison, MD – “Targeting the Bone Marrow Stromal Microenvironment in Pediatric Leukemias”
Emily Ko, MD – “Metformin for the Treatment of Endometrial Hyperplasia”
Eric Kim, MD – “CTR1 Transporter Dysregulation in Platinum Resistance in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer”
Florencia McAllister, MD – “Role of inflammatory cells in early pancreatic tumorigenesis”
Gabrielle Rocque, MD – “Automatic Palliative Care Consultation for Hospitalized Cancer Patients: Improving the Quality of End-of-life Care”
Irene Brana, MD – “Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Response or Resistance to Novel Combinations of Molecularly Targeted Anticancer Agents Using Genomically Characterized Human Tumor Xenografts”
James Harding, MD – “A Phase 2 Trial of Vorinostat in Patients with Metastatic Uveal Melanoma: Exploring the Molecular Effects and Therapeutic Implications of Histone Deacetylase Inhibition in Uveal Melanomas”
James Murphy, MD – “Inequality, utilization and cost of palliative radiotherapy: a population-based study”
Jason Westin, MD – “Targeting Chemotherapy Resistance in Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma: Defining the Role of the PI3K/Akt/mTOR Pathway”
Jens Lohr, MD – “Defining Novel Oncogenic Drivers in Multiple Myeloma”
Jianjun Gao, MD, PhD – “Investigating IFN-g signaling as a critical pathway for anti-CTLA-4 therapy mediated anti-tumor responses”
Justin Wahlstrom, MD – “Mechanisms of Chemotherapy Resistance in Childhood T-ALL”
Kevin McDonnell, MD – “Genetic Analysis of Multiple Colon Neoplasias in a Novel 5q Deletion Syndrome: Unveiling the Molecular Evolution of Synchronous Colon Cancer and the Implications for Rational Targeted Therapy Design”
Lincoln Nadauld, MD, PhD – “An Integrated Approach to the Validation of Novel Gastric Oncogenes”
Ludmila Martin, MD – “Combined Inhibition of the MAPK and PI3K/Akt Pathways in Advanced Biliary Cancers”
Marcela Maus, MD, PhD – “Pre-clinical evaluation of a novel chimeric antigen receptor directed to the cancer-testis antigen NY-ESO-1”
Martin Voss, MD – “Predictive Tissue Biomarkers for mTOR Inhibitors in Advanced Renal Cell Carcinoma (RCC)”
Nikhil Wagle, MD -“Identification of mechanisms of therapeutic resistance in BRAF-mutant melanoma by systematic genomic profiling”
Priscilla Brastianos, MD – “Genomic Characterization of Brain Metastases from Breast Cancer”
Rahul Agaarwal, MD – “The Role of Highly Selective Androgen Receptor (AR) Targeted Therapy in Men with Biochemically Relapsed Hormone Sensitive Prostate Cancer”
Ronac Mamtani, MD – “Thiazolidinediones (TZDs) and the risk of bladder cancer”
Ryan Corcoran, MD, PhD – “Identification of Novel Targeted Therapy Combination Strategies for KRAS Mutant Cancers”
Sadhna Vora, MD – “Fructose Metabolism as a Mechanism of Acquired Resistance to Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) Inhibitors in Breast Cancer”
Shaad Abdullah, MD – “Immune mechanisms of the skin toxicity secondary to EGFR inhibitors”
Stephen Chung, MD – “Characterization of CD99 as a Therapeutic Target in MDS and AML”
Syed Kazmi, MBBS, MD, MS – “Modulation of Colorectal Cancer Stem Cells with Chemotherapy”
Vamsidhar Velcheti, MD – “Prognostic and Predictive value of Programmed Death-1 ligands in Non-small Cell Lung Cancer”
Yanis Boumber, MD, PhD – “The Role of Epigenetics in Tumor Progression in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer”
Zachary Hector-Word, MD – “Geriatric Assessment to Predict Toxic Events in Older Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma with Pilot Study of Initial Low Dose Prednisone and Rituximab”

International Development and Education Award
The International Development and Education Award (IDEA) provides opportunities for early-career oncologists in low- and middle-income countries to further their knowledge and careers and establish strong long-term relationships with leading ASCO members who serve as scientific mentors to each recipient. This year 24 awardees are participating in the IDEA program, including four oncologists who have an interest in palliative care (PC). This year’s IDEA recipients are:

  • Yazan Abuodeh, MBBS, King Hussein Cancer Center
  • Sandhya Acharya, MD, MBBS, National Academy of Medical Sciences, Bir Hospital
  • Adeyinka Francis Ademola, MBBS, University College Hospital
  • Nicolas Castagneris, MD, Oncological Institute of Cordoba
  • Kezhong Chen, MD, Peking University People’s Hospital
  • Shi-Jiang Fei, MD, Guangdong Lung Cancer Institute
  • Irine Gagua, MD, National Cancer Center of Georgia
  • Hoover Henriquez Cooper, MD, Hospital General San Felipe
  • Mercy Isichei, MBBS, Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital Bauchi
  • Rahul Krishnatry, MD, Tata Memorial Hospital
  • Susheel Kumar, MBBS, FCPS, Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre
  • Milena Mak, MD, Instituto do Cancer do Estado de Sao Paulo – University of Sao Paulo
  • Catherine Mwaba, MD, FC RAD ONC SA, Cancer Diseases Hospital
  • Evangeline Njiru, MD, Moi University
  • Alexey Novik, MD, PhD, N.N. Petrov Research Institute of Oncology
  • Kristina Orlova, MD, N. N. Blokhin Russian Cancer Research Center
  • Pooja Nandwani Patel, MD, Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute
  • Gaurav Prakash, MD, All India Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Mateus Sahani, MD, Agir Ensemble
  • Emadeldin Shash, MD, MSc, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University

2012 International Development and Education Award in Palliative Care

  • Munesh Lakhey, MD, MBBS, B P Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital
  • Monica Malik, MD, Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences
  • Tonia Onyeka, MBBS, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria
  • Rakesh Roy, MD, ECMO, Cancer Centre Welfare Home and Research Institute

Long-term International Fellowship
The Long-term International Fellowship (LIFe) provides early-career oncologists in developing nations the support and resources needed to advance their training through a one-year fellowship with a U.S. or Canadian colleague at the colleague’s institution. When the recipients return home, they in turn apply the new knowledge and skills gained from the valuable training experience in their country. The 2012 recipients are:

  • Luiz Henriquede Lima Araujo, MD, MSc, Brazilian National Cancer Institute (INCA)
    Molecular profile of lung adenocarcinoma in Brazil
  • Guochun Zhang, MD, PhD, Guangdong General Hospital
    Inhibiting STAT5 in breast cancer prevention

Medical Student Rotation Award
The Medical Student Rotation for Underrepresented Populations (MSR) provides 8- to 10-week clinical or clinical research oncology rotations for U.S. medical students from populations underrepresented in medicine who are interested in pursuing oncology as a career. As part of the program, awardees work with a mentor oncologist who provides ongoing academic and career support. This year’s recipients are:

  • Kathlene Babalola, University of Pittsburgh
  • Colby Cantu, University of Wisconsin
  • Brainerd Erhiawarien, University of Maryland
  • Jacquelyne Gaddy, Loyola University of Chicago
  • Giorgio Guiulfo, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
  • Eva Hudgins, University of Pennsylvania
  • Jaselyn Justiniano-Torres, Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University
  • Teresa Martin-Carreras, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
  • Jonathan Christopher Martinez, Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Armando Villanueva, University of Kansas Medical Center

Resident Travel Award
The Resident Travel Award (RTA) for Underrepresented Populations provides financial support for residents from underrepresented populations to attend ASCO’s Annual Meeting. This year’s awardees are:

  • Miguel Albino, MD, Veterans Affairs Caribbean Healthcare
  • Ibiayi Dagogo-Jack, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • Alejandro Garcia, MD, Columbia University Medical Center
  • Efe Williams Iyamu, MD, PhD, Meharry Medical College
  • Catherine Renee Lewis, MD, PhD, Morehouse School of Medicine
  • Melody Smith, MD, The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas
  • Justin Taylor, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Supporting Organizations:

  • Drug Development Research Professorship – Sanofi Oncology
  • Advanced Clinical Research Award – The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
  • Merit Awards – Amgen, Astellas, AVEO Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Jackson Simpson, Lilly USA, LLC, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company, Onyx Pharmaceuticals
  • Career Development Awards – Amgen, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Genentech BioOncologyTM (5), Lilly USA, LLC, Roche (2),  Sarcoma Foundation of America
  • Young Investigator Award – Abbott Oncology, Amgen, Astellas (2), The Breast Cancer Research Foundation (2), Bristol-Myers Squibb, Celgene Corporation, Daiichi Sankyo, Inc., Don Shula Foundation, Inc., Eisai Inc., Estate of Sandra Syms, Genentech BioOncologyTM (5), Journal of Clinical Oncology, Kidney Cancer Association, Lilly USA, LLC, Merck Oncology, Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company (2), Novartis (2), Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer Oncology, Roche (5), Sarcoma Foundation of America, Seattle Genetics, Strike 3 Foundation, Teva Pharmaceuticals, William D. Piety Living Trust, WWWW Foundation, Inc. (QuadW) and The Sarcoma Fund of the QuadW Foundation
  • International Development and Education Award – Amgen, Avon Foundation for Women, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc., Eisai Inc., Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company
  • International Development and Education Award in Palliative Care – National Cancer Institute, Open Society Foundation
  • Long-Term International Fellowship – Amgen, The Breast Cancer Research Foundation
  • Medical Student Rotation Award – Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure®
  • Resident Travel Award – American Society of Clinical Oncology

    About the American Society of Clinical Oncology
    The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is the world’s leading professional organization representing physicians who care for people with cancer. With more than 30,000 members, ASCO is committed to improving cancer care through scientific meetings, educational programs, and peer-reviewed journals.  ASCO is supported by its affiliate organization, the Conquer Cancer Foundation, which funds ground-breaking research and programs that make a tangible difference in the lives of people with cancer. For ASCO information and resources, visit www.asco.org. Patient-oriented cancer information is available at www.cancer.net.

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/18/conquer-cancer-foundation-of-asco-to-award-more-than-5-million-to-promising-oncology-researchers/feed/ 0 Cherry Creek High School Lady Golfer Dani Urman is Featured in this month’s Golf World http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/18/cherry-creek-high-school-lady-golfer-dani-urman-is-featured-in-this-months-golf-world/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cherry-creek-high-school-lady-golfer-dani-urman-is-featured-in-this-months-golf-world http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/18/cherry-creek-high-school-lady-golfer-dani-urman-is-featured-in-this-months-golf-world/#comments Fri, 18 May 2012 13:00:09 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4941 Dani’s Foundation is most honored to have Colorado Golfer Dani Urman as the Chairman of the 2012 Golf Fore A Kid Golf Tournament which will take place on Monday, June 25 at the Meridian Golf Club in Englewood, CO.

Dani’s story of survival is featured this month in Golf World magazine.  As an Osteosarcoma survivor, this amazing young woman continues to battle – both on and off the course – and her efforts, on behalf of Dani’s Foundation and the Campaign to End Pediatric Sarcoma, are truly unparalled.

There is still time to join Dani Urman at the 2012Golf Fore A Kid Golf Tournament.  Limited player slots are available to this year’s event. 

For information on this year’s tourney and how to obtain a GFAK registration brochure, go to www.danisfoundation.org and click on the Golf Fore A Kid advertisement on the right hand side of the homepage.

To preview Dani’s amazing story in Golf World magazine, go to http://www.golfworldmagazine.com/golfworld/20120521?sub_id=Ba9T3Z6XNT9Z#pg63

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/18/cherry-creek-high-school-lady-golfer-dani-urman-is-featured-in-this-months-golf-world/feed/ 0 Dani’s Foundation Featured In May Issue of Denver Life Magazine http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/17/danis-foundation-featured-in-may-issue-of-denver-life-magazine/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=danis-foundation-featured-in-may-issue-of-denver-life-magazine http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/17/danis-foundation-featured-in-may-issue-of-denver-life-magazine/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 17:31:32 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4925 From http://denverlifemagazine.com/2012/05/danis-foundation/

By Diana Kurniawan | Photo courtesy of Blacktie

The loss of a daughter, Dani Stell, to Ewing Sarcoma was the driving force behind Michelle Ashby’s decision to create Dani’s Foundation, a non-profit organization that aids survivors and the families of those who are affected by childhood cancer, especially Ewing Sarcoma.

“I knew this was my mission in life,” says Ashby, founder of Dani’s Foundation. “We were picked for a reason.” Dani’s Foundation celebrates the spirit of her beloved daughter. Stell was diagnosed with Ewing Sarcoma after a lump was found in her waist. After five misdiagnoses within six months, Stell was prescribed brutal chemotherapy but eventually lost her battle in April 1999.

Dani’s Foundation links survivors with communities and resources that will help them gain scholarships, grants, financial aid, patient services and current information on cancer research. Martha Simmons, the executive director of Dani’s Foundation, and Ashby have helped survivors worldwide, as they operate 365 days a year to raise funds and provide hope for those who have childhood cancer.

“Before Dani’s Foundation, our only source for support was our doctor,” says Ashby. “Most people won’t see this type of cancer in a year or even 30 years of practice. We are now one of the places where people find resources.”

Through the foundation’s Sarcoma Patient Registry, people around the world can connect with the most up-to-date clinical trials and cancer findings. The registry is a place to store, interpret and analyze data on those who have been affected by pediatric sarcomas, and it provides a list of patients around the nation who have gone through it.

Dani’s Foundation has 150 volunteers in the Colorado region and 300 members worldwide. Patient testimonies from across the United States and as far as Milan, Italy, testify that Dani’s Foundation is their source for community and assistance, such as financial aid to pay for treatments and living expenses.

“Something had to happen for the cancer to be discovered. But Dani had a lump that was undetected, and we all thought it was growing pains,” says Ashby. The Ewing Sarcoma that caused Stell’s death went undetected and metastasized to her brain with malignancy beyond the control any treatment could curb.

“The Ewing Sarcoma protocol for Dani was the same for children 20 years ago. The children now have the same treatment as Dani,” says Ashby. Having to witness her own daughter deteriorate drives Ashby to work for a softer protocol with less side effects. “Long term effects for these kids to survive are severe, including infertility, and at times losing some brain function,” says Ashby.

Currently, Dr. Jeffrey Toretsky, at the Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University, is the spearhead researcher for Dani’s Foundation. He is working on a compound that will work on the molecular level. This treatment will be more intense at a localized cellular level with possibly no side effects.

Having the goal to cure a disease is a worthy and noble gesture, and with such a prolific team as Ashby and Simmons, it comes with style. Annually, Dani’s Foundation holds the Mad Hatter’s Ball, which is an Alice in Wonderland themed festive costume event with dancing and hat competitions benefiting pediatric sarcoma research.

“Besides the Mad Hatter’s Ball, we are most proud of our Community Education Breakfast. It is a breakfast where we have the opportunity to have our story told by patients, family members and researchers. We raised over $85,000 in pledges for the Foundation and generated many, many volunteers for our organization,” says Simmons. “Dr. Toretsky also speaks at the event, to educate patients and everyone about pediatric sarcoma.”

Along with those events, an upcoming PET PALS, for translational research of veterinary medicine to cancer research, is in progress. This collaboration with veterinary oncologists, medical oncologists, the pharmaceutical industry and academic research is crucial for new discoveries concerning pediatric sarcoma. The most recent donation by Dani’s Foundation was given to Colorado State University’s Animal Cancer Center in order to find comparative oncology studies on sarcomas.

With these efforts from a small but powerful team, the world is much closer to finding a cure to pediatric sarcoma. Dani’s Foundation is an exceptional example for everyone; they provide hope for the future.

MORE INFORMATION

Ewing Sarcoma is a bone or soft tissue malignant tumor most commonly found in the pelvis, femur, humerus, ribs and clavicle areas of the body. It is listed as one of the least occurring bone tumors for childhood cancers by the Center for Disease Control and it is categorized in the same familial strain of cancer as Osteosarcoma.

If you would like to join the Sarcoma Patient Registry, please send an email to sfa@registrypartners.com with your contact information and the most convenient time and method to contact you, or you can call 866.501.6780.

To donate, volunteer or get more information about upcoming fundraisers, visit danisfoundation.org

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/17/danis-foundation-featured-in-may-issue-of-denver-life-magazine/feed/ 0 Cancer genomes in a common database and computation of disease drivers http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/17/cancer-genomes-in-a-common-database-and-computation-of-disease-drivers/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cancer-genomes-in-a-common-database-and-computation-of-disease-drivers http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/17/cancer-genomes-in-a-common-database-and-computation-of-disease-drivers/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 13:00:10 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4854 From http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120502/Cancer-genomes-in-a-common-database-and-computation-of-disease-drivers.aspx

UCSC’s Cancer Genomics Hub will manage and analyze ‘big data’ gathered by cancer researchers

The emerging field of “personalized” or “precision” medicine holds great promise in the fight against cancer. If scientists can identify the genetic changes that drive each patient’s cancer cells, they can use that information to develop targeted treatments. But achieving this goal will require massive amounts of genomic and clinical data and a sophisticated infrastructure to manage and analyze the data.

The University of California, Santa Cruz, has now completed a first step in building this infrastructure, said UC Santa Cruz bioinformatics expert David Haussler. Haussler’s team has established the Cancer Genomics Hub (CGHub), a large-scale data repository and user portal for the National Cancer Institute’s cancer genome research programs. CGHub’s initial “beta” release is providing cancer researchers with efficient access to a large and rapidly growing store of valuable biomedical data. The project is funded by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) through a $10.3 million subcontract with SAIC-Frederick Inc., the prime contractor for the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

“By providing researchers with comprehensive catalogs of the key genomic changes in many major types and subtypes of cancer, these efforts will support the development of more effective ways to diagnose and treat cancer,” said Haussler, a distinguished professor of biomolecular engineering in the Baskin School of Engineering at UCSC and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator.

In personalized care, doctors design treatments to target specific genetic changes found in a patient’s cancer cells. Researchers are trying to catalog all the genetic abnormalities found in different types of cancers and find connections between specific genetic changes and how patients respond to different treatments. The scale and complexity of the information being gathered creates a critical challenge in the area of data management.

Although recent studies using genetically targeted treatments have shown promising results, much more research is needed to enable their widespread use, Haussler said. “There won’t be one magic bullet, because cancer is not one disease, or even 100 diseases. Every instance of cancer is different. We have to improve our understanding of the molecular biology of cancer and develop computer algorithms so that we can analyze the genetic changes in each individual patient. It will take time. But with cancer genomics, we will eventually know our enemy completely.”

Haussler’s team assembled the first draft of the human genome sequence in 2000 and created and maintains the UCSC Genome Browser, a web-based tool that is used extensively in biomedical research and serves as the platform for several large-scale genomics projects. His group’s contributions to cancer genomics research include creation of a Cancer Genomics Browser for analyzing data from large-scale cancer studies.

Haussler’s group built CGHub to support all three major NCI cancer genome sequencing programs: The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET), and the Cancer Genome Characterization Initiative (CGCI). TCGA is a collaborative effort led by NCI and the National Human Genome Research Institute to map the genomic changes that occur in at least 20 major types and subtypes of adult cancer. The TARGET program is a related effort focusing on the five most common childhood cancers, and the CGCI makes available genomic data from HIV-associated cancers and certain lymphoid and childhood cancers.

These programs are laying the foundation for personalized cancer care by creating a database that scientists around the world can use to connect specific genomic changes with clinical outcomes. Haussler’s group has been closely involved in data analysis for TCGA.

“TCGA is allowing us for the first time to look at cancer in full molecular detail,” Haussler said. “Cancer is a disease caused by disruption of DNA molecules within the cell. When life starts, every cell in the body has the same DNA. In the course of a person’s lifetime, however, some cells may accumulate changes in their DNA that cause them to go rogue and multiply without control, creating the disease we call cancer. For the first time now, we are able to look into an individual patient’s cancer cells and see all the genetic disruptions, among which are the molecular drivers of that person’s cancer.”

There are currently only a few situations in which doctors can prescribe a treatment plan based on the specific genetic mutations in a patient’s cancer cells. That is expected to change as projects like TCGA, TARGET, and CGCI yield a comprehensive catalog that researchers can use to find new targets for medicines and discover clues to improve patient outcomes. But there is an urgent need for an efficient and user-friendly portal to give researchers access to the data. The NCI genome projects are producing staggering amounts of data.

“The scale of this is far beyond anything faced in medical research before,” Haussler said. “Each genome file, the DNA record from a tumor or normal tissue, is 300 billion bytes. And for every case there are two of these files, the cancer genome and the normal genome. Add to this RNA sequence data, and the prospect of deeper sequencing in the future, and we must plan for up to a terabyte (1,000 billion bytes) for each case.”

TCGA currently generates about 10 terabytes of data each month. For comparison, the Hubble Space Telescope amassed about 45 terabytes of data in its first 20 years of operation. TCGA’s output will increase tenfold or more over the next two years. Over the next four years, if the project produces a terabyte of DNA and RNA data from each of more than 10,000 patients, it will have produced 10 petabytes of data (a petabyte is 1,000 terabytes). And TCGA is just the beginning of the data deluge, Haussler said, noting that 10,000 cases is a small fraction of the 1.5 million new cancer cases diagnosed every year in the United States alone.

New data compression schemes are expected to reduce the total storage space needed, so the CGHub repository is designed initially to hold 5 petabytes and to allow further growth as needed. That is still a massive amount of data, and CGHub will need to accommodate transfers of extremely large data files.

Managed by the UCSC team, the CGHub computer system is located at the San Diego Supercomputer Center. It is connected by high-performance national research networks to major centers nationwide that are participating in these projects, including UCSC. Haussler’s team designed and oversees the storage and computing infrastructure for the repository, which has an automated query and download interface for large-scale, high-speed use. It will eventually also include an interactive web-based interface to allow researchers to browse and query the system and download custom datasets.

It may take years for cancer genomics research to bring about major changes in cancer care. The first step, and the focus of the NCI cancer genomics programs, is to determine which genomic changes are involved in each type of cancer and to understand the molecular and clinical effects of those changes. Then biomedical researchers must identify or develop treatments to block those effects.

“Right now, cancer research needs something on a very large scale, like the Large Hadron Collider in physics,” Haussler said. “Instead of bringing subatomic particles together in high-energy collisions and computing their behavior, we’re bringing cancer genomes together in a common database and computing the disease drivers.”

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/17/cancer-genomes-in-a-common-database-and-computation-of-disease-drivers/feed/ 0 Parents stopping chemotherapy for Michigan 10-year-old cancer patient is ‘death sentence,’ state argues in court appeal http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/16/parents-stopping-chemotherapy-for-michigan-10-year-old-cancer-patient-is-death-sentence-state-argues-in-court-appeal/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=parents-stopping-chemotherapy-for-michigan-10-year-old-cancer-patient-is-death-sentence-state-argues-in-court-appeal http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/16/parents-stopping-chemotherapy-for-michigan-10-year-old-cancer-patient-is-death-sentence-state-argues-in-court-appeal/#comments Wed, 16 May 2012 13:00:50 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4850 From http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/05/stopping_chemotherapy_for_10-y.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

The document filed with the state Court of Appeals spells out in stark terms why the doctors at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital want Jacob’s parents to resume his treatments for Ewing sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer.

“He has a(n) approximate 70 percent chance of survival if he receives the treatment, but without , it is almost universally fatal,” according to the brief filed by Dianne Heitman, a Marquette attorney who is a special prosecutor for the case.

Jacob’s mother, Erin, however, said Jacob is doing “very well” and has had three PET scans that showed no sign of cancer.

“They said it was going to come back right away, and it hasn’t,” she said. “They are just playing God.”

And the parents’ lawyer, Washington attorney Michael Farris, said the parents have the right to reject the doctors’ recommendation because they believe the treatment recommended is not proven to be safe and effective.

“There’s no doubt that in the day that we live in, the medical community thinks it gets to decide what we all should do,” he said. “This is, in a sense, a battle for every American as to whether or not we can run our own lives or whether the doctors can order us around.”

The Michigan Department of Human Services accused Erin and Kenneth Stieler, of Skandia in the Upper Peninsula, of medical neglect after they discontinued their son’s treatment at Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital in July 2011. Jacob had received three months of chemo, and a PET scan showed no sign of the cancer.

The doctors recommended six more months of chemo and six weeks of radiation, but the parents decided not to follow the recommendation. Stieler said she was worried about the side effects of the chemo and the toll it took physically and mentally on Jacob.

A Marquette County probate judge dismissed the neglect claim against the parents. The state appealed the ruling, asking the appeals court to order the case to trial.

The brief cites several pediatric oncologists who were prepared to testify that the continued treatments were critical for Jacob’s survival.

“Dr. Beth Kurt could … testify that if Jacob does not continue with chemotherapy and radiation, he will not survive,” the document states. “Without treatment, it is a death sentence, and Jacob’s cancer will come back with a vengeance.”

Dr. James Fahner and Dr. Richard Axtell could testify that the Pediatric Oncology Tumor Board, comprising oncologists, pathologists, radiologists and surgeons, reviewed Jacob’s case and agreed he should receive the “standard of care” treatment.

“Prior to this care being available, virtually all children with Jacob’s type of Ewing Sarcoma die,” the document says.

A University of Michigan pediatrician also is cited in the brief, saying that chemotherapy and radiation are required to treat Jacob’s cancer.

Kurt, of Grand Rapids, says the parent’s interpretation of the clean PET scan is “misguided,” according to the brief.

“Radiologic studies, including PET scans have limited sensitivity to detect cancer,” the document states. “A tumor is not detectable until it is one centimeter in dimension; this size equals billions of cancer cells.

“Since Jacob was only partially treated for his Ewing’s sarcoma she (Kurt) can state with medical certainty that cancer cells remain in his body.”

Erin Stieler questioned the doctor’s explanation of the PET scan.

“If we would have finished treatment and done the PET scan, they would say it’s clear he’s in remission,” she said. “Since we’re not doing what they want, then the PET scans are not reliable.”

The Stielers’ attorney, a co-founder of the Home School Legal Defense Association, said he has never heard of a case like the Stielers’.

He said he supports intervention in cases where it is clear a child would suffer death or severe harm without treatment and when there is safe and effective treatment available.

“In this case, the starting point is there’s no evidence that Jacob still has cancer,” he said.

And he argued the standard treatment is dangerous. “It might cure him; it might not cure him,” Farris said. “It might kill him. It might give him serious problems.”

Farris also said the recommended drugs were not FDA approved for that purpose.

DHS, in its brief, said all the medications are FDA approved, although the package inserts do not say they are for the treatment of children or for Ewing sarcoma.

“Many drugs are not originally tested in pediatric patients, and the FDA may never be informed of potential uses that may develop through medical studies,” the document states.

The Stielers are monitoring Jacob’s condition with quarterly blood tests and body scans, Farris said. They have contacted a doctor at the Mary Crowley Cancer Research Centers in Texas and plan to bring Jacob there if the cancer recurs.

Pat Brown, a nurse and director of strategic development at the Mary Crowley center, said she could not discuss a patient’s treatment, but spoke in general terms about the center’s approach. The researchers there have researched personalized, non-toxic cancer treatment for 20 years. They investigate gene, vaccine and cellular therapies created by major pharmaceutical companies and develop their own treatments.

The center does not test chemotherapy drugs, which Brown described as a “shotgun approach” that causes toxic side effects. However, most of the patients who come to the center have already undergone standard treatments, such as chemotherapy.

“Typically as a research center, if there is an approved standard of care – because it has some validity in producing results – we want to encourage the families or patients to have that,” she said. “They would be presented with statistics.”

A few months ago, the center received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for a phase 1 trial of a treatment for children with Ewing sarcoma. The research was requested by a group of pediatric oncologists that works in partnership with the center.

“Ewing sarcoma is one of those cancers that if you don’t get remission early, there is a high chance of return, and then there is no option for the children,” Brown said.

Stieler said the state’s appeal of the probate judge’s decision was not surprising, but disappointing and at times stressful for the family.

But, she said, “I’m not worried about it. We are trying to live a normal life as much as possible. God will take care of us.”

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/16/parents-stopping-chemotherapy-for-michigan-10-year-old-cancer-patient-is-death-sentence-state-argues-in-court-appeal/feed/ 0 Healthy Weight Loss May Also Cut Your Cancer Risk http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/15/healthy-weight-loss-may-also-cut-your-cancer-risk/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=healthy-weight-loss-may-also-cut-your-cancer-risk http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/15/healthy-weight-loss-may-also-cut-your-cancer-risk/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 13:00:49 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4846 From http://consumer.healthday.com/Article.asp?AID=664258

New study found decrease in inflammation warning signals

Moderate weight loss reduces levels of inflammation that have been tied to certain cancers, at least in postmenopausal women, a new study suggests.

According to the findings, older women who lost at least 5 percent of their body weight through diet alone or diet plus exercise showed significant reductions in key inflammatory blood markers such as C-reactive protein and interleukin-6.

In addition to risk for heart disease, elevated levels of these markers have also been associated with increased risk for several cancers, including breast, colon, lung and endometrial cancer.

The findings appear May 1 in the journal Cancer Research.

“Our findings support weight loss through calorie reduction and increased exercise as a means for reducing inflammatory biomarkers and thereby potentially reducing cancer risk in overweight and obese postmenopausal women,” said researchers led by Dr. Anne McTiernan, director of the Prevention Center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, in Seattle.

Aiming to lose 10 percent of their body weight, the women were either placed on a calorie-restricted diet, asked to participate in moderate-to vigorous-aerobic exercise for 45 minutes a day for five days a week, or told to do both.

During the one-year study, C-reactive protein levels went down by about 36 percent in the diet-alone group and by 42 percent in the diet and exercise group. Interleukin-6 levels decreased by about 23 percent in the diet group and 24 percent in the diet and exercise group, the study showed. There were greater reductions in these levels seen among women who lost at least 5 percent of their body weight. Exercise alone did not affect levels of inflammation markers.

There was no information on which, if any, of the 438 women in the study went on to develop cancer. But a 40 percent reduction in C-reactive protein “could be expected to reduce breast, endometrial and other cancer risk in postmenopausal women,” the study authors said.

Dr. Louis Aronne, founder and director of the Comprehensive Weight Control Program at New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York City, said: “This adds to the body of evidence showing that with small weight loss, fat cells shrink and inflammatory hormones go down. There are many things besides coronary disease that depend on inflammation.”

Dr. Mitchell Roslin, chief of obesity surgery at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, agreed. “Obesity induces a chronic state of inflammation that may also be the cause of metabolic diseases like type 2 diabetes and certain cancers,” he said. “Obesity is driving this inflammatory state, and when we reverse it, we also reverse the process that causes some cancers and diabetes.”

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/15/healthy-weight-loss-may-also-cut-your-cancer-risk/feed/ 0 East Bay Girl’s Leg is Lost, But Not Her Spirit http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/14/east-bay-girls-leg-is-lost-but-not-her-spirit/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=east-bay-girls-leg-is-lost-but-not-her-spirit http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/14/east-bay-girls-leg-is-lost-but-not-her-spirit/#comments Mon, 14 May 2012 13:00:57 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4679 From http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/04/15/SP841O3N0E.DTL&utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

When Brianne Bochenek was born, her sister Brookelyn had a hard time saying her name. It was easier for her to say Breezy, and that’s the name that stuck.

She’s 10 now, and a lot of people are calling her something else: inspirational.

The fourth-grader from San Ramon said she’d like to be a singer when she grows up, although not professionally. She plans to be a veterinarian because she loves animals. She also wants to be a distance runner and a triathlete like her new pal, Sarah Reinertsen, the first female leg amputee to finish the Ironman Triathlon in Hawaii.

Bochenek’s left leg was amputated in January after she was found to have osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.

As seems to be the case for her parents, Stan and Debbie, and her four siblings, Breezy’s glass is always half full and on its way to overflowing.

Staying positive

“I wouldn’t want to have bad spirit,” she said. “I always want to stay positive. The support I’ve gotten makes me stay positive.”

She was a defender on the Force, part of the Tri-Valley Soccer Club, when she endured knee aches in the fall. Instead of the suspected sports injury, doctors found a tumor that turned out to be malignant.

“Within a week,” her father said, “she was saying, ‘I’m going to fight this. I’m going to win this.’ ”

The outpouring of support from the soccer community has been enthusiastic. Brandi Chastain, the 1999 World Cup hero, arrived at the hospital where the surgery was performed. Some 30 friends and family members shaved their heads when Breezy did, knowing she’d lose her locks from numerous rounds of chemotherapy. Her sister Brittney, 17, put together a video of it all (vimeo.com/33729869).

When Cal women’s coach Neil McGuire, who lives in nearby Danville, learned about her misfortune, he called Stanford coach Paul Ratcliffe, and they decided to hold their spring match in San Ramon in her honor.

Game is benefit

The game, proceeds of which will help defray medical expenses for Bochenek and a couple of other local youngsters with cancer, will be at 5 p.m. Saturday at Dougherty Valley High School. Nearby soccer clubs will host carnival-type activities beginning at 2 p.m. An autograph session for the Stanford players, the defending national champions, and the Cal players, who reached the second round of last year’s NCAA tournament, will follow the game.

Bochenek can’t wait, not only for the game but to get her first prosthetic leg, probably in June or July. She and her parents could have opted to try to save the leg, but it would have meant years of follow-up surgery and a more sedentary lifestyle.

Her father showed her a video of Reinertsen in a triathlon. “That’s it,” she said. “That’s who I want to be.”

The night before the eight-hour operation, she wrote on her leg: “Goodbye my friend, I’ll miss you.” To make sure the cancer hasn’t spread to other parts of her body, she’ll undergo eight more rounds of chemotherapy starting Monday. They’ll continue into July.

“We’ve got our arms around that,” Stan Bochenek said. “We’re just going to the finish line.”

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/14/east-bay-girls-leg-is-lost-but-not-her-spirit/feed/ 0 Human tumors grown in mice help little cancer drugs go big http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/13/human-tumors-grown-in-mice-help-little-cancer-drugs-go-big/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=human-tumors-grown-in-mice-help-little-cancer-drugs-go-big http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/13/human-tumors-grown-in-mice-help-little-cancer-drugs-go-big/#comments Sun, 13 May 2012 13:00:54 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4843 From http://www.coloradocancerblogs.org/news/human-tumors-grown-in-mice-help-little-cancer-drugs-go-big

Sampling human tumors and incubating them on mouse models is more accurate than standard cell lines grown on plastic, writes a paper from the University of Colorado Cancer Center, recently published in the journal Nature Reviews: Clinical Oncology. These patient-derived “xenograft” models are more likely to respond as would real tumors when treated with experimental cancer therapies. The more accurate response of these human-derived tumors can help speed the pace of cancer drug development from lab to clinic.

“There are two major problems with cell lines grown on plastic,” says John Tentler, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and the paper’s lead author. “First, if cells are grown on plastic, we can hit them with defined, uniform concentrations of test drugs – this isn’t the case in human tumors, in which a drug’s ability to penetrate the tissue might be as important as its effectiveness once it reaches its target. And second, when you grow cells on plastic, they change their genetic characteristics.”

“If you think about it, it makes sense,” says S. Gail Eckhardt, MD, CU Cancer Center investigator and the paper’s senior author. “You take cells that have had a three-dimensional life and shock them on plastic – they have to evolve to live on that, and they’ll grow new features and lose some of their original genetic characteristics.”

Eckhardt also points out that most commercially available cells lines are decades old, allowing hundreds of generations after which they may evolve genetic characteristics that differ from the original, parent tumor.

And so the University of Colorado Cancer Center is leading the way toward another method of maintaining tumor tissues.

“We’re one of the few academic centers in the country to have a large and varied platform of patient-derived tumors,” says Antonio Jimeno, MD, PhD, director of the Head and Neck Cancer Medical Oncology Program at the CU Cancer Center. Tumor samples are taken from consenting surgery patients and then grown in mice. The CU Cancer Center maintains about 30 cases of human colon cancer, 30 cases of head and neck cancer, 15 cases of melanoma, and other lines including breast, pancreatic and bladder cancers.

“This is a better way of doing drug development,” Jimeno says. In addition to accuracy, Jimeno points out that patient-derived tumors can quickly add tumor types not represented in currently available cell lines. “For instance, there are no cell lines of human papillomavirus-related head and neck cancer, and we have several strains growing from our patients,” Jimeno says.

And Eckhardt explains that these models can help prove the effectiveness of new cancer drugs. Today’s targeted therapies don’t work on just any cancer – they’re pointed at the very individual genetic features of very individual cancers. If you test a targeted drug with a general population, it can look ineffective – maybe only a small percentage of patients benefit. But if you use these patient-derived mouse models to see which tumors respond (and which don’t), you can predict which patients will be among the small percentage of responders. You can also design a clinical trial to include only these patients who are likely to benefit. “It’s as if you’ve enrolled 30 or 40 ‘xenopatients’,” Eckhardt says.

These models can also be used on what is effectively the back end of a clinical trial, to explore how doctors might overcome a tumor’s resistance to a first-line therapy. “You treat mice with a first drug X for period of time, until these human tumors grown on mice become resistant, then you analyze the pathways of this resistance, and finally test what might overcome this resistance,” says Colin Weekes, MD, PhD, CU Cancer Center investigator and paper co-author. Weekes also points out that a tumor isn’t a homogenous lump. It’s made up of a variety of cells, and so experimenting on a homogenous mat grown on plastic is likely to give different results than experimenting on a more complex, human-derived tumor.

In these ways, human-derived tumor models help cancer drugs vault over cell lines and into clinical trials and ultimately patients.

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/13/human-tumors-grown-in-mice-help-little-cancer-drugs-go-big/feed/ 0 Math models can be useful tools for study of cancer progression http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/12/math-models-can-be-useful-tools-for-study-of-cancer-progression/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=math-models-can-be-useful-tools-for-study-of-cancer-progression http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/12/math-models-can-be-useful-tools-for-study-of-cancer-progression/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 13:00:20 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4839 From http://www.news-medical.net/news/20120503/Math-models-can-be-useful-tools-for-study-of-cancer-progression.aspx

Using mathematical models, researchers in the Integrated Mathematical Oncology (IMO) program at Moffitt Cancer Center are focusing their research on the interaction between the tumor and its microenvironment and the “selective forces” in that microenvironment that play a role in the growth and evolution of cancer.

According to Alexander R. A. Anderson, Ph.D., chair of the IMO, mathematical models can be useful tools for the study of cancer progression as related to understandings of tumor ecology.

“Cancer is a complex disease driven by interactions between tumor cells and the tumor’s microenvironment,” Anderson said. “By developing mathematical models that describe how tumors grow and respond to changes in their surroundings (such as treatment), we can better understand how an individual patient might respond to a whole suite of different therapies.”

Robert Gillies, Ph.D., chair of imaging and metabolism at Moffitt, is working closely with Anderson and Robert Gatenby, M.D., chair of Diagnostic Imaging. They say it is important to pair tumor imaging with mathematical model building.

“Imaging is a key to validate mathematical modeling,” Gillies said. “Because imaging can be conducted over time, it affords us a good look at the actively changing systems in tumors that are predicted by the models.”

For Gatenby, because cancer is an evolving, always changing nonlinear system, it must be monitored over time and space.

“Imaging noninvasively captures tumor changes, and the mathematical models, which are much more rigorous than language, can then be used in cancer research,” Gatenby said.

Clinical imaging and mathematical modeling combined will afford clinicians a valuable predictive tool. One tool will be familiar. Just as meteorologists develop “spaghetti models” from satellite images to predict the myriad possible paths of hurricanes, Anderson said, they will be able to generate similar models to inform clinicians about a patient’s risk, which treatments may be best and whether recurrence is possible.

“By incorporating specific information about a patient, such as the size of their tumor, the treatments they have had, the organ that the cancer is growing in, we can predict forward in time how the tumor will grow, shrink, and respond to different combinations of therapies. By the results of imaging, biological experiments and mathematical models, we are leading the world in patient-specific medicine,” Anderson said.

Mathematical models generated by IMO researchers are already finding clinical uses.

Fibroblasts contribute to melanoma tumor growth

“We used an integrated mathematical and experimental approach to investigate whether melanoma cells recruit, activate and stimulate fibroblasts to deposit certain proteins known to be pro-survival for melanoma cells,” Anderson said.

Fibroblasts, the most common connective tissue functioning in the extra cellular matrix, were known to be activated by and drawn to cancer cells. When they investigated the relationship between fibroblasts and tumors using mathematical models, Anderson and colleagues found that fibroblasts have direct effects on melanoma tumor behavior, including aiding tumor growth and tumor drug resistance. They published their findings in Molecular Pharmaceutics.

Deadly glioblastomas better understood through mathematical models

IMO researchers and colleagues also developed mathematical models for investigating the progression of glioma, an aggressive and fatal form of brain cancer. The mathematical models augment imaging and histologic grading of gliomas, graded on their blood vessel growth patterns (an angiogenic feature) and incorporating the tumor’s cellular and microenvironmental changes.

When the researchers observed a disparity between grading schemes and tumor activity observed through imaging, they developed a mathematical model based on changes in cell appearance, proliferation and invasion rates. The new model improved predictive and prognostic ability.

“Being able to identify and predict patterns of dynamic changes in glioma histology as distinct from cellular changes in appearance and proliferation may provide a powerful clinical tool,” Anderson said.

They published this study in a recent issue of Cancer Research.

IMO gets $3 million from NIH to develop mathematical models of prostate cancer

As 2011 closed out, a group led by Anderson and colleagues landed a $3 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to create mathematical models to predict prostate cancer aggressiveness. It is well known that some prostate cancers are slow growing while others are aggressive. To be able to discriminate between them is critical if we want to treat only the aggressive ones, and there are potentially many patients that might not need treatment if we can make this distinction.

To construct the models, researchers will use tissue samples donated from prostate cancer patients to capture signaling mechanisms in tumor cells and understand how the different signaling in tumor cells alters how they behave. Using this data they will be able to identify and model the characteristics of aggressive prostate cancers. A second key step will be to clinically validate these newly constructed mathematical models, against an independent group of patients, as predictors of aggressive prostate cancers.

]]> http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/12/math-models-can-be-useful-tools-for-study-of-cancer-progression/feed/ 0 Life, Interrupted: Cancer Is Awkward http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/11/life-interrupted-cancer-is-awkward/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=life-interrupted-cancer-is-awkward http://danisfoundation.org/2012/05/11/life-interrupted-cancer-is-awkward/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 13:00:29 +0000 martha http://danisfoundation.org/?p=4835 From http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/05/03/life-interrupted-cancer-is-awkward/?smid=tw-nytimeshealth&seid=auto

Disease has a way of invading your social space, forcing your hand. Will you tell your family and close friends only? What about acquaintances and work mates? Will you share your diagnosis on Facebook? Who knew cancer needed a social consultant?

I’ve struggled with the awkwardness of cancer ever since my leukemia was diagnosed last May. When I told people my news, some people froze, falling silent. One person immediately began telling a story of an aunt who had died from the same kind of leukemia. “Will you lose your hair?” someone blurted out. “Are you going to die?” an ex-boyfriend asked.

Breaking the news of my diagnosis felt like an existential game show in which people rushed to buzz in with the first thought that came to mind.

I admit to sometimes being hurt by the way my friends have reacted to my news. Some didn’t write or call at all. Those who did often sounded uncomfortable and distant. I needed their support, and I wondered where they were.

When I was first in the hospital, some of my visitors seemed so intent on not upsetting me that they avoided the topic of cancer altogether. Others just couldn’t seem to find any words. When two college friends came to visit, I watched their faces fall as they took in the sight of my bald head and sunken cheekbones. The last time we’d seen each other was at graduation, over diplomas and flutes of Champagne. An awkward silence ensued, and I sensed it was up to me to take the initiative. I took a deep breath: “So, can you believe how weird I look without any hair?”

But in the year since my diagnosis, my feelings of hurt have given way to understanding. How can I expect anyone to produce the perfect, reflexive response to such sudden and unpleasant news? Cancer can catch even the best of us off guard. Sometimes the emotions come pouring out. Sometimes they stay locked inside. I’ve realized that it’s nearly impossible to summon the “right” words while simultaneously processing the news that someone you love has a life-threatening illness. I find myself counseling my friends and family that there is no perfect thing to say — but that they just have to say something.

And I admit to making my own mistakes. Four years ago during my freshman year in college, my childhood friend Chris revealed to me that he had Stage 3 testicular cancer. As he described how the cancer had spread to his abdominal region and lungs, I clammed up. I said a few rote phrases and fled as soon as I could. I didn’t call or write to him again for several months.

Over the course of those months, I thought of him often. I had repeated conversations, at the dinner table or on the way to class, about what my friend must be going through and how badly I wanted to help. My feelings were genuine, I even remember drafting and redrafting a letter to him. But I couldn’t find the right words. In the end, I never sent it. I was scared. Frozen. To him, it must have seemed as if I just didn’t care.

A few months ago, in the middle of my fourth round of chemo, I reached out to Chris and asked him to go with me to a support group for young adults with cancer. It was our first time seeing each other since he had fallen ill.

My own cancer experience has taught me that the most comforting words from friends have often been both the simplest and the most honest. As Chris and I drove in the car to the meeting, I felt guilty, but I also felt lucky to have the chance to finally speak openly about how I had let him down. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you,” I told him.

He nodded and told me not to worry.

We still had a few miles to go. I was looking out the window at the Adirondack Mountains, the area where Chris and I grew up. Maybe we could be friends again, a prospect I thought I’d surely ruined years ago. We sat in silence for the rest of the drive. But it was a silence without awkwardness. We both were lost in our thoughts, but not too far from each other.

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