AACR Press Releases

AACR Team to Ride Cycling's Iconic Philadelphia Championship Road Course

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 15 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

AACR’s team Riders 4 Research includes inspirational cyclist and cancer survivor Todd Key

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research has been invited to be a “Charity of Choice” at the upcoming Bicycling Magazine Open. The AACR team Riders 4 Research will be riding the challenging Philadelphia Championship Road Course, Sunday, June 3, 2012, between 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. ET.

Cancer survivor Todd Key will ride in support of the AACR Riders 4 Research. Due to an accident at age 7, Key lost the use of his right arm. At age 17, he was diagnosed with cancer (myosarcoma). The myosarcoma affected the muscles in his right leg and resulted in two years of chemotherapy and the amputation of his right leg above the knee. Despite this, Key, whose cancer has been in remission for more than 30 years, rides his bike more than 250 miles a week.

Key and the other members of the AACR Riders 4 Research team will have the chance to ride up to three timed laps of the completely closed 14.5 mile championship circuit, including the daunting “Manayunk Wall.” This is the first time in the 28-year history of the Philadelphia International Cycling Championship that amateur cyclists are being given the chance to experience the course.

The AACR Riders 4 Research team is raising funds to support cancer research. The top fundraisers will win prizes such as VIP access to the post-event meal and concert, Garmin cycling jerseys, Hutchinson tires and Garmin 800 Platinum/500 GPS.

In addition, the AACR will have a booth at the event in the health, fitness and cycling pavilion where information will be shared about the AACR and the importance of cancer research.

The event is expected to attract 300,000 spectators and participants in addition to millions of television viewers worldwide. The Bicycling Magazine Open will be followed by the 28th TD Bank Philadelphia International Championship and the women’s Liberty Classic. These races bring together the best male and female professional cyclists from around the world. Lance Armstrong started his professional cycling career when he won the race in 1993, and racing greats like Eric Heiden, George Hincapie and Davis Phinney are past winners.

To support the AACR Riders 4 Research, visit www.aacrriders4research.org.

For information on the Pro Cycling Tour TD Bank Philadelphia International Cycling Championship, visit http://procyclingtour.com.

For information on the Bicycling Magazine Open, visit http://www.echelongranfondo.org/bicyclingopen.

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Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 17,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for near-term patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

AACR Receives Three Prestigious Hermes Creative Awards

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research is pleased to announce that it has received three coveted 2012 Hermes Creative Awards for its two most recent Annual Meeting videos and one video highlighting the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011.

The 2011 AACR Annual Meeting video “We Are Making It Happen” is honored with a platinum award, the 2012 AACR Annual Meeting video “Accelerating Science” is lauded with a gold award and the AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011 video is the recipient of an honorable mention. The AACR received all three awards in the category of video/nonprofit.

“The American Association for Cancer Research is very honored to receive these accolades for our videos about cancer and cancer research,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “It is very important that all members of the general public, not just researchers, patients and their caregivers, are aware of the extraordinary advances that have been made in cancer research and treatment for the benefit of cancer patients, as well as the fact that more work needs to be done to meet the challenges ahead. These awards give us great confidence that our educational videos have achieved our goal to broadly disseminate this information relevant to public health.”

Collectively, these dynamic videos detail the progress and promise of cancer research, while aiming to inspire further innovation and progress against this insidious disease, with the clear message that “Cancer Research Saves Lives.”

The Hermes Creative Awards is an international competition for creative professionals involved in the concept, writing and design of traditional materials and programs, and emerging technologies. The awards recognize outstanding work in the industry while promoting the philanthropic nature of marketing and communication professionals. The competition is administered and judged by the Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals.

The Hermes Creative Awards has developed into one of the largest competitions of its kind in the world. This year, there were more than 4,700 entries from throughout the United States, Canada and several other countries. These entries were diverse, coming from corporate marketing and communication departments, advertising agencies, PR firms, graphic design shops, production companies, web and digital creators and freelancers.

This year’s recipients ranged from individual communicators to media conglomerates and Fortune 500 companies. A full list of this year’s award recipients can be found at www.hermesawards.com.

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Weight Loss Led to Reduction in Inflammation

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Study indicates relationship between weight loss and cancer risk.
Patients had a manageable goal of 10 percent weight loss.
Participants were overweight or obese, postmenopausal women.

PHILADELPHIA — Postmenopausal women who were overweight or obese and lost at least 5 percent of their body weight had a measurable reduction in markers of inflammation, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Both obesity and inflammation have been shown to be related to several types of cancer, and this study shows that if you reduce weight, you can reduce inflammation as well,” said Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Prevention Center at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Wash.

Women in the trial who were assigned to a weight loss intervention had a goal of 10 percent weight reduction during the course of one year achieved through a diet intervention with or without aerobic exercise.

“So this program was highly achievable and reproducible. We are not talking about drastic weight loss,” said McTiernan.

The researchers measured levels of C-reactive protein, serum amyloid A, interleukin-6, leukocyte and neutrophil in 439 women.

At the end of one year, C-reactive protein reduced by 36.1 percent in the diet-alone group and by 41.7 percent in the diet and exercise group. Interleukin-6 decreased by 23.1 percent in the diet group and 24.3 percent in the diet and exercise group.

McTiernan and colleagues found a mild dose response, as there were greater reductions in these measures among women who lost at least 5 percent of their body weight. They also found that exercise alone, without a dietary weight loss component, had little effect on inflammation markers.

“This study adds to the growing understanding we have about the link between obesity and cancer, and it appears we can affect inflammation directly through nonpharmaceutical means,” said McTiernan.

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Nominations Invited for AACR-Prevent Cancer Foundation Award

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

AACR Seeks Submissions for 2012 Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research announces a call for nominations for the 2012 Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research, co-sponsored by the AACR and the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

The AACR-Prevent Cancer Foundation Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research is bestowed upon a scientist from anywhere in the world for seminal contributions to the field of cancer prevention. The research for which the individual is recognized must have been conducted in basic, translational, clinical, epidemiological or behavioral science in cancer prevention research. Furthermore, these studies must have had not only a major impact on the field, but must also have stimulated new directions in this important area.

Last year’s award was presented to Andrew J. Dannenberg, M.D., the Henry R. Erle, M.D.-Roberts Family professor of medicine and director, Weill Cornell Cancer Center, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, N.Y. Dannenberg was honored for his work on the inflammation-cancer connection with an emphasis on prostaglandin biology. He delivered his award lecture, titled “Obesity and Breast Inflammation: Implications for Cancer Prevention,” at the 10th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research.

The recipient of the award will receive a $5,000 honorarium and present a 50-minute lecture at the 11th Annual AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research. The conference will be held Oct. 16-19, 2012, in Anaheim, Calif.

Deadline for nominations: June 20, 2012
For more information, contact Monique P. Eversley at awards@aacr.org or visit www.aacr.org/ScientificAwards.

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Nominations Invited for AACR Distinguished Lectureship Funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

AACR Seeks Submissions for 2012 Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research announces a call for nominations for its 2012 Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities, funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®.

The AACR Distinguished Lectureship on the Science of Cancer Health Disparities is awarded to an investigator whose novel work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer health disparities. This work may involve any discipline in biomedical research including basic, translational, clinical or epidemiological studies.

Last year’s award was presented to Olufunmilayo Falusi Olopade, M.D., Walter L. Palmer distinguished service professor of medicine and human genetics and associate dean for global health, University of Chicago Medical Center, Chicago, Ill. Olopade was honored for her pioneering work in the study of breast cancer genetics in women. She delivered her award lecture, titled “Closing the Knowledge Disparity Gap: From Molecular Mechanisms to Interventions and Back,” at the Fourth Annual AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved.

The recipient of this year’s award will receive a $5,000 honorarium and present a 45-minute lecture at the Fifth Annual AACR Conference on The Science of Cancer Health Disparities in Racial/Ethnic Minorities and the Medically Underserved. The conference will be held Oct. 27-30, 2012, in San Diego, Calif.

Deadline for nominations: June 20, 2012
For more information, contact Monique P. Eversley at awards@aacr.org or visit www.aacr.org/ScientificAwards.

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Nominations Invited for AACR Award Funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure®

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

AACR Seeks Submissions for 2012 Outstanding Investigator Award
for Breast Cancer Research

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research announces a call for nominations for the 2012 AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research, funded by Susan G. Komen for the Cure^®.

The AACR Outstanding Investigator Award for Breast Cancer Research is awarded to an investigator of no more than 50 years of age whose novel work has had or may have a far-reaching impact on the etiology, detection, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of breast cancer. The work for which the individual is recognized may involve any discipline across the continuum of biomedical research, including basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological studies.

Last year’s award was presented to Ramon E. Parsons, M.D., Ph.D., Avon Foundation professor of pathology and cell biology and medicine, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbia University, New York, N.Y. Parsons was honored for his work in establishing the importance of the PTEN/PI3K pathway to breast cancer. Parsons delivered his award lecture, titled “Alteration and Inhibition of PTEN in Breast Cancer,” during the 34th Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in San Antonio, Texas.

The recipient of this year’s award will receive a $10,000 honorarium and present a 25-minute lecture at the 35th Annual CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The symposium will be held Dec. 4-8, 2012, at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas.

Deadline for nominations: May 16, 2012
For more information, contact Monique P. Eversley at awards@aacr.org or visit www.aacr.org/ScientificAwards.

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AACR Congratulates Scott M. Lippman, M.D., on His Appointment as Director of UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research congratulates Scott M. Lippman, M.D., editor-in-chief of the AACR’s journal Cancer Prevention Research, on his appointment as director of the Moores Cancer Center at the University of California, San Diego.

Lippman will resign as chair of the department of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology and professor of cancer medicine and cancer prevention at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and begin this new role at the UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, on May 1.

“Dr. Lippman has made extraordinary contributions to the field of cancer prevention, and is highly regarded as one of the leading physician-scientists in cancer research today,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “He is a very active member of the AACR, and his prominence in the field is evidenced by the many leadership positions he has held throughout his career. UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center is fortunate to have a leader like Dr. Lippman to serve as its new director.”

As the director of the cancer center, Lippman plans to implement a number of strong initiatives at Moores that facilitate the translation of novel cancer research discoveries made at UCSD and within the rich surrounding environment of other centers and the biotech and pharmaceutical industry into clinical advances that will reduce the burden of cancer on patients and their families.

“The UCSD Moores Cancer Center houses several of the world’s top laboratory scientists in cancer research, and I am very fortunate and thrilled to have this opportunity to join them and the many other exceptional researchers and clinicians at UCSD in the fight against cancer,” said Lippman.

Lippman graduated from the University of California, Irvine, with a degree in biological science. He received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Md., and completed his internship and residency in internal medicine at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, Calif. He subsequently pursued fellowships in hematology at Stanford University School of Medicine in Stanford, Calif., and in medical oncology and cancer prevention and control at the University of Arizona Cancer Center in Tucson. He is triple board-certified in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology.

Lippman has more than 25 years of experience as a principal investigator of translational research involving investigator-initiated clinical trials. His major fields of research are translational/molecular studies of cancer risk, molecular-targeted drug development and personalized therapy. He has participated in the national leadership of clinical/translational research planning and development within the National Cancer Institute Cooperative Group setting and currently sits on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Clinical Trials/Translational Research Advisory Committee.

The author of more than 300 journal articles and chapters in medical textbooks, Lippman has received many awards, including the AACR-Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation Award for Excellence in Cancer Prevention Research and the ASCO-American Cancer Society Award. Also, he is an elected member of the Association of American Physicians.

His extensive record of extramural service includes serving on the Food and Drug Administration Oncologic Drugs Advisory Committee, the NIH Clinical Oncology Study Section and the NIH Chemo/Dietary Prevention study section, which he currently chairs. He is the founding editor-in-chief of AACR’s journal Cancer Prevention Research, and his service on the editorial boards of several peer-reviewed journals includes the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, the Journal of Clinical Oncology, as well as Cancer Research, Clinical Cancer Research and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, which are journals of the AACR. Lippman also served as senior editor of the AACR’s journal Cancer Research for five years.

Additionally, he has chaired major scientific meetings, served on various committees and has given numerous keynote lectures at AACR meetings and other prominent organizations’ scientific meetings.

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KRAS Gene Mutation and Amplification Status Affects Sensitivity to Antifolate Therapy

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Patients with lung cancer and KRAS mutation responded well to antifolate therapy.
Response linked to downregulation of KRAS expression.
Downregulation may render cells more susceptible to chemotherapeutic drug.

CHICAGO — Testing patients with non-small cell lung cancer for both mutations and amplifications of the KRAS gene prior to therapy may help to predict response to treatment with antifolates, according to the updated results of a preclinical study presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Patients, especially those with lung cancer, who have KRAS gene mutations have a worse prognosis and do not respond well to targeted therapies, according to Sarah Bacus, Ph.D., Quintiles senior vice president and chief scientific officer of translational research and development, oncology. The results suggest that although these mutations are linked to a poor response to targeted therapies, they may predict response to treatment with antifolates, as long as the number of mutant genes is not amplified.

She and her colleagues assessed the relationship between antifolate medications and KRAS mutations and amplification, where the gene has an excess number of copies.

The preliminary results of the study were presented in November at the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. Researchers treated human non-small cell lung cancer cell lines (KRAS wild type, KRAS-mutant nonamplified and KRAS-mutant amplified) with the antifolates methotrexate or pemetrexed.

In lung cancer, the KRAS-mutant tumors need the folate pathway, which is associated with the growth of cancer. Treatment with the antifolate pemetrexed led to dramatic responses in patients with KRAS-mutant lung cancer. Patients with KRAS-wild type were less responsive. The researchers found a similar trend in KRAS-mutant lung cancer cell lines. When cell lines with KRAS mutations were deprived of access to this pathway, they failed to grow. However, this response was not seen if the number of copies of the KRAS-mutant gene was amplified or if the KRAS was wild type.

“KRAS mutations are most frequently observed in pancreatic, colorectal, lung, endometrial and biliary tract cancers, and as such, antifolates may have utility in the treatment of these cancers alone or in combination with other chemotherapies such as DNA-damaging agents,” Bacus said.

She recommended that before prescribing an antifolate, whether in lung cancer or other cancers where KRAS mutations are prevalent, physicians should test for KRAS mutation and amplification, because the study results suggest that patients are likely to respond well only if the KRAS gene is mutated and not amplified.

This study was funded by the Quintiles Translational Research and Development Group; no external funding was used to finance the research.

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Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Vaccine Yielded Encouraging Long-term Survival Rates in Certain Patients With NSCLC

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Patients with nonprogressive disease had improved survival rates.
Five-year survival rate for stage 3B/4 patients was 50 percent.

CHICAGO — Long-term follow-up of a phase II clinical trial showed encouraging survival in some patients with stage 3B/4 non-small cell lung cancer treated with belagenpumatucel-L, a therapeutic vaccine. The findings were presented here at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held March 31 - April 4.

“This is a novel immunotherapy that appears to show unusually long survival in some patients,” said Lyudmila Bazhenova, M.D., associate clinical professor at the University of California-San Diego Moores Cancer Center in La Jolla, Calif.

These findings represent an updated long-term survival analysis on patients treated with belagenpumatucel-L, a cell-based allogeneic vaccine derived from four lung cancer cell lines.

The open-label study included 75 patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) — two patients with stage 2 disease, 12 with stage 3A, 15 with stage 3B and 46 with stage 4. The researchers randomly assigned patients to three dose cohorts: 1.25, 2.5 or 5 × 107 cells/injection.

For all patients, median survival was 14.5 months, and the five-year survival rate was 20 percent. The 40 patients with stage 3B/4 cancer enrolled in the second and third dose cohorts had a median survival of 15.9 months and a one-year survival rate of 61 percent, a two-year survival rate of 41 percent and a five-year survival rate of 18 percent.

Patients with stage 3B/4 nonprogressive disease after chemotherapy had a median survival of 44.4 months; five-year survival was 50 percent, which is “unheard of for patients with NSCLC,” Bazhenova said.

In contrast, patients who progressed after front-line chemotherapy had a median survival rate of 14.1 months and a 9.1 percent five-year survival rate.

Bazhenova said that although these results are intriguing, they must be confirmed in a phase III clinical trial, which is currently under way in eight countries.

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Baseline Hormone Levels Appear to Predict Survival in Metastatic, Castration-resistant Prostate Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

High hormone levels linked to longer survival regardless of treatment.
Biomarker provided meaningful method for patient stratification.
Data should inform future clinical trial design.

CHICAGO — Patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer treated with the androgen inhibitor abiraterone and who had high baseline hormone levels had longer overall survival compared with patients with low hormone levels, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

If confirmed, these data mean that levels of hormones, specifically adrenal androgens, may provide physicians with another way to predict the efficacy of therapy in patients with metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer, according to Charles J. Ryan, M.D., associate professor of clinical medicine and urology at University of California-San Francisco Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center in San Francisco, Calif.

“We have identified that patients who have higher levels of androgen compared with those with lower levels have a better prognosis overall and a better prognosis when receiving abiraterone than patients with lower levels of androgens,” said Ryan. “Patients with low hormone levels seem to have a worse prognosis overall; however, they still benefitted significantly from receiving abiraterone as opposed to receiving placebo.”

In the past, this form of prostate cancer was referred to as hormone-refractory prostate cancer. However, this term is no longer used because, in recent years, researchers have discovered that certain drugs, like abiraterone, which are essentially hormone therapies, improve outcomes and survival rates.

In this prospective substudy, Ryan and colleagues evaluated data from a randomized phase III trial that compared abiraterone to placebo and led to the approval of abiraterone. They categorized patients according to high levels or low levels of hormones.

The results indicated that higher baseline hormone levels were associated with significantly higher overall survival in patients regardless of initial treatment compared with low baseline levels. Patients assigned to placebo and who had high hormone levels had nearly 50 percent improvement in survival compared with those assigned to placebo and who had low hormone levels. In addition, abiraterone was associated with longer overall survival compared with treatment with placebo in patients with high and low levels of baseline hormones.

Patients assigned to abiraterone who had high baseline levels of hormones had almost twice the overall survival compared with those with low levels of hormones assigned to placebo.

“We used to think that it was not necessary to measure hormone levels once they were below normal — that was in part due to the fact that we were using insensitive assays,” Ryan said. “However, now we know that they have prognostic and predictive significance and that physicians treating these patients should think about conducting hormone tests.”

According to Ryan, more work is required to determine how these data will inform the standard-of-care management of patients with prostate cancer; however, it is likely that these data will affect the design of future clinical trials.

The study was sponsored by Cougar Biotechnology, which is owned by Johnson & Johnson.

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Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Excess Body Weight Associated With Increased Risk for Cancer Recurrence After Treatment for Prostate Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Risk for prostate cancer recurrence increased as excess body weight increased.
Obese and overweight men were at higher risk.
Body weight status and related lifestyle factors could be used to predict risk.

CHICAGO — Researchers have found an association between excess body weight and an increased risk for cancer recurrence in men with clinically localized prostate cancer.

“Men diagnosed with early-stage prostate cancer and who have excess body weight as indicated by a higher-than-normal body mass index (BMI) have an increased risk for cancer recurrence after treatment,” said Vincent L. Freeman, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor in the division of epidemiology and biostatistics in the School of Public Health at the University of Illinois in Chicago, Ill.

Freeman presented results of this cross-sectional study at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Freeman and colleagues examined BMI, which measures body weight relative to height, and risk for cancer recurrence based on blood prostate-specific antigen level, physical exam and prostate cancer biopsy results in 119 men who were awaiting surgery for clinically localized prostate cancer.

The results showed that the risk for cancer recurrence increased with increasing BMI. Men in the upper quartile for BMI were nearly eight times more likely to have prostate cancers that had a moderate-to-high risk for recurrence after treatment compared with men in the lower quartile. Men in the upper-middle and lower-middle quartiles for BMI were 6.5 times and 3.5 times more likely to have a moderate-to-high recurrence risk, respectively.

“The association was not limited to obese men; even being just overweight based on BMI was associated with an increased risk for prostate cancer recurrence,” Freeman said.

He and his colleagues concluded that body weight status and related lifestyle factors connected to prostate cancer could be used as viable indicators for high-risk cases.
“The results provide additional support for a mechanistic link between body weight status and the clinical presentation and course of prostate cancer,” Freeman said. “Our findings also highlight the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight throughout adulthood.”

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health/National Cancer Institute.

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Caffeine and Exercise May Be Protective Against Skin Cancer Caused by Sun Exposure

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Caffeine and exercise decreased risk for sunlight-caused skin cancers in mice.
Results suggest that fat and tumor growth are related.
Findings link caffeine and exercise with lower levels of inflammation.

CHICAGO — The combined effects of exercise plus caffeine consumption may be able to ward off skin cancer and also prevent inflammation related to other obesity-linked cancers.

“We found that this combination treatment can decrease sunlight-caused skin cancer formation in a mouse model,” said Yao-Ping Lu, Ph.D., associate research professor of chemical biology and director of skin cancer prevention at the Rutgers Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy in Piscataway, N.J. He presented these findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“I believe we may extrapolate these findings to humans and anticipate that we would benefit from these combination treatments as well,” Lu added.

The researchers evaluated the effects of caffeine and exercise on mice at high risk for developing skin cancer. Results showed that mice that took a dose of caffeine and exercised with a running wheel experienced 62 percent fewer skin tumors. The volume of tumors also decreased by 85 percent compared with the mice that did not consume caffeine or exercise.

Positive effects were found with either caffeine or exercise alone, but to a lesser extent. Researchers observed a 27 percent reduction in tumors in caffeine-only mice and a 61 percent reduction in tumor size. In the exercise-only mice, researchers found that tumor activity decreased by 35 percent and tumor volume decreased by 70 percent.

The researchers also found that exercise and caffeine reduced weight and inflammation. They fed mice a high-fat diet of omega-6 fatty acid-rich foods and measured the volume of the parametrial fat pad (the largest fat pad in a mouse) after two weeks of exercise and/or caffeine treatment.

Mice that had caffeine and exercised had a fat pad weight decrease of 63 percent. Caffeine-only mice had a 30 percent decrease, and exercise-only mice had a 56 percent decrease. Development and size of cancer decreased as well. The link, Lu believes, is inflammation, which dropped as much as 92 percent in mice that exercised and consumed caffeine.

This research was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

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Race May Play Role in Presentation of Triple-negative Breast Cancer in Hispanic Women

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Disease prevalence similar between Hispanics in Puerto Rico and California.
Researchers suggest that biology of disease drives tumor behavior.
Expression of estrogen receptor associated with better prognosis.

CHICAGO — Hispanic women in Puerto Rico who have triple-negative breast cancer share similar disease characteristics with Hispanic women in California, suggesting that race plays a significant role in the presentation of triple-negative breast cancer among Hispanic women.

These study results were presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“We think the fact that our patients are geographically located outside the mainland and still have the same disease characteristics suggests that the biology of the disease plays a major role in how the disease is expressed in these patients compared with other factors that have been considered like socioeconomic status, access to treatment, etc.,” said Edna M. Mora, M.D., associate professor in the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine department of surgery and the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“Based on our results, we speculate that the biology of the disease promotes the tumors to be more aggressive,” she said. “Knowing that biology is important, because then we can develop different treatment strategies for the different subtypes of triple-negative cancers.”

Overall, Hispanic women have a lower incidence of breast cancer, but among those who develop the disease, prognosis and survival are poor, Mora said.

In this cross-sectional study, the researchers analyzed data from 1,082 women with breast cancer who were diagnosed between 2000 and 2005. Mora and colleagues obtained data from hospital cancer registries and through a medical record review.

The prevalence of triple-negative breast cancer was 16.3 percent, which is comparable to the percentage among Hispanics in California, Mora said. Compared with women with HER2-negative, estrogen receptor-positive disease, patients in the triple-negative group were younger at diagnosis and had larger tumor size, invasive ductal histology and higher tumor grades.

Most importantly, these results showed that the HER2-negative patients whose tumors expressed estrogen receptors had a dramatically different disease presentation and better outcomes, Mora said.

“When the patient’s tumor expressed estrogen receptor, it made a significant difference in terms of how the patient responds to therapy and behaves in terms of survival,” she said.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
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In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
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Cruciferous Vegetable Consumption Linked to Improved Breast Cancer Survival Rates

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Intake associated with decreased mortality and recurrence rates.
Dose–response relationship observed.
Researchers recommend survivors eat more cruciferous vegetables.

CHICAGO — Eating cruciferous vegetables after breast cancer diagnosis was associated with improved survival among Chinese women, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“Breast cancer survivors can follow the general nutritional guidelines of eating vegetables daily and may consider increasing intake of cruciferous vegetables, such as greens, cabbage, cauliflower and broccoli, as part of a healthy diet,” said Sarah J. Nechuta, M.P.H., Ph.D., a postdoctoral research fellow at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

She and her colleagues investigated the role of cruciferous vegetables in breast cancer survival in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study, a prospective study of 4,886 Chinese breast cancer survivors diagnosed with stage 1 to stage 4 breast cancer from 2002 to 2006.

After adjusting for demographics, clinical characteristics and lifestyle factors, the researchers found cruciferous vegetable intake during the first 36 months after breast cancer diagnosis was associated with a reduced risk for total mortality, breast cancer-specific mortality and recurrence in a dose–response pattern. Across increasing quartiles of cruciferous vegetable consumption, risk for total mortality decreased by 27 percent to 62 percent, risk for breast cancer-specific mortality decreased by 22 percent to 62 percent, and risk for recurrence decreased by 21 percent to 35 percent.

Nechuta noted that cruciferous vegetable consumption habits differ between China and the United States and suggested this fact be considered when generalizing these results to U.S. breast cancer survivors.

“Commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in China include turnips, Chinese cabbage/bok choy and greens, while broccoli and brussels sprouts are the more commonly consumed cruciferous vegetables in the United States and other Western countries,” she said. “Second, the amount of intake among Chinese women is much higher than that of U.S. women. The level of bioactive compounds such as isothiocyanates and indoles, proposed to play a role in the anticancer effects of cruciferous vegetables, depend on both the amount and type of cruciferous vegetables consumed.”

She suggested that future studies with direct measurements of bioactive compounds such as isothiocyanates and host factors that influence the effects of these biological compounds be conducted to better understand the association of cruciferous vegetable intake with breast cancer outcomes.

# # #

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Nearly Half of Cancer Survivors Died From Conditions Other Than Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Fifty-one percent of people who have had cancer died from cancer.
Forty-nine percent of cancer survivors died from other conditions.
Researchers encourage a more comprehensive approach to survivor health.

CHICAGO — Although cancer recurrence may be the overriding fear for many survivors, nearly half of survivors from a recently presented study died from other conditions.

These results indicate survivors could potentially benefit from a more comprehensive, less cancer-focused approach to their health, according to lead researcher Yi Ning, M.D., Sc.D., assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and community health at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) and associate research member at VCU Massey Cancer Center in Richmond, Va. Ning presented the results at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31- April 4.

“We realized that the mortality rates for some types of cancer, such as breast cancer, had declined,” said Ning. “Cancer survivors live much longer than they did several decades ago. So with this large group of cancer survivors, we need to pay more attention to cancer survivors’ overall health.”

Ning and colleagues evaluated 1,807 cancer survivors who had participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) study. The most common forms of cancer among the study group were breast, prostate, cervical, lung and colorectal.

When originally surveyed through NHANES, a large percentage of the study group suffered from conditions other than cancer, including cardiovascular conditions, hypertension and diabetes.

Researchers followed patients for more than 18 years. During the course of the study, 776 cancer survivors died. Fifty-one percent died from cancer and 49 percent died from other causes. Cardiovascular disease was the primary cause of noncancer deaths.

Researchers found that the longer patients survived after their initial cancer diagnosis, the more likely they were to die from another disease: 32.8 percent died from another condition within five years of diagnosis compared with 62.7 percent after 20 years.

With nearly half of cancer survivors dying from other causes, Ning said that physicians and patients must improve efforts to manage those risks.

“After the detection of cancer, clinicians and cancer survivors pay less attention to the prevention and treatment of other diseases and complications,” said Ning. “We shouldn’t neglect other aspects of health because we are focused on cancer and overlook other chronic conditions.”

# # #

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Noninvasive Stool Test for Colorectal Cancer Unaffected by Medications, Lifestyle Factors and Other Variables

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Patients did not have to adjust lifestyle or common drugs for this test.
Age affected four methylation markers studied, but to different extents.
Selecting optimal methylation markers may minimize false positives.

CHICAGO — Research on an investigational DNA methylation test for colorectal cancer demonstrated that the only clinical variable that influenced test results was age, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“There was a progressive increase in background methylation levels that varied widely between methylation markers tested as a patient aged,” said David Ahlquist, M.D., professor of medicine and a consultant in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. “For example, median background methylation levels of the TFPI2 gene increased 49 percent in patients from age 50 to age 80, whereas levels for the BMP3 gene increased by only 0.2 percent across this age range.”

His group at the Mayo Clinic, in collaboration with Exact Sciences, developed the multimarker molecular stool test, which is highly sensitive to the critical cancer screening targets of early-stage cancers and precancerous adenomas, he said.

“This test, if broadly applied, should have a very important impact on reducing both the mortality and incidence of colorectal cancer,” Ahlquist said.

The researchers examined common patient variables, including age, sex, race, alcohol consumption, tobacco use, body mass and medication use in 500 patients undergoing screening colonoscopy or polyp follow-up. Patients had a normal colonoscopy in the last three years.

With the exception of age, none of the variables influenced test results, nor did family history of colorectal cancer or polyps or personal history of polyps. These results mean that “patients don’t have to change their lifestyle to have this test,” Ahlquist said. “That was important from a patient-friendly standpoint for a test like this and could benefit compliance.”

Researchers have selected the two markers least affected by age for further test development and validation based on these study results.
“If we can minimize the false positives, that will reduce the cost of the whole screening program by avoiding unnecessary colonoscopies,” Ahlquist said.

The screening test is currently undergoing FDA validation in a multicenter study in the United States and Canada, which is expected to be completed in the fall. The Mayo Clinic and Ahlquist have a financial interest in the technology referenced in this announcement.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
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Drug Combination May Provide Option to Patients With NSCLC Ineligible for Bevacizumab

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin yielded a 41 percent response rate.
Toxicity of the combination is “tolerable.”

CHICAGO — A combination of nab-paclitaxel and carboplatin for the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer may be a promising option for patients ineligible for treatment with bevacizumab, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31-April 4.

“The combination of carboplatin and nab-paclitaxel demonstrates promising efficacy with tolerable toxicity in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) ineligible for therapy with bevacizumab,” said Gregory A. Otterson, M.D., professor of internal medicine, co-director of the thoracic oncology program and associate director of the hematology and medical oncology fellowship program at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio.

Otterson and colleagues evaluated the drug combination in 63 patients with advanced NSCLC. Seventy-six percent of patients had squamous histology, making them ineligible for bevacizumab. Other contraindications for bevacizumab among this patient population included hemoptysis, thrombosis and therapeutic anticoagulation. Researchers assigned patients to 300 mg/m2/AUC6, which was later adjusted to 260 mg/m2/AUC6 due to excess neuropathy, every 21 days.

Researchers found an overall response rate of 41 percent among 53 patients available for evaluation. An additional 39 percent of patients had stable disease for at least six weeks. Disease progressed in 19 percent of patients.

“We have been surprised at the durability of response with some patients not requiring further treatment for at least six months,” Otterson said.

More than 10 percent of patients had grade 3 to 4 toxicities, including hematologic toxicity, febrile neutropenia, infection, sensory neuropathy, dyspnea and dehydration; researchers reported four deaths as grade 5 toxicities.

“This combination treatment should be an option, particularly for patients with squamous histology who have limited alternative options,” Otterson said.

# # #

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Phase III Research Represents Potential Shift in Standard of Care for Non-muscle-invasive Bladder Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Connaught strain of bacillus Calmette-Guérin proved superior.
Patients treated with Tice strain may be at increased risk for recurrence.
Genetic strain differences rather than dose and preparation at cause.

CHICAGO — Use of the Connaught strain of bacillus Calmette-Guérin, an adjuvant immunotherapy used in the treatment of non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, significantly reduced cancer recurrence compared with the Tice strain of bacillus Calmette-Guérin, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Cyrill A. Rentsch, M.D., Ph.D., of the division of urology at the University of Basel in Switzerland, presented the phase III data, which represent the potential for a shift in the standard-of-care treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) was originally developed as a vaccine for tuberculosis but has also been the standard of care for the treatment of noninvasive bladder cancer for more than 30 years. Currently, at least eight strains of BCG are used in treating bladder cancer.

“This is the first study demonstrating that different BCG strains lead to different clinical outcomes in the treatment of bladder cancer,” Rentsch said.

He and his colleagues prospectively compared the efficacy of the Connaught and Tice strains in preventing recurrences and progression of cancer. They recruited and randomly assigned 149 patients to six weekly injections of Tice or Connaught. All patients had undergone surgery to remove visible bladder tumors.

After a median follow-up of 25 months, the five-year recurrence-free survival rate for all patients was 61 percent. Patients who underwent treatment with Connaught had significantly fewer recurrences compared with patients treated with Tice. The five-year recurrence-free survival for patients treated with Connaught was 75 percent compared with 46 percent for patients treated with Tice.

“At five years, this results in a more than twofold improvement in the recurrence rate in favor of BCG Connaught,” Rentsch said. “Based on its common use, we estimate that more than 20 percent of the worldwide population is at risk to receive treatment with BCG Tice, a treatment that, based on our findings, is less effective in reducing recurrences than BCG Connaught.”

These results have the potential to substantially improve the course of disease in many patients with non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer, according to Rentsch.

“As an example of clinically successful immunotherapy, it is a must to further dissect and understand the specific mechanisms underlying BCG immunotherapy,” Rentsch said. “The genetic differences identified between the two strains might represent a start for further studies.”

The study was funded clinically by the department of urology at the University Hospital of Bern, Switzerland, and the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research. Translational funding included the Swiss National Foundation, Inserm, La Ligue contre le Cancer and Institute Pasteur in Paris.

# # #

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AACR Inaugurates New Leadership

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Frank McCormick, Ph.D., F.R.S., D.Sc. (hon.), is president.
Judy E. Garber, M.D., M.P.H., is now past-president.
Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., is inaugurated as president-elect.

CHICAGO — The AACR welcomes its new leadership as Frank McCormick, Ph.D., F.R.S., D.Sc. (hon.), assumes the role of president of the American Association for Cancer Research for 2012-2013. He was inaugurated today during the Annual Business Meeting at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

“The AACR is a remarkable organization and I am delighted to serve as president,” McCormick said. “The AACR’s membership represents the largest community of cancer researchers in the world, and I will be looking for new ways to help this community work together more effectively. I will also focus on strengthening the AACR’s impact overseas and on new initiatives in education and training.

“There have never been more opportunities to make a major impact on cancer, and I want to make sure that the AACR and its members worldwide are in the strongest position to seize these opportunities, and to use the power of research to prevent and cure cancer,’’ he added.

McCormick is the director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He holds the E. Dixon Heise distinguished professorship in oncology and the David A. Wood distinguished professorship of tumor biology and cancer research at UCSF. Additionally, he is the associate dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and a distinguished professor in residence in the department of microbiology and immunology as well as in the department of biochemistry and biophysics.

McCormick is a pioneer in cancer research. He has studied the molecular basis of cancer and how genes, when mutated or expressed at high levels, help turn normal cells into oncogenes. In 1992, he founded the biotech company Onyx Pharmaceuticals and developed Nexavar, which is used to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma. His current research interests center on the Ras pathway and new ways of targeting this pathway for cancer therapy.

Among his extensive service to the AACR, McCormick served as program chairperson for the 2010 Annual Meeting, member of the Board of Directors and co-chair of the Annual Meeting Program Committee. He chairs the Task Force on Co-development of Investigational Drugs and previously chaired the Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research and the Team Science Award Committees. He is a member of the Special Conferences Committee and participated in the Scientific Review and the Program Committees for the AACR-NCI-EORTC Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics meeting. McCormick is a scientific editor of the AACR’s newest journal, Cancer Discovery, and was a senior editor of Molecular Cancer Research. He was the recipient of the 2002 AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award for outstanding accomplishments in basic cancer research.

McCormick is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies and an elected fellow of The Royal Society, England. He was awarded an honorary doctor of science degree from the University of Birmingham, England. McCormick has received many accolades and awards, including the Science of Oncology Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Bristol-Myers Squibb Unrestricted Cancer Research Grant, the Novartis Drew Award in Biomedical Research and the Shubitz Award from the University of Chicago Cancer Research Center. He is on the editorial board of a number of cancer publications. He has served as a board member and advisor for numerous cancer research organizations including the Association of American Cancer Institutes, the Melanoma Therapeutics Foundation, the Canary Foundation, the Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and the Friends of Cancer Research.

McCormick received a bachelor’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Birmingham and a doctorate in biochemistry from the University of Cambridge. He was a postdoctoral fellow at the State University of New York at Stony Brook and at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund in London.

Judy E. Garber, M.D., M.P.H., who preceded McCormick as president, served as the AACR president for the 2011-2012 term with distinction and will now fulfill the role of past president 2012-2013.

Garber is director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. She is an associate physician of medicine and attending physician of medical service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass.

Garber’s research has focused primarily on breast cancer risk assessment and risk reduction. A clinical translational researcher, she has led epidemiologic, cancer surveillance, cancer genetics service delivery and cancer risk reduction (chemoprevention) studies in hereditary cancers. Her primary interests have included breast and ovarian cancers, but she has also studied pediatric cancers and sarcomas in Li-Fraumeni syndrome and hereditary gastrointestinal stromal tumors. More recently, Garber has led a series of therapeutic clinical trials as part of a translational group focusing on basal-like breast cancer, the most common form of cancer in women with germline BRCA1 mutations.

Garber has served in many critical leadership roles of the AACR. She is a member of the Board of Directors and served as a member of the Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grants Review Committee, the Finance and Audit Committee, the Special Conferences Committee, the Grants Advisory Committee and the Susan Love/Avon Army of Women Scientific Advisory Committee. She was chairperson of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation-AACR Grants for Translational Breast Cancer Research Scientific Review Committee and has served on several other grants committees and scientific award selection committees over the years. Garber has served on the Annual Meeting Program Committee as well as on the program and scientific review committees for many other meetings, including the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the AACR Scientific Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research, the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics and the JCA-AACR Special Joint Conference, The Latest Advances in Breast Cancer Research.

Garber is a senior editor of Cancer Prevention Research and a member of the editorial board for Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. She has also served as a senior editor for Clinical Cancer Research. All three publications are journals of the AACR.

Garber is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Claire W. and Richard P. Morse Research Award and the Tisch Family Outstanding Achievement Award, both from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Statesman Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology. She is an elected member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, a member of the scientific advisory board of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation and was a member of the advisory board of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Virginia, Garber earned her medical degree and her master’s degree in public health from Yale University School of Medicine and completed her internship and residency at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Brockton-West Roxbury Veteran’s Administration Medical Center. She completed her fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and in hematology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., is AACR president-elect, taking the presidency in April 2013.

Sawyers is chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator. He is also a professor in the Cell and Developmental Biology Program and Department of Medicine at the Joan & Sanford Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University.

He is currently conducting research to investigate the signaling pathways that drive the growth of cancer cells, with an eye toward designing new treatment options for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) and prostate cancer. His laboratory is currently exploring the molecular basis of prostate cancer and mechanisms of resistance to hormone therapy. This work is focused on the role of the androgen receptor in disease progression, even when tumors progress to the hormone-refractory stage. Additional projects include deciphering mechanisms of resistance to MDV3100, a novel antiandrogen discovered by his group that is nearing FDA registration based on positive survival data in a recent phase 3 clinical trial. His lab is also dissecting AR function using RNA interference screens and examining crosstalk between AR and other common molecular lesions in human prostate cancer such as PTEN loss and TMPRSS2-ERG gene fusions.

Sawyers has received numerous accolades, including the AACR Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research, the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, the American Society of Clinical Oncology David A. Karnofsky Award, the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award, and most recently the 2012 American Cancer Society/Society of Surgical Oncology Basic Science Lecture.

He is a scientific editor for Cancer Discovery, the associate editor of Clinical Cancer Research and was an associate editor for Cancer Research, all scientific journals of the AACR. Sawyers is a co-leader of the Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team: “Targeting the PI3K Pathway,” for which the AACR is a scientific partner.

In addition, he was a keynote speaker and scientific committee co-chairperson for the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, co-chairperson of the AACR’s special conferences Targeting the PI3 Kinase Pathway in Cancer and Emerging Concepts in Oncology, and chairperson of the AACR’s educational workshop Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology. Sawyers has also served previously as a member of the AACR Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee and the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research Committee.

Among his extensive service to the AACR, Sawyers is past president of the American Society of Clinical Investigation, serves on the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Councilors and is a member of the Institute of Medicine, National Academy of Sciences.

Sawyers received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1985. Three years later he completed residency training at the University of California, San Francisco, and joined the fellowship program of the division of hematology-oncology at the University of California, Los Angeles. In 1993, Sawyers became an assistant professor at UCLA, and three years later was appointed associate chief of basic research and director of the Hematopoietic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplant Program. In 2002, he was named an HHMI Investigator. Sawyers joined Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2006 to chair the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

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Strong Oral Carcinogen Identified in Smokeless Tobacco

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

(S)-NNN is “only chemical in smokeless tobacco known to cause oral cancer.”
Carcinogen caused oral and esophageal tumors in every animal exposed.
Findings should influence regulatory decisions on smokeless tobacco.

CHICAGO — The chemical (S)-N’-nitrosonornicotine, or (S)-NNN, which is present in smokeless tobacco products, is a strong oral carcinogen, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Although smokeless tobacco products have long been linked with certain cancers, including oral cavity cancers and esophageal cancers, this is the first study to identify a specific chemical present in smokeless tobacco products that induces oral cancer in animals, according to Silvia Balbo, Ph.D., research associate at the Masonic Cancer Center of the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minn.

“(S)-NNN is the only chemical in smokeless tobacco known to cause oral cancer,” Balbo said. “This finding provides mechanistic underpinning for the epidemiologic observations that smokeless tobacco products cause oral cancer.”

Balbo and colleagues administered two forms of NNN called (S)-NNN and (R)-NNN to four groups of 24 rats. The rats were given either (S)-NNN alone, (R)-NNN alone, a combination of both or tap water. The total dose was approximately equivalent to the amount of (S)-NNN to which a smokeless tobacco user would be exposed from chronic use of these products.

All rats assigned to (S)-NNN alone or the combination began losing weight after one year of exposure and died by 17 months. Rats assigned to (R)-NNN or tap water were terminated at 20 months.

All rats assigned to (S)-NNN had esophageal tumors and demonstrated 100 percent incidence of oral tumors including tumors of the tongue, buccal mucosa, soft palate and pharynx. In contrast, researchers found oral tumors in only five of 24 rats given (R)-NNN and esophageal tumors in three of 24 rats assigned to (R)-NNN. Twelve rats given the combination of (S)-NNN and (R)-NNN had 153 esophageal tumors and 96 oral tumors.

“Measures should be taken to reduce this chemical in smokeless tobacco,” Balbo said. “If it is not possible to stop the use of smokeless tobacco products, we should advocate for a reduction of this chemical in these products.”

Because the Food and Drug Administration regulates tobacco products, Balbo said she hoped these results will inform regulatory decisions. Moving forward, she and her colleagues hope to identify other chemicals that may be carcinogens in smokeless tobacco and to understand what level of these chemicals is present in smokeless tobacco products.

“In addition, we have to understand how this research translates to human beings,” Balbo added. “We have to understand the uptake of NNN from smokeless tobacco products in humans and develop better biomarkers, such as urinary biomarkers, to have a tool to monitor the levels to which smokeless tobacco users are exposed.”

Balbo believes these findings are yet another affirmation that tobacco products should be avoided.

This research was funded by a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Peptide Vaccine Stimulates Immune Response in Patients With Breast Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Patients with breast cancer responded well to vaccine for recurrence prevention.
T regulatory cells decreased in patients assigned to the vaccine.
Immunologic testing may help identify responders to peptide vaccine.

CHICAGO — Patients with breast cancer assigned to the HER2-based peptide vaccine AE37 had immunologic responses compared with a control group, according to 24-month results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“The theory is that once you form that response to the specific peptide, if the body has a recurrence, it will recognize that cancer as a bad thing, a foreign thing,” said Diane F. Hale, M.D., a research resident in general surgery at Brooke Army Medical Center in Fort Sam, Houston, Texas. “The immune markers could lead us to potentially identify those people who may have a recurrence.”

Of the 217 women enrolled in this prospective, randomized, single-blinded phase II trial, all had completed the standard therapy for breast cancer and were disease-free at the start of the trial.

“We wanted the high-risk patients, those who are at the highest risk for recurrence, so we included those patients who were node-positive or who were node-negative but had poor prognostic factors, such as ER/PR negativity,” Hale said.

Researchers assigned 109 patients to AE37 and the immunoadjuvant granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and assigned 108 patients to GM-CSF alone in six monthly intradermal injections.

They evaluated in vivo delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions by injecting a small, nontherapeutic dose of the vaccine beneath the patient’s skin and looking for a physical reaction of greater than 5 mm. In the vaccine group, 86 percent of patients showed a significant response compared with 27 percent of patients in the control group.

In addition, researchers evaluated in vitro proliferation responses and found that the vaccine group had more responders than the control group. The latter group had more nonresponders, based on stimulation indexes.

“Naturally, the people in the vaccine group had a significant response compared with the control group because they didn’t have that immune stimulation to the HER2 peptide,” Hale said.

Researchers also measured T regulatory cell responses in 107 patients. Within the vaccine group, “there was a larger percentage of patients who had a decrease in their T regulatory cells” from prevaccination baseline, Hale said. Forty-one patients assigned to the peptide vaccine vs. 28 patient controls had a decrease of more than 90 percent.

Monitoring immunologic tests and T regulatory cells throughout the vaccination process may classify patients as responders and nonresponders. “That can also help us in the future to identify who may recur,” Hale said.

# # #

Tremelimumab Shows Promise in Treatment of Liver Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Tumor burden reduction and disease stabilization occurred in some cases.
Tremelimumab also reduced blood levels of hepatitis C virus.

CHICAGO — Tremelimumab treatment stabilized patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma due to chronic hepatitis C infection for more than 12 months, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Researchers evaluated 21 patients treated with tremelimumab intravenously at a dose of 15 mg/kg every 90 days for about two cycles. Tumor burden was reduced for two patients, and disease stabilized for more than a year in 11 patients.

“The unique conditions [of heptaocellular carcinoma and hepatitis C infection] permitted us to monitor the antitumor effects and immune response to well-defined viral antigens, killing two birds with one stone,” said lead researcher Ignacio Melero, M.D., Ph.D., a consultant in the department of oncology and a professor and senior investigator in El Centro de Investigación Médica Aplicada at Universidad de Navarra in Pamplona, Spain.

In an intention-to-treat analysis, researchers observed a median overall survival of 7.5 months and time to progression of 6.4 months. They reported treatment-related adverse events among 80 percent of patients; grade 3 or higher adverse events included one case of pruritus, one case of purpura and five cases of elevated transaminases.

Melero and colleagues also observed a reduction of hepatitis C virus in the patients’ blood, which was also accompanied with objective enhancements of antiviral immunity.

“The short series of patients already showing clinical activity offers clear signs for the need to extend these trials,” Melero said. “It is unusual to spot clear signs of clinical activity with such a small number of patients, and the information on antiviral activity is also very promising.”

The study was supported by Pfizer, and tremelimumab has been licensed by MedImmune. Melero is a consultant for Bristol-Myers Squibb.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Immunotherapy and Chemotherapy Regimen May Prolong Survival in Advanced Cancers

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Lower doses of IL-2 and 13-cis retinoic acid increased natural “killer” cells.
Combination therapy might benefit patients with stage 4 cancers.
Patients who received this combination had improved survival rates.

CHICAGO — Maintenance therapy with interleukin-2 and 13-cis retinoic acid may be an inexpensive method for increasing survival in patients with a variety of stage 4 cancers, according to data reported at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Francesco Recchia, M.D., director of oncology at the Civilian Hospital in Avezzano, Italy, started evaluating the maintenance therapy in patients with advanced disease in 1995 after one patient with metastatic melanoma did not tolerate the usual 18 M UI/m2 high-dose interleukin-2 (IL-2) therapy.

“The patient was treated with lower doses, and he had a wonderful, long-lasting response,” he said.

After this observation, Recchia conducted several other studies of IL-2 with or without retinoic acid (RA). “I was encouraged by these preliminary results, and therefore, I conducted a phase II study of this drug combination in 80 patients who had obtained a clinical benefit from chemotherapy. The results were very interesting.”

The researchers evaluated 500 patients with different tumor types, but all with stage 4 disease. After their normal cancer treatment, patients were assigned to self-administered subcutaneous IL-2 (1.8×106 IU) and oral RA (0.5 mg/kg) five days a week for two consecutive cycles of three weeks, followed by a one-week rest, for one year. After a median follow-up of 60 months, researchers reported increased numbers of natural “killer” cells — immune cells with antitumor functions — and a decrease of vascular endothelial growth factor. The 15-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were 32.6 percent and 36.8 percent, respectively.

“These studies had such good and unexpected results that I thought it would not be ethical to conduct a randomized study without this immunotherapy regimen,” Recchia said. “All types of cancer treated had a benefit from this immunotherapy regimen: ovarian cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, cardiac metastases of sarcoma, colorectal cancer, gastric cancer, renal cell carcinoma, melanoma, head and neck cancer, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and recurrent ovarian cancer.”

Despite the limitations of different cancer populations, the researchers reported a marked improvement in the five-year overall survival rate for the most commonly treated metastatic cancers compared with National Cancer Institute Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results data: breast (42.7 percent vs. 23.3 percent), lung (26.4 percent vs. 3.6 percent), colorectal (43.6 percent vs. 11.7 percent) and renal (23 percent vs. 11 percent).

Immunotherapy with IL-2 has fallen out of favor in place of newer monoclonal antibodies, according to Recchia. Although his results appear promising, a blinded, controlled, randomized trial would be needed before clinicians could begin using this maintenance regimen.

# # #

Peptide Vaccine Shows Evidence of Immunological, Clinical Activity in Children With Gliomas

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Eighteen of 22 children had regression, stable disease for more than three months.
Some children experienced immunological pseudoprogression.

CHICAGO — Peptide vaccination in children with gliomas was well tolerated with evidence of immunological and clinical responses, but some children experienced periods of immunological pseudoprogression, where tumors appeared larger than they actually were, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“We’ve found that the vaccine is tolerated well with limited systemic toxicity, but we’ve also observed that there are some patients who have immunological responses to the vaccine target in the brain that can cause swelling and transient worsening, and subsequently, some of those children can have very favorable responses,” said Ian F. Pollack, M.D., Walter Dandy professor of neurological surgery and vice chairman for academic affairs in the department of neurological surgery at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in Pittsburgh, Pa. “We’ve also demonstrated immunological responses in the majority of the kids.”

In the pilot study, Pollack, who is also chief of pediatric neurosurgery at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and co-director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute Brain Tumor Program in Pittsburgh, Pa., and colleagues enrolled 27 children, including 16 with newly diagnosed brain stem gliomas, five with newly diagnosed cerebral high-grade gliomas and six with recurrent gliomas.

Researchers assigned HLA-A2–positive children to subcutaneous vaccinations with peptides for glioma-associated antigen (GAA) epitopes emulsified in Montanide-ISA-51 every three weeks for eight courses. They also administered intramuscular injections of poly-ICLC. The GAAs included EphA2, IL13Rα2 and survivin.

Among 22 evaluable cases, four children had rapidly progressive disease, 14 had stable disease for more than three months, three had sustained partial responses and one had prolonged disease-free status after surgery. ELISPOT analysis, which was completed in seven children, revealed responses in six children: to IL13Rα2 in five cases, EphA2 in three and survivin in three.

“These kids, who, for the most part, have intact and very robust immune systems, seem to mount an immune response against the vaccine very effectively at rates that may be even higher than have been noted in studies in adults,” Pollack said.

Pseudoprogression occurred in some cases and was similar to true tumor progression. For example, one child with a brain stem glioma had transient tumor enlargement and acute neurological deterioration four months after vaccine initiation. However, the tumor later regressed and the patient experienced a sustained partial response. Three other children with brain stem gliomas had symptomatic pseudoprogression, with transient neurological deterioration and tumor enlargement followed by stabilization on decreasing steroid doses.

“This was the first study of its type that examined peptide vaccine therapy for children with brain tumors like this,” Pollack said. “The fact that we’ve seen tumor shrinkage in children with very high-risk tumors has been extremely encouraging and somewhat surprising.”

The study was funded by the National Institutes of Health.

# # #

Cancer Stem Cell Vaccine in Development Shows Antitumor Effect

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Stem cells had greater effect than differentiated tumor cells in eliciting antitumor immunity in vivo.
Antibodies and T cells targeted cancer stem cells in laboratory models.
Data could provide a rationale for a new type of immune therapy.

PHILADELPHIA — Scientists may have discovered a new paradigm for immunotherapy against cancer by priming antibodies and T cells with cancer stem cells, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“This is a major breakthrough in immunotherapy research because we were able to use purified cancer stem cells to generate a vaccine, which strengthened the potency of antibodies and T cells that selectively targeted cancer stem cells,” said Qiao Li, Ph.D., a research assistant professor in the department of surgery at the University of Michigan.

Cancer stem cells are tumor cells that remain present, and ultimately resistant, after chemotherapy or radiation treatment. Scientists disagree on whether these cells have unique properties, but those who support the uniqueness idea have argued that these cells regenerate the tumors that lead to relapse.

Despite the similar name, cancer stem cells are distinct from embryonic stem cells, and the two avenues of research are separate.

For the current study, Li and colleagues extracted cancer stem cells from two immunocompetent mouse models and used them to prepare the vaccine.

“We found that these enriched cancer stem cells were immunogenic and far more effective as an antigen source compared with the unselected tumor cells normally used in previous immunotherapy trials,” said Li. “The mechanistic investigations found that when antibodies were primed with cancer stem cells, they were capable of targeting cancer stem cells and conferring antitumor immunity.”

The researchers also found that cytotoxic T lymphocytes harvested from cancer stem cell-vaccinated hosts were capable of killing cancer stem cells in vitro.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Stand Up To Cancer and Prostate Cancer Foundation Announce New Dream Team

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

$10 Million, Three-year Grant will Fund Cutting-edge Collaborative Research to Develop Personalized Treatments for Advanced Prostate Cancer

CHICAGO — Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF), along with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), SU2C’s scientific partner, announced the formation of a new Dream Team dedicated to prostate cancer research during a press conference today (watch a webcast of the press conference) at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago, Ill.

Arul M. Chinnaiyan, M.D., Ph.D., of the University of Michigan, and Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, will lead the Dream Team project titled “Precision Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer.” The Dream Team scientists are drawn from five leading prostate cancer clinical research centers in Ann Arbor, New York, Boston, Seattle, and London.

The SU2C-PCF Prostate Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Grant will provide funding of $10 million over a three-year period for a seven-center project including both clinical centers and two research infrastructure sites that will address therapeutic interventions for advanced prostate cancer with special emphasis on metastatic disease, and deliver near-term patient benefit through investigation by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, synergistic Dream Team of expert investigators.

Prostate cancer is the second most common cause of death for men in the United States. According to PCF, one man dies every 18 minutes from this disease. In addition, a new case occurs every 2.4 minutes. More than 2 million American men are currently living with prostate cancer and more than 16 million men are affected worldwide.

“Through this unique partnership with PCF, we will focus critically needed research on advanced prostate cancer,” said Sherry Lansing, one of SU2C’s co-founders. “Our collective goal is to produce personalized treatment approaches that will begin to benefit patients in the next few years.”

“We are excited to announce and fund this Dream Team in partnership with Stand Up To Cancer. Healthy competition for the prestigious research award brought out tremendous innovation — well beyond what the National Cancer Institute or Department of Defense is currently funding,” commented Jonathan Simons, M.D., president and CEO of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. “We are highly confident that the cross-institutional teams of researchers led by Drs. Chinnaiyan and Sawyers will significantly fast-forward actionable therapeutic sciences for men with treatment-resistant metastatic prostate cancer.”

Chinnaiyan is a clinical pathologist and investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, S.P. Hicks endowed professor of pathology and professor of urology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and an American Cancer Society research professor. He also serves as the inaugural director of the Michigan Center for Translational Pathology. The Chinnaiyan laboratory has focused on functional genomic, proteomic, metabolomic and bioinformatic approaches to study cancer for the purposes of understanding tumor biology, as well as to discover clinical biomarkers. Chinnaiyan has also been the recipient of PCF career-development funding and research awards since 2001.

“Utilizing this Dream Team grant, we will be able to bring together great scientists and clinicians from around the world to join in the fight against metastatic prostate cancer. We hope this unique model of research will lead to patient benefit in the short term,” said Chinnaiyan.

Sawyers is chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Additionally, he is a professor in the Cell and Developmental Biology Program and the Department of Medicine at the Joan and Sanford Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University, also in New York. Sawyers’ PCF-funded research in prostate cancer molecular pharmacology defined upregulation of androgen receptor signaling as the primary mechanism of resistance to hormone therapy, resulting in the discovery of the antiandrogen MDV3100 that was recently shown to prolong survival in men with metastatic prostate cancer. Sawyers has been a recipient of PCF research award support since 1996.

“The unique research model facilitated by SU2C will allow unparalleled collaborations in the field of prostate cancer therapy research,” said Sawyers. “We hope that our project will move the world of precision medicine forward for the benefit of those who suffer with the disease and those who care for them.”

The Prostate Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Project

Prostate cancer, like other types of cancer, is not a homogeneous disease. For example, up to 50 percent of castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) patients have a genetic aberration of two genes fused together. Often these fusions, which were first reported by Chinnaiyan’s lab, involve the ETS genes, a group of oncogenes that play an important role in the progression of prostate cancer. A majority also have a “deletion” or loss of an entire gene called PTEN. The diversity of genetic aberrations found in prostate cancer suggests that treatment decisions will require a personalized or precision approach — matching treatment to specific characteristics of a tumor. The premise for this proposal is that information about the genetic makeup of an individual’s CRPC may guide the doctor to choose a “personalized” treatment for that patient.

Chinnaiyan, Sawyers and the members of their Dream Team will focus on patients with metastatic prostate cancer. First, the team will implement a multi-institutional study that systematically evaluates the prostate cancer genomes of patients enrolling in four clinical trials, evaluating novel drugs for CRPC or beginning treatment with approved drugs like abiraterone.

They will identify predictors of why some patients respond to these therapies, as well as predictors of resistance to these therapies. The study will capture a molecular snapshot of a patient’s cancer and incorporate this information into the clinical trials. It will also enable a framework that will facilitate progress toward a personalized approach for evaluating new drugs and treating patients with prostate cancer.

The delivery of clinically valuable information based on the analyses of each patient’s tumor will improve the lives of patients with prostate cancer. While state-of-the-art technology in DNA sequencing has dramatically accelerated biomedical research, translation into a clinical setting has numerous barriers that limit the potential benefits. This multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional effort establishes a framework for translating research into precision prostate cancer medicine for patient care.

The project is estimated to start mid-2012 with the first clinical trials scheduled to open in early 2013.

Dream Team Selected Through Unique, Rigorous Process

A SU2C-PCF Joint Scientific Advisory Committee (JSAC) conducted a unique, rapid and rigorous evaluation of the applications via a multi-step scientific review process.

The committee is chaired by 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 in Cambridge, Mass. It is co-chaired by SU2C representative William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D., the Marion I. Knott director and professor of oncology, and director of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Md., and PCF representative Howard R. Soule, Ph.D., executive vice president and chief science officer of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. The JSAC is comprised of highly accomplished senior laboratory researchers and physician-scientists, as well as advocates.

The review process began with a call for letters of intent by the AACR in October. The committee then chose four finalist teams, each of which met with the JSAC to present the plans for their research and respond to questions about their projects – a level of interaction between applicants and reviewers that are unique in a scientific review process.

Prostate Dream Team Principals and Advocate Members

The “Precision Therapy for Advanced Prostate Cancer” Dream Team consists of a multi-disciplinary group of experts that includes laboratory and clinical researchers, young investigators and senior scientists who have not worked together in the past, as well as patient advocates. In addition to Chinnaiyan and Sawyers, team members are:

Principals:

Philip W. Kantoff, M.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Levi A. Garraway, M.D., Ph.D., Broad Institute, Cambridge, Mass.
Peter S. Nelson, M.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Johann S. de Bono, M.D., Institute for Cancer Research/Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, U.K.
Mark A. Rubin, M.D., Weill Medical College of Cornell University, New York, N.Y.

Advocates:

Doug Pergament, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
James Kiefert, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash.
Stan Klein, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Thomas Farrington, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Broad Institute, Boston, Mass.
Ian Liston, Institute for Cancer Research/Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, U.K.
Grant Gregory, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.

Prior to today’s announcement, SU2C has awarded grants to six Dream Teams and 26 Innovative Research Grants have been awarded to young investigators. These recipients comprise 270 scientists from 67 unique institutions.

# # #

Media Contacts:

Stand Up To Cancer
Adam Pockriss
(212) 843-8286
apockriss@rubenstein.com
In Chicago, March 31 – April 2:
(917) 596-5951

Prostate Cancer Foundation
Cara Lasala
(310) 570-4727
clasala@pcf.org

American Association for Cancer Research
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

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 can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and the brightest in the cancer research community. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee conduct rigorous, competitive review processes through which SU2C’s grantees are selected. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C generates awareness and builds grassroots support for this new approach to ending cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer was founded by a group of media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders whose lives have been affected by cancer in significant ways. Members of SU2C’s Executive Leadership Council include Sherry Lansing, chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Katie Couric; EIF 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 Prostate Cancer Foundation
The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) is the world’s leading philanthropic organization funding and accelerating research. Founded in 1993 by Michael Milken, PCF has raised more than $479 million and provided funding to over 1,600 research projects at nearly 200 institutions in 15 countries around the world. Since 2008, it has supported 98 Young Investigators in seven countries and launched 17 PCF team science Challenge Awards. PCF advocates for greater awareness of prostate cancer and more efficient investment of governmental research funds supporting transformational cancer research. Prostate Cancer Foundation efforts over 19 years have helped produce a 20-fold increase in government funding for prostate cancer and fast-forward research on research on four new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) drugs for advanced prostate cancer in the past two years. More information about PCF can be found at pcf.org.

About the American Association for Cancer Research
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

SU2C Partnership Results in New, Potent Epigenetic Drug for Myelodysplastic Syndromes, Leukemia

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Drug’s epigenetic approach seeks to alter behavior of cancer cells.
Preliminary results show minimal toxicity.
Innovative approach to phase I trial seeks to establish optimal dosage.

CHICAGO — As a result of collaboration between academic and pharmaceutical scientists, made possible by a Stand Up To Cancer research grant, researchers may have discovered a new, potent epigenetic drug that could safely alter the way cancer cells function within the body, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

The epigenetic code studied can be thought of as small tags that decorate DNA and provide instruction for how the body uses DNA, according to Jean-Pierre Issa, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Fels Institute for Cancer and Molecular Biology at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pa. In patients with cancer, this code has become abnormal. DNA methylation inhibitors are drugs that try to normalize these tags and the code of cancer cells.

“I compare it to war and diplomacy,” Issa said. Traditional cancer drugs declare war on cancer cells by killing them. In contrast, DNA methylation inhibitors use “diplomacy” and try to alter cancer cells.

“These drugs try to remind the cancer cell of its normal origin and proper behavior,” he said. “They remove these ‘tags’ and rewrite the instruction manual.”

Using Stand Up To Cancer’s grant model of collaborative research, Issa and colleagues worked with Astex Pharmaceuticals to develop SGI-110, a novel DNA methylation inhibitor that is a modified form of an existing epigenetic treatment, decitabine. According to Issa, decitabine currently has limited efficacy because it is quickly degraded in the body. SGI-110 has the potential to demonstrate prolonged drug exposure and improved efficacy through protection from degradation.

Issa and colleagues conducted a phase I trial to establish a biologically effective dose and tolerability of SGI-110 in patients with either myelodysplastic syndrome or leukemia — a novel approach that differs from traditional use of the maximum tolerated-dose trial design.

In the first-in-human study, researchers randomly assigned patients with relapsed or refractory intermediate- or high-risk myelodysplastic syndrome or leukemia to subcutaneous daily injections of SGI-110 for five days or to weekly injections for three weeks.

To date, Issa and colleagues have recruited 66 patients. Results indicated that SGI-110 is well tolerated, with local injection site pain, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia and anemia as observed adverse effects.

In addition, data revealed that SGI-110 has an extended half-life and produces clinical response. At least two patients have had disease remission, with one complete response and one partial response. Issa presented complete safety and efficacy results during the meeting.

“There have been some remarkable results in patients who have no options left to them,” Issa said. A phase II study will soon be under way to further explore SGI-110 doses. In addition, Issa and colleagues are beginning to design studies exploring the use of the drug in other, more common solid tumors such as lung cancer and breast cancer.

# # #

Unexpected MEK1 Mutations Not Cause of Potent Melanoma Drug Resistance

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Sixty percent of patients with BRAF-mutant melanomas responded to BRAF inhibitor despite a concurrent MEK1 mutation.
Theory was tested in single- and double-mutant tumors.

CHICAGO — A genetic mutation in MEK1 does not prevent response to BRAF inhibitors in patients undergoing treatment for BRAF-mutated melanomas, contrary to current thought that the gene mutations might have been a cause of resistance.

This groundbreaking research was published online ahead of print in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and was presented here during a Stand Up To Cancer Press Event on Sunday, April 1, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. CT in Room 10 A/B/C of the Hyatt Conference Center, adjacent to McCormick Place.

BRAF mutations are found in more than 50 percent of melanomas. BRAF inhibitors can induce an antitumor response in about 60 percent of patients. Thus, a subset of tumors is drug resistant at the outset, and those patients who first responded can go on to develop resistance to the drugs.

“Another gene, known as MEK1, is rarely mutated in cancers, but in this study, we found to our surprise that mutated MEK1 was frequently associated with BRAF mutations,” said Roger S. Lo, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine/dermatology at University of California, Los Angeles Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center in Los Angeles, Calif.

To explore the association between MEK1 and BRAF, Lo and colleagues analyzed tumor samples from 31 patients with melanoma treated with a BRAF inhibitor. Of these patients, 16 percent carried both BRAF and MEK1 mutations in tumors before drug treatment.

“Based on the current state of knowledge, the presence of both mutated MEK1 and mutated BRAF is thought to be a biomarker for BRAF inhibitor resistance in melanomas,” Lo said. “However, we were surprised again when we found that patients with double BRAF/MEK1-mutated melanomas can respond to BRAF inhibitors as well as patients with single BRAF-mutated melanomas.”

Specifically, three of five patients with double BRAF/MEK1-mutated melanomas had a tumor response to the BRAF inhibitors. Lo and colleagues further verified these conclusions using melanoma cell lines grown in the laboratory.

“These findings tell oncologists that these two groups of patients — those patients with BRAF-mutated melanomas and those with BRAF and MEK1-mutated melanomas — can be expected to respond similarly well to BRAF inhibitors or the combination of BRAF inhibitors plus MEK inhibitors,” Lo said.

Despite the fact that MEK1 is not a cause of BRAF inhibitor resistance, Lo and colleagues will continue to explore why BRAF and MEK mutations coexist in the same tumor to find novel ways to weaken tumors with both mutations. In addition, other possible causes for ongoing BRAF inhibitor resistance still need to be uncovered.

“We are pushing forward to uncover biomarkers of BRAF inhibitor sensitivity or resistance and hope to use them as a guide to formulate therapeutic strategies,” Lo said.

The research was funded by Stand Up To Cancer and exemplifies Stand Up To Cancer’s unique research model, according to Lo.

“It places strong emphasis on the study of human cancer tissues, on knowledge generation that will help patients with cancer today and on the power of collaboration that can accelerate both aforementioned points,” he said.

# # #

AACR Board of Directors Pronounce Crisis in Cancer Research Funding its No. 1 Priority

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Leaders from the American Association for Cancer Research, which today opened its AACR Annual Meeting 2012 here, declared that the ability of cancer researchers to bring the promise of science to improve the outcomes for cancer patients is in peril due to a decade of declining budgets at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

For the past decade the NIH budget has remained essentially flat, and when factoring in the rate of biomedical inflation, the agency has lost approximately $6 billion in purchasing power or nearly 20 percent. As a result, the chances that a researcher will be awarded a NIH grant to uncover scientific knowledge and pursue lifesaving treatments have reached all-time lows. At the same time, the number of opportunities for turning our growing scientific knowledge against cancer has never been greater.

“As a practicing breast oncologist, I have personally observed the truly remarkable and explosive progress in cancer research, and the acceleration of that progress to benefit patients,” said AACR President Judy E. Garber, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “Early in my career, I had patients die from HER2 positive breast cancer. Due to advances in cancer research, these individuals can often now be cured of their disease. This an example of the unparalleled opportunities that come from taking basic discoveries to the clinic and which are now under unprecedented threat from reduced funding for cancer research and biomedical science.”

Therefore, the AACR announced this morning that it plans to redouble its efforts to engage with Congress to make research funding a higher national priority, raise public awareness of the importance of continued investment in cancer research, and call on its 34,000 members and broader advocacy community constituencies to join together to help better explain and illustrate the value of cancer research and biomedical science to the economic health and well-being of this nation.

“We already see the effects on our most precious resource, young investigators,” said Garber. “This is potentially disastrous, as we are relying on them to ensure the continuing pipeline of new discoveries that will have ever greater impact on the welfare of patients and the public health.”

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Long-term Use of Estrogen Hormone Therapy Linked to Higher Risk for Breast Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Risk increased as the duration of hormone therapy use increased.
Death rate from breast cancer did not increase with hormone therapy use.

CHICAGO — In a landmark study, researchers have linked the long-term use of estrogen plus progesterone and estrogen-only hormone therapy with a higher risk for developing breast cancer.

“It’s already been confirmed that patients shouldn’t be undergoing estrogen plus progesterone hormone therapy (HT) for the long term,” said Wendy Y. Chen, M.D., M.P.H., associate physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and assistant professor in medicine at the Breast Cancer Oncology Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Mass. “What we found is that people should also be careful about longer-term use of estrogen-alone HT.”

In previous studies, she said, researchers only evaluated risks associated with less than 10 years of HT use. Chen presented the findings at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Using data from the Nurses’ Health Study, the researchers evaluated follow-up data collected during 1980 through 2008 from postmenopausal female registered nurses who were aged 30 to 55 years old in 1976.

Chen and colleagues found that the risk for breast cancer, when compared with women who did not use HT, was 88 percent higher in women who had taken estrogen plus progesterone for 10 to 14.9 years; the risk increased more than twofold for women who used estrogen plus progesterone therapy for 15 to 19.9 years. For women who used estrogen-only HT, researchers found a 22 percent increased risk for breast cancer if used for 10 to 14.9 years and a 43 percent greater risk associated with 15 to 19.9 years of use.

Researchers also found that the risk did not plateau for either kind of HT. “There’s a continued effect over time. The longer you use it, the higher the risk,” said Chen.

To further clarify long-term risks of estrogen-only therapy, the researchers evaluated a subset of the women who also met the requirements of participants in the Women’s Health Initiative trial, which is a randomized trial of postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older. Although the risk for breast cancer dipped slightly for women who used estrogen-only HT for less than 10 years, the risk increased 30 percent for women who took estrogen for 15 to 19.9 years.

HT did not increase the risk for fatal breast cancers.

“Even though we saw an increased risk in developing breast cancer, we did not see an increased risk for dying from breast cancer,” Chen said. She and her colleagues are currently researching this aspect of the findings.

This research was funded by the National Cancer Institute.

# # #

HPV Infection Lasts Longer in College-age African-American Women

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

African-American women had more difficulty clearing HPV infection.
They were nearly twice as likely to have an abnormal Pap test.
Disparities may be attributed to biological determinants of HPV immune response.

CHICAGO — College-age African-American women have a more difficult time clearing human papillomavirus infection and are more likely to have an abnormal Pap test than European-American women, according to research presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“African-American women are 40 percent more likely to get cervical cancer and are two times more likely to die from the disease than European-American women,” said study leader Kim E. Creek, Ph.D., vice chair and professor in the department of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences in the South Carolina College of Pharmacy at the University of South Carolina in Charleston, S.C.

Creek and colleagues conducted the Carolina Women’s Care Study to assess human papillomavirus (HPV) infection and persistence in college-age women enrolled at the University of South Carolina. The study began in 2004, and researchers followed participants for the duration of their college experience.

High-risk HPV status was evaluated every six months in Pap test samples collected from 326 European-American and 113 African-American women.

The incidence rate of new high-risk HPV infection was similar between the two groups of participants, but researchers reported that at any visit, African-American participants were 1.5 times more likely to test positive for high-risk HPV infection. Fifty-six percent of African-American women were still infected two years after incident infection compared with 24 percent of European-American women. African-American women were 1.7 times more likely to have an abnormal Pap test.

“Most women infected with high-risk HPV clear the infection within nine to 18 months,” said Creek. “However, high-risk HPV can persist in some women who are much more likely to have abnormal Pap tests and to develop cervical cancer. We propose that an increase in high-risk HPV persistence in African-American women may provide a biological basis for the higher incidence of cervical cancer found in African-American women.

“Although the differences in incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer between these two groups have been attributed solely to access to care, no study has systematically attempted to identify other factors that may contribute to this disparity. We were not sure what to expect, but we suspected that there may be biological factors involved in the immune response to HPV that contribute to the disparity. Our findings support this hypothesis.”

The study was supported by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. Creek is a member of the speakers’ bureau for Merck.

# # #

Link Between Inflammation and Breast Cancer Metastases Identified, May Be Treatable

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Metastases increased in mice with breast cancer and arthritis.
Mast cells one of the major underlying causes of metastases.
Therapies could be developed to decrease metastases.

CHICAGO — The incidence of breast cancer-associated metastasis was increased in animal models of the chronic inflammatory condition arthritis, according to results of a preclinical study presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. The results indicate that inflammatory cells known as mast cells play a key role in this increase and that interfering with mast cells reduces the occurrence of bone and lung metastases.

“The most devastating aspect of breast cancer is the emergence of tumor cells that grow to distant organs,” said Lopamudra Das Roy, Ph.D., research assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, N.C. “It has been reported that sites of chronic inflammation are associated with the establishment and growth of tumor cells.”

Prior research conducted by Das Roy established that the incidence of breast cancer metastasis to the bone and lungs was increased in arthritic mice. Because both breast cancer and arthritis are prevalent in women, specifically postmenopausal women, the researchers conducted an additional study using two groups of mice to identify what might be causing the association between arthritis and breast cancer metastases.

The first group of mice had spontaneous arthritis and was induced to have breast cancer. The second group of mice had spontaneous breast cancer and was induced to have arthritis. Because mice in both groups had enhanced numbers of mast cells within the bone and lung, Das Roy and colleagues focused on understanding how these cells might influence breast cancer metastasis.

“We found that there were many proinflammatory factors that are upregulated in the arthritic microenvironment and several of these proinflammatory factors known to influence metastases are produced by mast cells, which are activated by tumor-derived stem cell factor (SCF) binding to its receptor c-Kit,” Das Roy said.

A subsequent key finding was that SCF/c-Kit signaling was increased in arthritic mice with breast cancer versus nonarthritic mice with breast cancer. This set the stage for examining the effects of blocking this signaling.

When the mice were treated with a therapy to target the c-Kit mast cell receptor in combination with celecoxib (a drug used to treat autoimmune arthritis), the incidence of breast cancer metastasis to the bone and lung was greatly reduced.

“The clinical implications of this research are huge,” Das Roy said. “We already have data that show that women with breast cancer and arthritis have lower survival as compared with women with breast cancer and no arthritis. This research indicates that we may be able to design a therapy to block SCF/c-Kit signaling, which could help reduce metastases to the bone and lungs.”

This research was funded by a postdoctoral grant on behalf of the Fiscal Year 2008 Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.

# # #

Older Patients With Certain Breast Cancer Subtype May Not Benefit From Radiation Therapy

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Radiation therapy did not add benefit for patients with luminal A subtype.
Patients with all other breast cancer subtypes benefited from radiation therapy.
Routine testing for biomarker Ki-67 recommended for patients with breast cancer.

CHICAGO — Local breast radiation therapy may not be necessary for women with the luminal A subtype of breast cancer, particularly those aged older than 60, according to study results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“Local breast radiation therapy, however, is still of benefit and is required for all the other breast cancer subtypes,” said Fei-Fei Liu, M.D., staff radiation oncologist at Princess Margaret Hospital, senior scientist at the Ontario Cancer Institute and professor at the University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

The researchers performed molecular subtyping for estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), Ki-67, HER2, epidermal growth factor receptor and cytokeratin 5/6 on 304 tumor blocks from 769 women with breast cancer. These women had participated in a randomized trial in which they were assigned to tamoxifen and whole-breast radiation therapy or to tamoxifen alone. Based on the immunohistochemistry results, researchers classified patients into six categories: luminal A, luminal B, luminal-HER2, HER2-enriched, basal-like or triple-negative phenotype-nonbasal. They followed the patients for a median of 10 years.

Women in the luminal A subgroup, defined as ER-positive, PR-positive, HER2-negative and low Ki-67 (<14%), had the best outcome, with a 10-year risk for local relapse of 8 percent with tamoxifen alone vs. 4.6 percent with both tamoxifen and breast radiation therapy.

For luminal A patients aged older than 60, the local breast relapse rate was even lower at 4.3 percent with tamoxifen alone vs. 6 percent for tamoxifen plus breast radiation therapy, indicating that local breast radiation therapy did not contribute to the outcome of this group of patients, according to the researchers.

On the other hand, for other breast cancer subtypes, local breast radiation therapy was of definite benefit, according to Liu. For example, women with luminal B tumors had a recurrence rate of 16.1 percent with tamoxifen alone vs. 3.9 percent with tamoxifen and radiation therapy.

“If our data are validated with a larger number of patient tumor samples, we would recommend that Ki-67 be added to our current standard panel of ER, PR and HER2 testing for all patients with newly diagnosed breast cancer,” Liu said. “If the luminal A subtype is identified for lymph node-negative patients, especially for those 60 years old or older, then a discussion can be undertaken with these patients that if they take tamoxifen (or an equivalent medication) for their breast cancer, we might be able to avoid breast radiation therapy.

“This is yet another powerful example of ‘personalized cancer medicine.’ When this information is combined with well-conducted randomized clinical trials, significant advances can be made whereby we can truly start to tailor therapies, based on new molecular markers, which can be introduced into routine clinical practice.”

# # #

Proteins Associated With Poor Prognosis in Hormone Receptor-positive Breast Cancer Identified

registration@aacr.org () — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Activation of protein translation linked to more aggressive node-positive disease.
Markers identified are regulated by PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway.

CHICAGO — Researchers have identified specific proteins involved in translation that when overexpressed or activated are associated with a poorer prognosis in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, suggesting their role as prognostic markers and therapeutic targets, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“Overexpression or activation of some proteins involved in translation is associated with more aggressive node-positive breast cancers,” said Funda Meric-Bernstam, M.D., professor of surgical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and medical director at the Institute of Personalized Cancer Therapy in Houston, Texas. “The results suggest that translational aberrations play an important role in cancer progression.”

Through analysis of tumors from 190 patients with stage 1 to stage 3 hormone receptor-positive breast cancer, the researchers found that increased phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 and translation initiation factor 4E-binding protein 1, increased expression of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 kinase and decreased expression of programmed cell death protein 4 were associated with poor prognosis in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer.

“Gene expression involves translation of messenger RNAs into protein. The rate of translation is under critical control at many levels; however, recently, several abnormalities in translation have been described in cancer,” said Meric-Bernstam. “We used a functional proteomics approach to quantify the expression and phosphorylation of several factors associated with translation. Several of these proteins have been suggested to play a role in tumor aggressiveness.”

The markers identified are regulated by the PI3K/mTOR signaling pathway, a key oncogenic pathway activated in breast cancer and other cancers, according to Meric-Bernstam. Novel inhibitors of the pathway are being investigated in clinical trials.

“There are recent phase III clinical trial data suggesting that inhibiting mTOR signaling with everolimus, an mTOR inhibitor, in addition to endocrine therapy with aromatase inhibitors improves progression-free survival in hormone receptor-positive breast cancer,” Meric-Bernstam said. “Activation of the pathway conferring poor prognosis provides rationale as to why pathway inhibitors improve outcome.”

The study was funded by an AACR–Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team Award, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the Society of Surgical Oncology Clinical Investigator Award and the National Institutes of Health Cancer Center Grant.

# # #

Novel Technology Allows for Noninvasive Imaging of Prostate Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Prostate cancer-specific radiotracer designed to highlight prostate cancer.
Imaging agent helped to identify bone metastases.
Technology could allow physicians to monitor treatment efficacy.

CHICAGO — Use of a novel, noninvasive imaging tool allowed researchers to measure free prostate-specific antigen in prostate cancer models and to visualize bone metastasis in a tumor-specific manner, according to results published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Results of this paper were presented here at an AACR Annual Meeting 2012 press conference on Saturday, March 31, 2012, at 4:00 p.m. CT in Room 20 A/B/C of the Hyatt Conference Center, adjacent to McCormick Place.

If further validated, the use of this tool, a prostate cancer-specific radiotracer, could potentially aid in treatment planning on an individualized patient basis, according to Michael J. Evans, Ph.D., research fellow in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y., and colleagues.

A radiotracer is a small amount of a compound that has been “tagged” with a radionuclide. Patients are injected with the radiotracer, which aids in visualizing the tumor using positron emission tomography (PET).

In this study, Evans and colleagues examined the effects of ⁸⁹Zr-5A10, the first radiotracer designed specifically to target free prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a known biomarker of prostate cancer that provides a more accurate measure of risk when compared with serum PSA.

“Once injected, the use of ⁸⁹Zr-5A10 allows physicians to measure different biological properties among metastatic lesions within the same patient, which a serum biomarker cannot achieve,” Evans said.

Researchers tested the utility of ⁸⁹Zr-5A10 in a group of male mice with PSA-positive prostate cancer. The radiotracer localized to the tissue of castration-resistant prostate cancer, a state of the disease where serum PSA does not always reflect clinical outcomes, and sensitively measured declines in PSA expression induced by therapeutic intervention with the antiandrogen drug MDV3100.

The radiotracer also helped researchers identify metastatic bone lesions related to the primary prostate cancer. Traditional bone scans are unable to discriminate between malignant and nonmalignant lesions.

If translated to humans, this PET agent could help to stage prostate cancer, streamline the evaluation of prostate cancer therapies and aid in clinical trial management.

“The ultimate goal is to be able to predict the response of patients to new and existing therapies at an early stage, thereby personalizing their treatment and improving outcomes,” Evans said.

Given the success of this preclinical work, Evans and colleagues hope to translate the ⁸⁹Zr-5A10 platform for a human trial by 2013.

# # #

EGFR Mutation Unique to Glioblastoma May Explain Lack of Response to Traditional EGFR Inhibitors

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Different mutations in the same cancer gene affected treatment response.
Type 2 EGFR inhibitors may be more effective against glioblastoma.

CHICAGO — The epidermal growth factor receptor mutations that occur in glioblastoma differ from those that occur in lung cancers — a finding that may explain the lack of response to epidermal growth factor receptor inhibitors seen in glioblastoma.

These results, published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and presented at an AACR Annual Meeting 2012 press conference here, provide further rationale for focused drug development approaches tailored to cancer type, according to Ingo K. Mellinghoff, M.D., of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program and department of neurology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y.

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. These tumors often harbor genetic alterations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene, which encodes a protein that transmits growth and survival signals from the outside of the cell to the cell nucleus.

“In contrast to the experience in lung cancer with EGFR mutations, the EGFR kinase inhibitor erlotinib has only shown limited effectiveness for the treatment of glioblastoma,” Mellinghoff said.

He and his colleagues had previously examined human glioblastoma samples and observed that EGFR mutations in this disease mostly affected the extracellular portion of the protein, whereas EGFR mutations in lung cancer affected the kinase domain inside the cell.

“Mutations in glioblastoma were almost exclusively found in the extracellular part of the receptor, which binds to growth factors,” Mellinghoff said. “Mutations in lung cancer, on the other hand, typically map to the intracellular part of the receptor that executes its signaling program — the so-called kinase domain.”

Mellinghoff and colleagues now report that the extracellular EGFR mutants in glioblastoma are more sensitive to type 2 EGFR kinase inhibitors, whereas most EGFR kinase domain mutants in lung cancer respond better to type 1 EGFR kinase inhibitors such as erlotinib.

Researchers then examined whether lapatinib, a type 2 EGFR kinase inhibitor, might show clinical activity against EGFR-mutated glioblastoma. Mellinghoff’s group evaluated lapatinib concentrations and EGFR activity in patients with glioblastoma who had received lapatinib prior to surgery for tumor recurrence.

“We found that standard lapatinib dosing does not result in sufficiently high drug concentrations in the tumor tissue to effectively shut off EGFR,” Mellinghoff said. “We are now planning on a clinical trial with higher lapatinib doses given on an intermittent dosing schedule.”

To advance this research, Mellinghoff said he and his colleagues need to conduct further preclinical testing of type 2 EGFR kinase inhibitors alone and in combination with other pathway inhibitors in EGFR-mutant experimental glioma models.

“We would also like to understand how extracellular and intracellular regions of EGFR communicate with each other,” Mellinghoff said.

# # #

Lack of Oxygen Influenced Tumor Behavior and Patient Outcome in Intermediate-risk Prostate Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Low oxygen (hypoxia) predicts prostate cancer recurrence after radiotherapy.
Measuring prostate cancer hypoxia could help identify the best treatment for patients.
New treatments that target prostate cancer hypoxia could improve patient outcome.

CHICAGO — Hypoxia, or a lack of oxygen, in prostate cancer tumors was associated with early biochemical relapse and local recurrence after radiotherapy in men with intermediate-risk disease, according to a study published online today in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, and presented at an AACR Annual Meeting 2012 press conference.

This new insight into the behavior of prostate cancer tumors could lead to the development of new treatment strategies that target hypoxia or the manifestations of hypoxia and ultimately improve outcomes, according to Michael F. Milosevic, M.D., radiation oncologist in the Princess Margaret Hospital Cancer Program, University Health Network and professor of radiation oncology at the University of Toronto, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Localized prostate cancer commonly is treated with surgery or radiotherapy, and about 25 percent of men develop either progressive local disease or metastases — when cancer spreads to bones or other areas of the body. Doctors now rely on a range of clinical factors to predict how patients will respond to these treatments. The ability to identify biologic factors that influence prostate cancer behavior will enable physicians to better select the most appropriate and effective treatments for individual patients, according to Milosevic.

“Our particular focus was to look at aspects of prostate tumors related to hypoxia,” he said. “Many kinds of tumors are hypoxic, but it has never conclusively been demonstrated before in prostate cancer.”

Milosevic and colleagues measured hypoxia in 247 men with localized prostate cancer prior to radiotherapy and followed them for a median of 6.6 years. The five-year biochemical relapse-free rate was 78 percent, determined by measuring blood prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels over time. Researchers found that a percentage-of-oxygen reading of <10 mm Hg in the tumors independently predicted early biochemical relapse after radiotherapy.

When the researchers specifically evaluated 142 patients with bulk tumors at the site of the oxygen measurement, they found that hypoxia was even more strongly associated with early biochemical relapse. In addition, hypoxia was the only factor identified that predicted local recurrence in 70 patients who had biopsies performed during follow-up.

“People do worse if they have low oxygen levels in their prostate cancer,” Milosevic said. “In addition, the length of time over which they do poorly seems to be shortened. These patients tend to develop evidence of cancer recurrence at earlier time points, within a few years of completing treatment, compared with other patients.”

Simpler ways to measure prostate cancer hypoxia need to be explored, according to Milosevic.

“The way we measured hypoxia in our study was a rigorous method that is not applicable to widespread clinical practice,” he said. Although other methods exist, such as evaluating biopsy tissue or using imaging, they still need to be validated.

Milosevic and colleagues hope that their research will lead to new treatment approaches for those men identified as having hypoxia.

“We want to actually be able to intervene in their treatment and improve their outcomes,” he said. “We hope to explore this concept of new drugs that might target hypoxia or manifestations of hypoxia so treatments are more effective.”

# # #

Metformin May Lower Risk for Oral Cancer Development

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Agent acts against mTOR to prevent lesion progression.
Oral cancer incidence reduced by 70 to 90 percent.
Results are part of increasing evidence of metformin’s protective effect.

PHILADELPHIA — New findings published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, suggest that metformin may protect against oral cancer.

J. Silvio Gutkind, Ph.D., chief of the Oral and Pharyngeal Cancer Branch of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research at the National Institutes of Health, and colleagues induced premalignant lesions in laboratory mice and studied the effect of metformin on progression of these lesions to oral cancers.

“We saw strong activity against mTORC1 (mammalian target of rapamycin complex 1), which we know contributes to oral cancers, so this is strong preclinical information that there is a protective effect,” said Gutkind.

Metformin is the most widely used treatment for patients with type 2 diabetes, and scientists have started to notice a trend toward cancer reduction in a number of organ sites.

Gutkind and colleagues found that administration of metformin reduced the size and number of carcinogen-induced oral tumoral lesions in mice and significantly reduced the development of squamous cell carcinomas by about 70 to 90 percent.

They found that metformin inhibited mTORC1 function in the basal layer of oral premalignancies and prevented their spontaneous development into head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Selumetinib Controlled Recurrent Low-grade Serous Ovarian Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Selumetinib controlled the disease in 81 percent of patients.
Median progression-free survival was 11 months.
Patients experienced minimal side effects.

CHICAGO — Selumetinib, a small-molecule MEK inhibitor, demonstrated the ability to control low-grade serous ovarian or peritoneal cancer, according to phase II study results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

The first line of defense against low-grade serous ovarian cancer is surgery, followed by cytotoxic chemotherapy. However, this is a slow-growing cancer and does not respond well to traditional chemotherapies, which target fast-growing cells.

Seeking a more rational treatment approach, Gynecologic Oncology Group (GOG) researchers led by John Farley, M.D., a professor at Creighton University School of Medicine at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center in Omaha, Neb., used selumetinib to target the MEK-1/2 protein kinase in the MAPK pathway, which is known to mutate in this form of cancer.

GOG researchers assigned 52 women to 100-mg doses of selumetinib orally twice daily in four-week cycles; 33 percent underwent 12 or more cycles. Prior to the study, 58 percent of patients had received three or more rounds of chemotherapy.

Selumetinib controlled the disease in 81 percent of patients. Specifically, eight patients had complete or partial responses to treatment, and 34 had stable disease. The median survival rate without cancer progression was 11 months, and 63 percent of patients had progression-free survival longer than six months. In addition, selumetinib was well tolerated, with three patients experiencing grade 4 adverse events.

“The results were striking,” said Farley. “Many of the patients in the study had received multiple rounds of chemotherapy and were running out of options. By using these tumors’ historical inherent molecular aberrations to select patients for a treatment that in theory could exploit these abnormalities, we took an important step toward individualized cancer therapies.”

In addition to studying the impact of selumetinib on this type of ovarian cancer, investigators were also interested in how patients with RAS/RAF mutations responded to the drug. The team analyzed the tumor DNA from 34 patients, 62 percent of whom had some form of RAS/RAF mutation. Ultimately, they found that RAS/RAF mutations had no impact on patient response.

The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.

# # #

Metformin May Protect Against Liver Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Metformin activity occurs primarily in the liver.
Drug is safe and well-tolerated in patients with diabetes.

PHILADELPHIA — Metformin, a widely used, well-tolerated drug prescribed for patients with diabetes, may protect against liver cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The study, led by Geoffrey Girnun, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, is one more in an ongoing look at the effect of metformin in cancer prevention. However, it is one of the first to evaluate liver cancer.

“Since many of the effects of the drug take place in the liver, we were surprised when we reviewed the literature that there was no direct evidence for a protective effect of metformin in liver cancer except for a few retrospective epidemiological studies,” said Girnun.

He and his colleagues chemically induced liver tumors in mice. The mice taking metformin displayed minimal tumor activity, while the control mice displayed significant tumor growth.

Girnun’s team also showed that metformin prevented liver cancer in part by inhibiting lipid synthesis in the liver, a process known to promote cancer. Patients with diabetes, obese individuals, patients with hepatitis or patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease are at the greatest risk for liver cancer. All these diseases are associated with increased lipid synthesis. While diabetic patients are already prescribed metformin for their conditions, according to Girnun, the mechanism by which metformin prevents liver cancer may be transferable to these other patient populations at risk for liver cancer.

“So we are talking about a targeted population that will receive this benefit,” he said.

Girnun is currently planning a clinical trial in patients at risk for liver cancer to determine if the chemopreventive qualities observed in mice are confirmed in humans.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Metformin Appeared to Slow Prostate Cancer Growth

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Preliminary data show diabetes drug reduced cancer growth.
No grade 3 adverse events reported.
Findings have implications for men with diabetes, prediabetes.

CHICAGO — The use of metformin in men with prostate cancer before prostatectomy helped to reduce certain metabolic parameters and slow the growth rate of the cancer, according to the results of a phase II study.

Anthony M. Joshua, M.B.B.S., Ph.D., staff medical oncologist at the Princess Margaret Hospital, University Health Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, presented the data at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Metformin is the most commonly prescribed medication for diabetes. Prior laboratory research has suggested that metformin may also help to improve prognosis in patients with prostate cancer by slowing the growth of the cancerous cells.

To follow up on the laboratory clues, Joshua and colleagues evaluated 22 men with confirmed prostate cancer who had been assigned up to 500 mg of metformin three times a day prior to undergoing prostatectomy.

“This gave us the ability to compare what the prostate cancer looked like when it was first diagnosed to what it looked like when the prostate cancer was removed from the body,” said Joshua. “We were able to directly measure the effect of metformin on the prostate cancer.”

Patients were assigned metformin for a median duration of 41 days. During that time, none of the men reported grade 3 adverse events, and all of them underwent prostatectomy with no adverse effect related to use of metformin.

The researchers found that metformin significantly reduced fasting glucose, insulin growth factor-1, body mass index and waist-to-hip ratio.

In addition, “although these are preliminary results, metformin appeared to reduce the growth rate of prostate cancer in a proportion of men,” Joshua said. “Also, it appeared to reduce one of the main growth pathways that may have contributed to the overall growth of the tumor.”

These results may have implications for men with prostate cancer who also have diabetes or early undiagnosed diabetes and for men with prostate cancer whose tumors have characteristics that make them sensitive to metformin, according to Joshua.

“This research builds on the hypothesis that metformin has a role in prostate cancer,” he said. “Exactly what that role will be will depend on the results of the analysis currently being completed by our study team and others worldwide.”

Joshua is particularly interested in better defining the precise mechanism of action and the subpopulation of patients with prostate cancer for whom metformin has the potential to improve outcomes.

This study was funded by The Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation, the Jewish General Hospital Foundation (Montreal) and the Terry Fox Foundation.

# # #

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Metformin May Improve Pancreatic Cancer Prognosis in Patients With Diabetes

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Patients with pancreatic cancer often have a high prevalence of diabetes.
Metformin was linked with a nearly twofold higher two-year survival rate.
Patients prescribed metformin had a 32 percent reduced risk for death.

PHILADELPHIA — Patients with diabetes and pancreatic cancer who are prescribed metformin may have improved survival compared with those not prescribed the commonly used diabetic agent, according to a study published in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Although the causes of pancreatic cancer remain largely unknown, patients with pancreatic cancer often have a high prevalence of diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance.

“This study suggests that metformin use in patients with diabetes was associated with improved pancreatic cancer survival, so we should certainly begin study of its supplemental use in pancreatic cancer treatment,” said Donghui Li, Ph.D., a professor at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

In a retrospective study, Li and colleagues observed 302 patients with diabetes and pancreatic cancer; of which 117 were prescribed metformin.

At one year, the researchers found that 63.9 percent of the patients prescribed metformin were still alive, while 46.3 percent of the group not prescribed metformin survived.

By two years, 30.1 percent of the metformin group remained alive compared with 15.4 percent of the non-metformin group. Median survival was 15.2 months for patients prescribed metformin and 11.1 months for patients not prescribed metformin. Those prescribed metformin had a 32 percent reduced risk for death.

This protective effect was evident at all disease stages, with the exception of metastatic disease where metformin appeared to have no measurable effect.

Li suggested that metformin was acting on the insulin resistance observed in both diabetes and pancreatic cancer, as well as on the AMPK/AKT/mTOR signaling pathway and said a randomized clinical trial is warranted.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Metformin in Combination With Common Cancer Drug Increased BRAF-Mutant Melanoma Tumor Response

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Drug combination superior to cancer drug alone.
Data emphasize importance of understanding genetic mutations.
Combination could be effective treatment for BRAF-mutant melanoma.

PHILADELPHIA — The combination of metformin, a commonly prescribed antidiabetic drug, and vascular endothelial growth factor-A inhibitors increased suppression of tumor growth in melanoma tumors with BRAF mutations compared with treatment with the inhibitors alone, according to the results of a study published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Our results were surprising because combining metformin and vascular endothelial growth factor-A (VEGF-A) inhibitors was much more effective at blocking tumor growth than would be expected given the effect of either drug on its own,” said Richard Marais, Ph.D., who was recently appointed professor of molecular oncology and director at The Paterson Institute for Cancer Research in Manchester, England.

Although recent research has suggested that metformin may have anticancer properties, few studies have evaluated how metformin might affect the growth of melanoma, the most aggressive form of skin cancer.

To examine this association, Marais and colleagues at the Institute for Cancer Research in London tested how metformin affected a series of patient-derived melanoma cells, specifically those with two of the most common genetic mutations, BRAF and NRAS. First, they tested metformin on NRAS-mutant and BRAF-mutant melanoma cells grown in culture.

“When grown in culture, metformin had little effect on the growth of BRAF-mutant melanoma cells because BRAF activated a protein called RSK that promotes metformin resistance,” Marais said.

Next, researchers grew BRAF-mutated melanoma tumors in mice. In this setting, they found that metformin caused BRAF-mutated cells to secrete increased levels of VEGF-A, a molecule that promotes blood vessel formation and increases tumor growth. This observation prompted the researchers to use an animal model to test metformin in combination with commonly used VEGF-A inhibitors.

Tumor growth increased twofold with metformin alone. However, when metformin was combined with axitinib, tumor growth was suppressed by 45 percent; when combined with bevacizumab, tumor growth was suppressed by 64 percent compared with 34 percent for bevacizumab alone.

“Our results suggest that care should be taken when prescribing metformin to patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma as it could potentially worsen their disease,” Marais said. “Most importantly, our findings regarding the effectiveness of the metformin/VEGF-A inhibitor combination could be directly tested in the clinic.”

Moving forward, Marais and colleagues plan to research the mechanism behind this combination blocking tumor growth.

“We wish to initiate a clinical trial testing the combination of metformin and VEGF-A inhibitors in patients with BRAF-mutant melanoma, with the hope that this becomes an effective treatment option for people suffering from this deadly disease,” Marais said.

This study was funded by the Association for International Cancer Research, Cancer Research U.K. and the Institute of Cancer Research.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Early Clinical Data Show Galeterone Safe, Effective Against Prostate Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Galeterone targets prostate cancer through three distinct mechanisms.
The drug was well tolerated and safe at all doses tested.
Efficacy was demonstrated by PSA decreases and tumor reduction.

CHICAGO — Patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer had limited side effects and in many cases a drop in prostate-specific antigen expression with galeterone (TOK-001), a small-molecule oral drug, according to phase I data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is an advanced form of prostate cancer that occurs when the disease progresses after treatment with androgen deprivation therapy. Galeterone works against CRPC by blocking the androgen receptor, reducing levels of the ligand that binds to the receptor and degrading the androgen receptor protein.

“This drug has a novel combined mechanism of action,” said co-lead researcher R. Bruce Montgomery, M.D., associate professor of medical oncology at the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Wash. “Cancer cells are sly and mutate to get around drugs. The fact that this drug hits the prostate cancer cell in three different ways may help prevent resistance. It is a well-tolerated drug that could potentially be more effective than drugs we have now.”

In the ARMOR1 study, Montgomery and colleagues assigned 49 patients with CRPC to one of eight dose regimens in single or split oral escalation doses of 650 mg, 975 mg, 1,300 mg, 1,950 mg or 2,600 mg every day for 12 weeks. None of the patients had received chemotherapy for their prostate cancer.

Researchers reported that no patients reached a maximum tolerated dose. Most side effects were minor and included fatigue, nausea and diarrhea. Researchers observed transient, nonserious elevated liver function tests in 15 patients, many of whom were asymptomatic. Eleven of these patients temporarily stopped galeterone treatment, and six returned to treatment with no recurring liver function test elevations. One serious complication occurred involving rhabdomyolysis in the setting of simvastatin therapy and underlying renal insufficiency.

In early efficacy tests, 49 percent of patients had prostate-specific antigen (PSA) reductions of 30 percent or more; 11 of these patients had reductions of 50 percent or more. In addition, CT scans revealed reduction in tumor size for some patients.

“Because the androgen receptor controls PSA expression, improved PSA response shows that the drug is getting to the target,” said Montgomery. “For the majority of patients, to reduce their PSAs by 30 percent or more is quite good in a phase I dose-finding trial.”

Researchers will investigate long-term safety and an assessment of efficacy in a phase II study that Tokai Pharmaceuticals has planned for the second half of 2012.

# # #

Combination Targeted Therapy Well Tolerated, Effective for Refractory Ewing’s Sarcoma Tumors

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

EWS is the second most common bone malignancy in children and adolescents.
Combination therapy efficacious against chemotherapy-resistant EWS.
The combination was safe, with manageable adverse events.

CHICAGO — A combination of targeted therapies may be effective against relapsed or recurrent Ewing’s sarcoma or desmoplastic small-round-cell tumors, according to results of a phase I trial presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4, and published simultaneously in Clinical Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Ewing’s sarcoma (EWS) is the second most common bone malignancy striking children, adolescents and young adults in the prime of their lives,” said lead researcher Aung Naing, M.D., assistant professor in the department of investigational cancer therapeutics in the division of cancer medicine at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. “More treatment options are needed for this disease, because relapse of the disease is quite frequent.

“When tested in the treatment of the EWS family of tumors, single-agent insulin growth factor-1 receptor (IGF-1R) inhibitors and the mTOR inhibitors given as monotherapy have produced variable outcomes.”

The researchers evaluated a subset of 20 patients, including 17 with EWS and three with desmoplastic small-round-cell tumors (DSRCT), who were treated as part of an expansion cohort from a phase I study of an IGF-1R inhibitor, cixutumumab, and the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus.

All patients had been pretreated heavily before enrolling in the study. Researchers assigned patients to four-week cycles of 6 mg/kg cixutumumab and 25 mg to 37.5 mg of temsirolimus.

At a median follow-up of 8.9 months, they observed prolonged stable disease lasting more than six months and two complete responses in 29 percent of the patients with EWS. Notably, in one patient who had previously demonstrated a marked clinical response to a different IGF-1R targeted antibody before acquiring resistance, combining IGF-1R inhibition and mTOR inhibition induced a complete response, which provides strong evidence for synergy between mTOR and IGF-1R antagonists. Four responders developed grade 3 mucositis, myelosuppression or hyperglycemia, which were treated with supportive therapy.

“This study demonstrated early evidence that this combination can be considered for patients with relapsed and recurrent diseases,” Naing said. “Further studies in larger numbers of patients with EWS and DSRCT as well as additional investigation into underlying resistance mechanisms in individual patients are needed.”

# # #

Biomarker Identified in Relation to Drug Response in Refractory Urothelial Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Pazopanib achieved the primary endpoint of response.
Interleukin-8 may be an indicator of tumor resistance and poor survival.
Data need further validation in a large patient population.

CHICAGO — The antiangiogenic drug pazopanib has demonstrated clinically meaningful activity in patients with refractory urothelial cancer, according to results presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4. The results also revealed that increases in interleukin-8 levels early after treatment with pazopanib may predict a lack of tumor response to the therapy.

“Historically, prognosis of patients with relapsed or refractory urothelial cancer is quite dismal,” said Andrea Necchi, M.D., faculty member in the department of medicine at Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, Italy. “Patients who fail to be cured after multiple chemotherapy regimens have a poor survival estimate, and palliative care is a reasonable trade-off.”

Data from the phase II proof-of-concept trial identified pazopanib as the first targeted compound to have clinically meaningful activity in patients with refractory urothelial cancer, according to Necchi.

“Our data indicate that pazopanib seems to be a legitimate drug in this disease,” said Necchi. “Most interestingly, our biomarker analysis clearly pointed out the role of rising levels of circulating interleukin-8 as an early and potentially practice-changing indicator of tumor resistance and poor survival.”
The researchers assigned 41 patients with relapsing or progressing urothelial cancer between 2010 and 2011 to 800 mg once-daily pazopanib. All patients had at least one prior chemotherapy regimen for metastatic disease.

At follow-up, seven patients had a partial response to therapy and 24 patients had stable disease — an overall clinical benefit of 76 percent. Median progression-free survival was 2.6 months, and median overall survival was 4.7 months. However, 10 percent of patients had a long-term cure after a median follow-up of 19 months.

The researchers examined blood samples for predictive biomarkers at baseline and every four weeks. They found that early rising levels of interleukin-8 (e.g., after four weeks of pazopanib) were associated with tumor progression and shorter overall survival.

“This trial gave a clear proof of concept that will require confirmation on a larger number of patients,” Necchi said. “However, the preliminary findings, mainly regarding the role of interleukin-8 levels, have the potential to change at least the concept of new trial design with antiangiogenic agents in this disease.”

Necchi served as an adviser and consultant for GlaxoSmithKline Inc. The current study was sponsored by Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori. GlaxoSmithKline Inc. provided the drug supply and granted independent radiologic review, which was performed at Columbia University Medical Center.

# # #

Oral Vitamin D Supplements Reduced Levels of Ki67 in Prostate Cancer Cells

registration@aacr.org () — Sat, 31 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Ki67 is a protein that indicates cancer cell growth.
Vitamin D increased prostate tissue calcitriol levels, which lowered Ki67.

CHICAGO — Higher oral doses of plain vitamin D raised levels of calcitriol in prostate tissue. Higher prostate levels of calcitriol, a hormone made from vitamin D, corresponded with lower levels of the proliferation marker Ki67 and increased levels of cancer growth-inhibitory microRNAs in prostate cancer cells, according to data presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

The results not only point to the mechanisms by which vitamin D affects the rate of prostate cancer growth, but also indicate that vitamin D may slow the growth of prostate cancer cells — a key finding given that the role of vitamin D in prostate cancer has been “controversial, with some suggesting that higher levels of vitamin D should be avoided,” said Reinhold Vieth, Ph.D., professor at the University of Toronto in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

“This study shows calcitriol makes the foot come off the gas pedal of cancer growth. We are not able to prove that the speed of the car has slowed down, but it certainly is a good sign,” said Vieth. “We expect that this early-phase clinical trial will open the door for more detailed clinical research into the usefulness of vitamin D in the treatment or prevention of prostate cancer.”

Vieth and colleagues previously reported that in men who were being monitored regularly for prostate cancer, higher vitamin D levels slowed the rate of rise in prostate-specific antigen levels. They randomly assigned 66 men scheduled for radical prostatectomy to daily vitamin D in doses of 400, 10,000 or 40,000 IU for three to eight weeks before surgery.

Researchers found that calcitriol levels in the prostate increased progressively with each daily dose of vitamin D, with 40,000 IU showing the highest levels. These higher levels of calcitriol corresponded with lower prostate levels of Ki67, a protein that indicates prostate cancer cell growth, as well as higher levels of specific growth-inhibitory microRNAs.

Vieth stressed that he and his colleagues do not advocate vitamin D supplementation in doses higher than 4,000 IU daily. Patients were assigned to the 40,000 IU daily dose because of the short presurgical time frame available for study, not as a regular regimen.

“Plain vitamin D provides the raw material to permit the body to take care of its own needs,” he said. “We showed here that plain vitamin D allows the prostate to regulate its own level of calcitriol, and at the doses we used, for the time frame we used, it has been safe with the hoped-for desirable outcomes.”

The next step in this line of research will be to conduct a phase III clinical trial in which men who are being monitored for prostate cancer progression will be randomly assigned to placebo or to a “high” dose of plain vitamin D.

This research was funded by the Canadian Cancer Society and was a collaboration between investigators at University Health Network, Sunnybrook Hospital and Mount Sinai Hospital, all in Toronto, and at the University of Chicago.

# # #

Renata Pasqualini, Ph.D., Receives Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Grant

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will award Renata Pasqualini, Ph.D., of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center with the 2012 Caring for Carcinoid Foundation-AACR Grant for Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research.

The grant will be given during a grants reception on Tuesday, April 3 at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here.

Created in partnership with the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation (CFCF), the grant will advance the understanding of neuroendocrine tumor biology, elucidate the mechanisms of currently available therapies, and identify new treatment targets for carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

This two-year grant of $250,000 ($125,000 per year) support junior and senior investigators as they develop and study new ideas and innovative approaches that have direct application and relevance to carcinoid tumors or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Pasqualini is the Buchanan and Seeger Professor of Medicine and Experimental Diagnostic Imaging. Wadih Arap, M.D., Ph.D., Stringer Professor of Medicine and Experimental Diagnostic Imaging at MD Anderson, and Steven K. Libutti, M.D., Professor of Surgery and Genetics at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University and the Marvin L. Gliedman, M.D. Distinguished Surgeon at the Montefiore Medical Center in New York are long-time collaborators of Pasqualini’s. The three have worked together on targeted cancer therapies and are internationally recognized experts in vascular biology, metastasis and angiogenesis.

Their research titled “Octreotide-targeted treatment of neuroendocrine tumors of the pancreas,” will showcase the use of a hybrid vector with genetic elements from adeno-associated virus (AAV) and a M13-derived phage called AAVP to display octreotide and mediate selective internalization of viral particles.

“Establishing an octreotide-targeted AAVP for delivery of TNF-α (AAVP-TNF) would provide for the systemic, targeted delivery of an apoptotic agent directly to the vulnerable vasculature of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with limited toxicity for normal tissues,” the researchers wrote in their abstract.

The Caring for Carcinoid Foundation is dedicated to discovering cures for carcinoid, pancreatic neuroendocrine, and related neuroendocrine cancers. Along with its focus on research, the foundation is committed to supporting patients, families, friends, and caregivers by providing them with complete and up-to-date information. CFCF directs 100 percent of all individual donations to breakthrough scientific research. This is made possible by the generous support of CFCF’s board of directors and corporate sponsors. Since its inception, CFCF has awarded more than $6 million in research grants to leading scientists at renowned institutions worldwide. For more information about CFCF please visit www.caringforcarcinoid.org.

An additional Caring for Carcinoid Foundation-AACR Grant for Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research grant is expected to be awarded by the fall of 2012.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Recognizes its Newest Grantees at the Annual Meeting 2012

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The AACR congratulates its 13 new grant recipients at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Career Development Awards:

2012 AACR-Aflac Inc. Career Development Awards for Pediatric Cancer Research

Carl R. Walkley, Ph.D., St. Vincent’s Institute of Medical Research
“New models and approaches in osteosarcoma”
Jing Crystal Zhao, Ph.D., Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
“Role of imprinted long non-coding RNA Gtl2 in gene regulation”

AACR-FNAB Career Development Award for Translational Cancer Research

Christine L. Phillips, M.D., Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center - Research Foundation
“Genetic model of cytarabine sensitivity in children with AML”

AACR-Genentech BioOncology Career Development Award for Cancer Research on the HER Family Pathway

Eddy Shih-Hsin Yang, M.D., Ph.D., The University of Alabama at Birmingham
“HER2 overexpression confers susceptibility to PARP inhibition”

AACR Judah Folkman Career Development Award for Antiangiogenesis Research

Richard W. Joseph, M.D., Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville
“The relationship of angiogenesis and immune evasion in renal cell carcinoma”

Fight Colorectal Cancer-AACR Career Development Award, in memory of Lisa Dubow

Richard B. Halberg, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin-Madison
“Molecular differences predicting tumor progression in colorectal cancer”

Grants for Independent Investigators:

AACR Dharma Master Jiantai Innovative Grant for Lung Cancer Research

Julie M. Wells, Ph.D., The Jackson Laboratory
“Detecting changes in circulating microRNAs during lung cancer progression”

Fellowships:

AACR-Amgen Inc. Fellowships in Clinical/Translational Cancer Research

Sarah E. Bohndiek, Ph.D., Stanford University
“Molecular imaging and diagnostics for improved ovarian cancer management”
Ami S. Bhatt, M.D., Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
“Pathogen discovery in urothelial cancer using next-generation sequencing”

AACR-Bristol-Myers Squibb Oncology Fellowship in Clinical Cancer Research

Antonio Giordano, M.D., Ph.D., The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
“Single-nucleus sequencing of circulating tumor cells”

AACR-Conquer Cancer Foundation of ASCO Young Investigator Translational Cancer Research Award

Richard Mark White, M.D., Ph.D., Sloan-Kettering Institute for Cancer Research
“BRAFV600E as a regulator of transcriptional elongation”

AACR-Genentech BioOncology Fellowship for Cancer Research on the HER Family Pathway

Sadhna Vora, M.D., Massachusetts General Hospital
“Fructose metabolism as a mechanism of resistance to PI3k inhibitors”

Fellows Grants:

2012 AACR-FNAB Fellows Grant for Translational Pancreatic Cancer Research

Aatur Dilip Singhi, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
“Marker of sensitivity to GEM/SBRT in unresectable pancreatic adenocarcinoma”

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Sixth Annual AACR Margaret Foti Award Presented to John Mendelsohn, M.D.

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — John Mendelsohn, M.D., will receive the Sixth Annual American Association for Cancer Research Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 during the opening ceremony on Sunday, April 1, at 8:15 a.m. CT in room W375.

This award recognizes an individual whose leadership and extraordinary achievements in cancer research, or in support of cancer research, have made a major impact on the field.

“Dr. Mendelsohn was a pioneer in the area of targeted cancer therapies, specifically working with EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibition,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “The AACR commends him for his groundbreaking research on targeted therapy, which opened the door to a new way of thinking about cancer and its treatment. In addition, Dr. Mendelsohn is both a nationally and internationally recognized leader in cancer policy.”

“I am thrilled to receive this award because it is in honor of a great leader, Dr. Foti, and because it recognizes my lifetime commitment to improving the care of cancer patients through research,” Mendelsohn said. “I have been privileged to work with many outstanding laboratory and clinical investigators in initiating the field of targeted cancer therapy and in expanding translational cancer research programs at three great academic institutions.”

Mendelsohn currently serves as co-director of The University Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Institute for Personalized Cancer Therapy (IPCT). The IPCT is a research program designed to embrace a multidisciplinary approach including laboratory researchers, clinicians and investigators to test cancer therapies targeting abnormal genes and gene products detected in an individual patient’s cancer. He is also chair of the National Cancer Policy Forum of the Institute of Medicine.

Prior to this, Mendelsohn served as the president of MD Anderson from 1996 to 2011, recently stepping down to return to clinical and translational research. During his time as president, Mendelsohn worked with a visionary management team to transform the cancer center into what it is today, one of the world’s most respected cancer research centers. Under his supervision and guidance, MD Anderson was ranked as number one in cancer care in the nation, for eight out of the last 10 years, in the “America’s Best Hospitals” survey conducted by U.S. News & World Report.

However, Mendelsohn’s significant contributions to the cancer community extend far outside of the walls of MD Anderson.

In an effort to meet the increasing demand for training of international physicians and scientists, Mendelsohn established the Center for Global Oncology, an organization that coordinates MD Anderson’s formal affiliations with more than 24 foreign academic, health care and government entities. In the 1990s he worked with cancer leaders at other health care centers to double the budget of the National Institutes of Health.

In addition to an impressive list of book chapters and editorials, Mendelsohn has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific articles, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research, one of the seven journals of the AACR.

Among Mendelsohn’s many contributions to cancer research, his most significant research revolved around studying the cell surface receptor tyrosine kinase epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a member of the ErbB family of proteins. This receptor represents one of the most important proteins in cancer research, as the receptor is capable of being activated by a number of extracellular, stimulatory proteins and molecules, inevitably leading to subsequent activation of intracellular biological signaling pathways that involve cancer-causing genes (oncogenes).

Prior to our current understanding of this family of proteins, Mendelsohn and his collaborators hypothesized that inhibition of EGFR and of tyrosine kinases in general might represent a potential avenue for effective cancer treatments. This notion led to the creation of monoclonal antibody mAb-225 (cetuximab), the first agent capable of blocking EGFR activation, in turn inhibiting cellular growth. These findings quickly led to mAb-225 entering clinical trials, where it became the first successful agent specifically designed to safely and effectively target a growth factor receptor and/or a tyrosine kinase. Subsequent to this work, nearly a dozen agents activate against the EGFR family of tyrosine kinases have been developed and taken into the clinic. The drug (mAb) cetuximab received FDA approval for use against colon cancer in 2004 and two years later was approved for the treatment of head and neck cancer. These results speak to the importance of this drug discovery and its implications for the treatment of many cancers.

Additionally, Mendelsohn has been influential in research that provided proof that the anti-HER2/neu (ErbB-2) agent trastuzumab could produce a clinically useful response rate in patients. He was also instrumental in the first clinical trials to demonstrate that the addition of EGFR inhibitors could overcome chemotherapeutic resistance in patients.

Mendelsohn has received numerous awards and honors, including the David A. Karnofsky Memorial Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Lila Gruber Memorial Cancer Research Award from the American Academy of Dermatology and the Dorothy P. Landon–AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research.

Mendelsohn received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University in 1958. He conducted his graduate studies in biochemical sciences at Harvard and received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School in 1963.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Scientists Reprogram Cancer Cells With Low Doses of Epigenetic Drugs

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Drugs previously considered too toxic for human use.
Cancer stem cells were a target of these agents.
Study by Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team published in Cancer Cell.

CHICAGO — Experimenting with cells in culture, researchers at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center have breathed possible new life into two drugs once considered too toxic for human cancer treatment. The drugs, azacitidine and decitabine, are epigenetic drugs and work to correct cancer-causing alterations that modify DNA.

The researchers also found that the drugs took aim at a small but dangerous subpopulation of self-renewing cells, sometimes referred to as cancer stem cells, which evade most cancer drugs and cause disease recurrence and spread.

In a report published in the March 16, 2012, issue of Cancer Cell, the Johns Hopkins team said their study provides evidence that low doses of the drugs cause antitumor responses in breast, lung and colon cancer cells. They will discuss their work at a Stand Up To Cancer press event on April 1, 2012, at 1:00 p.m. CT in Room 10 A/B/C of the Hyatt Conference Center, adjacent to the McCormick Place Conference Center.

Conventional chemotherapy agents indiscriminately poison and kill rapidly dividing cells, including cancer cells, by damaging cellular machinery and DNA.

“In contrast, low doses of azacitidine (AZA) and decitabine (DAC) may reactivate genes that stop cancer growth without causing immediate cell killing or DNA damage,” said Stephen Baylin, M.D., Ludwig professor of oncology and deputy director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore, Md.

Many cancer experts had abandoned AZA and DAC in the treatment of common cancers, according to the researchers, because they are toxic to normal cells at standard high doses and there was little research showing how they might work for cancer in general. Baylin and colleagues decided to reevaluate the drugs after low doses of each showed a benefit in patients with a preleukemic disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS). Johns Hopkins investigators also found benefit with low doses of the drugs in tests with a small number of patients with advanced lung cancer. “This is contrary to the way we usually do things in cancer research,” said Baylin. He noted, “Typically, we start in the laboratory and progress to clinical trials. In this case, we saw results in clinical trials that made us go back to the laboratory to figure out how to move the therapy forward.”

Baylin’s team worked with leukemia, breast and other cancer cell lines and human tumor samples using the lowest possible doses that were effective against the cancers. In all, the investigators studied six leukemia cell lines, seven leukemia patient samples, three breast cancer cell lines, seven breast tumor samples (including four samples of tumors that had spread to the lung), one lung cancer cell line and one colon cancer cell line.

Researchers treated cell lines and tumor cells with low-dose AZA and DAC in culture for three days and allowed the drug-treated cells to rest for a week. They then transplanted the treated cells and tumor samples into mice and observed continued antitumor responses for up to 20 weeks. This extended response was in line with observations in some patients with MDS who continued to have anticancer effects long after stopping the drug.

The low-dose therapy reversed cancer cell gene pathways, including those controlling cell cycle, cell repair, cell maturation, cell differentiation, immune cell interaction and cell death. Effects varied among individual tumor cells, but the scientists generally saw that cancer cells reverted to a more normal state and eventually died. These results were caused, in part, by alteration of the epigenetic, or chemical, environment of DNA. Epigenetic activities turn on certain genes and block others, according to Baylin.

The research team also tested AZA and DAC’s effect on a type of metastatic breast cancer cell thought to drive cancer growth and resist standard therapies. Metastatic cells are difficult to study in standard laboratory tumor models because they tend to break away from the original tumor and float around in blood and lymph fluids. The research team re-created the metastatic stem cells’ environment and allowed them to grow as floating spheres.

Baylin and his team are conducting ongoing studies that focus on the precise mechanism of how the drugs work. “Our findings match evidence from recent clinical trials suggesting that the drugs shrink tumors more slowly over time as they repair altered mechanisms in cells and genes return to normal function, and the cells may eventually die,” said Baylin.

The results of clinical trials in lung cancer, led by Johns Hopkins’ Charles Rudin, M.D., and published late last year in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, also indicate that the drugs make tumors more responsive to standard anticancer drug treatment. According to researchers, this means that the drugs could become part of a combined treatment approach rather than a standalone therapy and as part of personalized approaches in patients whose cancers fit specific epigenetic and genetic profiles.

Low doses of both drugs are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of MDS and chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. Clinical trials in breast and lung cancer have begun in patients with advanced disease, and trials in colon cancer are planned.

The research was funded by a Specialized Programs of Research Excellence grant for lung cancer from the National Institutes of Health, the Hodson Trust Foundation, the Entertainment Industry Foundation, Lee Jeans, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, the Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program, the Huntsman Cancer Foundation and the Cindy Rosencrans Fund for Triple-negative Breast Cancer Research. All of the studies have been accelerated by funding from the Stand Up To Cancer project in partnership with the American Association for Cancer Research.

# # #

AACR Honors Giuseppe Bernardi, M.D., With Award for Distinguished Public Service

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will present Giuseppe “Gios” Bernardi, M.D., with the 2012 AACR Award for Distinguished Public Service.

“The AACR recognizes and commends Dr. Bernardi for his enduring passion and commitment to enhancing the ever-growing landscape of cancer research worldwide,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “As the president of the Pezcoller Foundation, he has been a vital force in fostering close relationships among multiple research institutions, cancer centers, organizations, and associations such as ours. His leadership, drive and hard work have been important factors in strengthening international cancer research, and we have been privileged at the AACR to have the special opportunity of working with him for so many wonderful years.”

The AACR Award for Distinguished Public Service will be presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 during the opening ceremony on Sunday, April 1, at 8:15 a.m. CT in the Skyline Ballroom of McCormick Convention Center in Chicago, Ill.

Bernardi served as president of the Pezcoller Foundation in Trento, Italy, from 2001 to 2011, and he currently holds the position of president emeritus of the foundation. During his long tenure as president, he was tireless in his devotion to the foundation’s mission of promoting cancer research through awards, conferences, publications, seminars and symposia. He served on the foundation’s Board of Directors for many years and helped establish its vision of furthering cancer research through a variety of mechanisms including international collaborations. Clearly, his work has had far-reaching implications for advancing cancer research and improving patient care.

Bernardi has been a skillful and enthusiastic steward of the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research, which was established in 1998 to recognize an active, outstanding scientist each year who has made a major scientific discovery in basic cancer research or who has made significant contributions to translational cancer research. Such work must be ongoing and hold promise for continued substantive contributions to progress in the field of cancer.

Bernardi was influential in establishing the Stanley J. Korsmeyer Lecture in 2006, which is given annually in Padua by the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR awardee to showcase significant breakthroughs in cancer research. He has served as the editor of the Pezcoller Foundation Journal.

Bernardi received his medical degree from the University of Milan in 1948. He specialized in the fields of radiology and physiotherapy, hygiene, preventive medicine and hospital engineering. After his formal training, Bernardi became a surgeon and would later work as a radiologist in the Hospital of Trento. He was radiology director in several hospitals located in Levico and Trento, Italy.

In addition to his medical responsibilities and commitments, Bernardi has been very active in other professional organizations. He served for 10 years as a board member of the National Agency for Care and Welfare of Medical Doctors and founded the Italian Federation of Homeopathic Medicine, serving as its president from 1993-1998.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Bayard D. Clarkson, M.D., Receives the AACR 2012 Distinguished Service Award

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will present Bayard D. Clarkson, M.D., with the AACR’s Distinguished Service Award at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 during the opening ceremony on Sunday, April 1, at 8:15 a.m. CT in room W375 of McCormick Place.

The AACR is honoring Clarkson, who is head of the laboratory of hematopoietic cell kinetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, for his work on behalf of the AACR for over three decades.

Clarkson served two terms on the Board of Directors and was president of the AACR in 1980. He was later recruited to serve as AACR treasurer, and he continued in that position for a record 15 years during a period of exponential growth in AACR membership, programs and activities. His sage advice and guidance in science and policy during this long period in the AACR’s evolution were pivotal to its success as the most important and influential cancer research organization in the world. No individual in the history of the AACR has given so much time and effort to the AACR and its mission.

His most recent service to the AACR has been in the capacity of president and chairman of the AACR Foundation for the Prevention and Cure of Cancer. He was the driving force behind creating the Foundation in 2001, when the AACR was beginning a rapid expansion of its fund development program. He personally recruited members of the Foundation Board and has overseen its growth for the past 11 years. His work with the foundation was the culmination of many years devoted to the financial stewardship of AACR resources.

“Dr. Clarkson is an outstanding scientist, leader and innovative thinker in the cancer field. While engaged in his very busy research career, he volunteered an extraordinary amount of his professional life to furthering the work of the AACR and to advancing cancer research worldwide,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), CEO of the AACR. “The AACR and its Foundation would not have been as successful without his unstinting efforts, and today the Foundation raises millions of dollars each year for cancer research and education. Dr. Clarkson’s career and work ethic are exemplary and it has been truly rewarding and inspiring to have been associated with him during this period of his career. Young investigators should observe him closely as an excellent example of what it means to be truly dedicated to one’s field,” she noted.

This year, Clarkson becomes a 50-year member of the AACR. His laboratory has been devoted to understanding the growth and differentiation properties of leukemia cells and progenitor cells. By studying the core biological principles that govern and fuel cancer formation, Clarkson and his colleagues were among the first to develop and optimize treatment programs for adults with acute leukemias and lymphomas. He has also made significant contributions to the understanding of cancer biology, especially in the area of cancer stem cells.

Clarkson received his medical degree from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons and has treated patients and conducted research at Memorial Sloan-Kettering for over five decades. He has authored hundreds of papers reporting the results of his laboratory’s research as well as numerous review articles describing advances in cancer research.

As a tribute to Clarkson, the AACR named an annual scientific session in his honor, “The Bayard D. Clarkson Symposium on Stem Cells and Cancer,” which will be held on Tuesday, April 3, at 1 p.m. CT in room W183 of McCormick Place.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and AACR Award Research Grants Totaling More Than $3.4 Million

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the American Association for Cancer Research awarded 14 grants to outstanding scientists throughout the country, supporting their innovative research in the field of pancreatic cancer.

This year’s total funding level of more than $3.4 million represents the largest annual disbursement since the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network introduced the program in 2003.

“Partnering with the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is an incredibly satisfying experience. It has given us an opportunity to work with the spectacular professional staff there and has enabled us to help fund the most-promising, cutting-edge pancreatic cancer research to advance the field,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “These worthy projects have the potential to lead to major breakthroughs that will prevent, detect and treat pancreatic cancer, one of the most deadly of all cancers.”

In its mission to advance pancreatic cancer research, the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network has collaborated with the AACR to promote and support outstanding research focused on conquering this dread disease. The goals of the grants program are to build a robust pancreatic cancer research community; to encourage collaboration, information-sharing and innovation; and to expedite scientific and medical breakthroughs for patient benefit.

“We are so impressed by the caliber of these 14 scientists and proud to fund their outstanding research projects. We are looking forward to engaging them with our organization and working together to help accelerate scientific breakthroughs,” said Lynn Matrisian, Ph.D., vice president of scientific and medical affairs at the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. “These grant recipients are joining a strong and dynamic collaborative community of researchers the organization has been developing since 2003 when we launched our grants program. Their findings will undoubtedly move us closer to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s goal of doubling the survival rate of pancreatic cancer by 2020.”

The recipients will be honored at a grants reception and dinner during the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Pathway to Leadership Grants are five-year grants totaling $600,000 each. These grants are designed to support the future leadership of pancreatic cancer research by funding outstanding early-career investigators beginning in their postdoctoral, mentored research positions and continuing through their successful transition to independence. The 2012 recipients are:

Stephanie K. Dougan, Ph.D., Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research
“Transnuclear mice: Understanding the T cell response to pancreatic cancer”|
Supported by Celgene Corporation.

Oliver G. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
“Genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming during evolution of pancreatic cancer”
Supported by The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation

The 2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Innovative Grants are intended to promote the development and study of novel ideas and approaches in basic, translational, clinical or epidemiological research that have direct application and relevance to pancreatic cancer. These two-year grants provide $200,000 over the grant term. The 2012 recipients are:

David A. Boothman, Ph.D., UT Southwestern Medical Center
“NQO1-mediated ‘kiss of death’ targeted therapy for pancreatic cancer”
Supported by the George & June Block Family Foundation

Paul J. Chiao, Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
“TAK1 is a novel therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer”
Supported in part by the Lefkofsky Family Foundation

Channing J. Der, Ph.D., The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
“Mechanism of ERK inhibition resistance and ERK-dependent pancreatic cancer”
Supported by Tempur-Pedic Retailers

Peter Espenshade, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
“SREBP pathway as a target for pancreatic cancer therapy”
Supported in memory of Bonnie L. Tobin

Tyler Jacks, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
“Mechanisms of K-RAS independent growth in pancreatic cancer”
Supported by Blum-Kovler Foundation

The 2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Career Development Awards are two-year grants of $200,000 that are designed to attract and support early-career scientists as they conduct pancreatic cancer research and establish successful career paths in the field. This year’s recipients are:

Jiyoung Ahn, Ph.D., New York University School of Medicine
“Oral microbiome and pancreatic cancer: A prospective case-control study”
Supported by The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation

Darren R. Carpizo, M.D., Ph.D., University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
“Pre-clinical studies of an allele-specific p53 mutant reactivating compound in pancreatic cancer”
Supported by The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation

Eric A. Collisson, M.D., University of California, San Francisco
“Optimizing MEK inhibition in pancreatic cancer; from cytostatic to cidal”

Mikala Egeblad, Ph.D., Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
“Dynamics of tumor-stroma interactions in pancreatic cancer”
Supported by The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation

Kazuki N. Sugahara, M.D., Ph.D., Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute
“Tissue-penetrating drug delivery to desmoplastic pancreatic tumors”
Supported by The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation

David Sung-wen Yu, M.D., Ph.D., Emory University
“Exploiting the replication stress response in pancreatic cancer”

The 2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Fellowship is a one-year grant of $45,000 designed to support a postdoctoral investigator’s work in pancreatic cancer research. The 2012 recipient is:

Florencia McAllister, M.D., Johns Hopkins University
“Role of inflammatory cells in early pancreatic tumorigenesis”
Supported in memory of Samuel Stroum

# # #

Media Contacts:
Tara Yates
American Association for Cancer Research
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Jennifer Reeves
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
(310) 706-3362
jreeves@pancan.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 3:
(310) 460-8901

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

About the AACR
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase the survival rate for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative—The Vision of Progress: Double the Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rate by 2020. Together, we can know, fight and end pancreatic cancer by intensifying our efforts to heighten awareness, raise funds for comprehensive private research, and advocate for dedicated federal research to advance early diagnostics, better treatments and increase chances of survival.

Click here to meet these grant recipients and learn more about their funded projects.

Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter: @pancan
Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jointhefight

AACR and Landon Foundation Support the Next Generation of Researchers With INNOVATOR Awards

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research and the Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation will present three INNOVATOR Awards at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The Fifth Annual Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for Cancer Prevention Research will be presented to Guang Peng, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
The Fifth Annual Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for International Collaboration in Cancer Research will be presented to Judith A. Varner, Ph.D., at the University of California, San Diego.
The Third Annual Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for Research in Personalized Cancer Medicine will be presented to Sameek Roychowdhury, M.D., Ph.D., at the University of Michigan.

The AACR will honor the award recipients at a grants reception and dinner on Tuesday, April 3, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. CT in the Adams Foyer and Room at the Palmer House Hotel in Chicago.

The Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Awards, established in 2008, are designed to foster innovation and collaboration in cancer research and support independent investigators early in their careers. The awards provide the recipients with the recognition they need to further their careers and possibly leverage additional funding.

The AACR and the Landon Foundation shifted from presenting two annual scientific achievement awards to presenting research grant funding in 2009. This was in an effort to refocus attention on younger researchers and recognize the critical need to identify and support the next generation of top cancer researchers as a way of facilitating breakthroughs in treatment and prevention.

The Landon Foundation-AACR partnership continues with these INNOVATOR Awards, which honor pioneers in cancer research. Prior to 2011, three prevention, three international collaboration and one personalized medicine awards were given. Combined with the previous scientific achievement awards, the total contribution of the Landon Foundation-AACR partnership is now close to $4 million.

Awardees each receive a two-year grant for $100,000 over the grant term.

2012 Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for Cancer Prevention Research

The INNOVATOR Award for Cancer Prevention Research supports a junior faculty researcher conducting research in any discipline of cancer prevention.

Peng’s project is titled “Targeting the DNA repair network as a novel approach for cancer prevention.” A constant challenge for researchers involved in cancer prevention research is the ability to identify preventive methods or treatments that have proven efficacy and safety. One such prevention strategy is the use of chemopreventive agents, which are employed to help prevent or delay the onset of cancers. Chemopreventive therapies aim to target and kill premalignant cells containing genetic alterations before they can progress to becoming cancerous and without damaging neighboring, normal cells.

In her research, Peng is taking a new approach to chemoprevention by targeting the DNA repair network of cancerous cells. DNA repair mechanisms play a critical role in cellular responses that occur once a premalignant or malignant cell is under replication or cellular stress. The predominant DNA lesions caused by this replication stress are double-strand DNA breaks. In order for a cell to counteract and survive these double-strand DNA breaks, they require a coordinated effort of DNA repair mechanisms. One such means of repair is termed homologous recombination (HR).

Peng’s research objective is to identify therapies that will inhibit proteins involved in HR-mediated DNA repair, in turn promoting cell death for premalignant cells that are experiencing replication stress. These inhibitors will be developed and tested through the use of available cell lines and through the use of animal models. If Peng is able to discover and optimize drugs capable of inhibiting HR repair and proves that cells under replication stress are more sensitive to these treatments, this novel approach will expand the field of preventive treatment strategies by offering a molecular means by which to specifically target premalignant cells for death.

2012 Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for International Collaboration in Cancer Research

The Award for International Collaboration in Cancer Research supports an established international cancer research collaboration involving institutes in multiple countries by supplementing existing funding and providing the means to facilitate travel, training in new techniques and the dissemination of the scientific knowledge gained from the collaboration.

Varner’s project, “Targeting tumor inflammation: A new approach to treat pancreatic cancer,” will be part of a continuing international collaboration between U.S. and Italian-based laboratories to explore the role of inflammation in ductal adenocarcinoma of the pancreas (PDAC), a disease associated with a poor five-year survival rate that will affect more than 40,000 Americans in 2012.

In recent years, research has established that inflammation may be a contributing factor to tumor development and progression, resulting in increased research efforts to develop therapeutic drugs and strategies adapted to combat inflammation and inflammatory responses. Recently, Varner and her colleagues at Emilio Hirsch’s laboratory at the Molecular Biotechnology Center, School of Medicine, University of Torino, in Italy discovered that PI3-kinase gamma (PI3Kγ) regulates tumor inflammation within myeloid cells, partially by recruiting factors that contribute to angiogenesis (formation of new blood vessels) and overall tumor survival. Varner hypothesizes that targeting this protein may help suppress pancreatic tumor growth and metastasis by preventing PI3Kγ-mediated angiogenesis and immunosuppression in the pancreas.

This grant supports this ongoing international cancer research collaboration that continues to evaluate whether PI3Kγ inhibitors can successfully target pancreatic cancer cells in animal models of PDAC and whether such inhibitors can block myeloid-induced immunosuppression during pancreatic cancer onset and progression.

2012 Landon Foundation-AACR INNOVATOR Award for Research in Personalized Cancer Medicine

The Award for Research in Personalized Cancer Medicine, now in its third year, provides support for a physician-scientist who conducts meritorious studies that hold promise for near-term patient benefit to accelerate progress in the area of personalized cancer medicine.

Roychowdhury will be working on the project “Mechanisms of resistance in prostate cancer through integrative sequencing.” An increased interest in high-throughput sequencing of cancer genomes has led to an expanding molecular classification of prostate cancer, the most common type of cancer in men. Researchers hope that further exploration and characterization of molecular pathways associated with common cancers will help to identify the genetic mechanisms of resistance due to currently employed drug therapies.

Roychowdhury proposes to apply genetic sequencing strategies to prostate cancer patients in an effort to identify mechanisms of drug resistance and ultimately better inform treatment decision-making in the clinic.

Roychowdhury proposes to establish high-throughput sequencing regimes for patients with advanced prostate cancer (otherwise known as castration-resistant prostate cancer) in an attempt to establish a better understanding of the inherent and acquired genetic aberrations that contribute to the disease. To assist in this endeavor, Roychowdhury has established a multi-disciplinary Sequencing Tumor Board consisting of experts from medical oncology, pathology, bioinformatics, genomics and bioethics. These experts will collaborate to manage the results of the proposed sequencing experiments, interpret the produced data and hopefully locate the molecular contributors to drug resistance. These findings will also lead to the identification and development of potential drug therapies.

Roychowdhury’s research will represent the first attempt at integrative sequencing in prostate cancer and will hopefully result in expansion of the molecular classification of the disease. If successful, researchers could subsequently apply the use of high-throughput sequencing within other clinical trials to further classify the molecular nature of disease progression and drug resistance in other cancer areas.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

About the Kirk A. & Dorothy P. Landon Foundation

The Kirk A. and Dorothy P. Landon Foundation was created through a bequest from Mrs. Dorothy P. Landon whose intent, along with that of her late husband, Kirk A. Landon, was to dedicate a major portion of their estate to medical research, especially research related to cancer. Mr. R. Kirk Landon, son of Kirk A. Landon, serves as the president of the foundation. The foundation seeks to accomplish its cancer research mission through a variety of programs and initiatives, including the Landon-AACR INNOVATOR Awards.

Media Contact:
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In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
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Beatrice Mintz, Ph.D., Receives Ninth Annual AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Beatrice Mintz, Ph.D., professor and Jack Schultz chair in basic science at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, will receive the Ninth Annual AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research during the opening ceremony of the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held Sunday, April 1, at 8:15 a.m. CT in room W375 of McCormick Place West.

The AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research was established in 2004 to honor an individual who has made significant fundamental contributions to cancer research, either through a single scientific discovery or a body of work. These contributions, whether they have been in research, leadership or mentorship, must have had a lasting impact on the cancer field and must have demonstrated a lifetime commitment to progress against cancer.

“Dr. Mintz’s scientific insights have led to new directions in developmental cancer biology and genetics,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Her groundbreaking work has helped shape our understanding of stem cell behavior and the tumor microenvironment in cancer, and has provided scientists with important tools to study the many types of cancer.”

Mintz’s pioneering research involving chimeric and transgenic mice, stem cells and tumor microenvironments have had a profound effect on cancer research and have greatly advanced the techniques that scientists use today to study the molecular genetic mechanisms that drive cancer progression. Her work has also contributed to a better understanding of the role of epigenetic changes in cancer.

Mintz said she likes to ask big questions, as they hold the most promise of uncovering the underlying order in complex events. Her first big question was: How does a complex organism, such as a mouse, develop from a single-cell fertilized egg? That question, though not in itself new, led her to devise methods enabling a new experimental approach to the problem. By assembling early embryo cells from two genetically different mouse strains, viable “chimeric” mice were obtained, in which the genetic differences served as markers of cell migrations and interactions. Development occurred as an orderly expanding hierarchy of clones from small numbers of increasingly specialized stem cells, with a favorable balance between proliferation and differentiation.

In the mid-1970s, Mintz then proposed that cancer is essentially a genetically caused aberration of development, in which the balance is shifted toward stem cell proliferation. Thus, her research has made it possible to study cancer experimentally in an intact model organism throughout life.

Mintz chose to examine the relation between genetically cancer-prone early stem cells and normal cells, by producing chimeras including stem cells of a mouse teratocarcinoma (a tumor of the earliest-stage stem cells). The results were dramatic. Normal mice were obtained in which tumor-strain cells were found in all tissues examined, along with normal-strain cells. This led to another new and important concept — that the microenvironment can have an ameliorating effect on the behavior of cancer cells.

Her laboratory next produced an in vitro stem cell line of the teratocarcinoma genotype, and showed that it could serve as a vehicle to convey a desired genetic change into the embryo, after first testing the cells in culture for that change. Next, the availability of specific DNA independently allowed Mintz’s laboratory, and several others, to introduce a gene of interest directly into the fertilized egg. The change is then transmitted to offspring through the germ line. These mice are termed “transgenic.”

Mintz has chosen to produce melanoma-prone transgenic mice that are valid models of melanoma in humans. The mice provide a means of improving our understanding of this malignancy, and of exploring treatments.

During her career, Mintz has authored more than 170 scientific publications, advancing our knowledge of developmental biology and genetics in cancer research. A member of the prestigious U.S. National Academy of Sciences since 1973, she has won numerous awards for pioneering research, including the Lewis S. Rosenstiel Award in Basic Medical Research, in 1980, the Genetics Society of America Medal, in 1981, the Ernst Jung Gold Medal for Medicine, in 1990, the American Cancer Society National Medal of Honor for Basic Research, in 1997, and in 2011, the Szent-Györgyi Prize for Progress in Cancer Research from the National Foundation for Cancer Research. She has been a member of numerous editorial boards and has received several honorary degrees.

Mintz earned a bachelor’s degree from Hunter College of The City University of New York and a doctorate at the University of Iowa, in Iowa City.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR's Associate Member Council Honors Early-career Future Leaders of Basic Cancer Research

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will recognize four talented future leaders of basic cancer research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4. Each of these young scientists will present their work during the Future Leaders in Basic Cancer Research Special Symposium to take place on Monday, April 2, at 1 p.m. CT in room W179 at McCormick Place in Chicago.

“These outstanding young investigators are among those who represent the future of basic science in cancer,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “It is a pleasure to see these scientists recognized, as our future accomplishments in the cancer field will depend on the innovation and passion of our talented early-career scientists to conduct excellent research, and discover and develop cutting-edge preventive and treatment strategies against this disease.”

This special symposium has been developed to highlight early-career scientists in cancer research whose work reflects innovation, scientific independence, motivation and creativity. Nominees are required to be graduate students, medical students or residents, clinical fellows or postdoctoral fellows and institutional nomination was required for consideration.

This year’s selected nominees and speakers are:

Carrie Adelman, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, London Research Institute, Cancer Research U.K., South Mimms, England

Adelman will present her research regarding the role of the HelQ helicaseas, an important DNA damage response factor and tumor suppressor protein. Using HelQ transgenic mouse models, Adelman and colleagues are beginning to find links between HelQ and certain types of inherited cancer syndromes. She has been influential in discovering that HelQ assists in sensing DNA damage and in governing intracellular DNA damage repair pathways that have a significant role in the onset of Fanconi anemia, a genetic disease that predisposes people to hematological abnormalities. Adelman’s research has important implications for understanding the genesis of Fanconi anemia and cancer and how DNA damage that is caused by cytotoxic cancer therapies is repaired.

Faiyaz Notta, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow, Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Notta was selected as a speaker based on his groundbreaking research exploring the genetically distinct nature of tumor-initiating cells derived from Philadelphia-positive (Ph+) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) cells. During his presentation he will review past and current concepts surrounding clonal evolution of cancer stem cells and their role in tumor development. Notta’s research has elucidated the understanding of cellular expansion and genetic evolution in ALL, while simultaneously emphasizing the significance of this concept in all cancers. This discovery of a complex network of cellular growth and change has shifted the paradigm concerning how researchers visualize cancer progression and may explain why various patient populations are resistant to certain cancer treatments.

Michael Quante, M.D., clinical fellow, II. Medizinische Klinik, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Germany

Quante was nominated for this honor based upon his pioneering work in generating mouse models of Barrett’s esophagus and esophageal adenocarcinoma that closely resemble the human disease by first presenting with esophagitis, which later progresses to a cancerous state. This model represents a tractable preclinical model for these conditions that will allow researchers to investigate preventative strategies and therapies for the growing population of patients with such cancers. In addition to his work with cancer mouse models, Quante has also contributed immensely to the field of cancer research through his findings concerning the generation, function and biological nature of various subpopulations of progenitor cells and how they contribute to cancer.

David A. Solomon, Ph.D., M.D./Ph.D. student, Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, D.C.

Solomon will present his exciting research findings concerning aneuploidy (abnormal numbers of DNA chromosomes). In cancer, genetic and molecular defects commonly lead to chromosomal instability. This state is often accompanied by the onset of DNA aberrations such as aneuploidy that further complicate the cancer, contributing to its aggressiveness and severity. Solomon discovered that one potential molecular mechanism behind aneuploidy involves the STAG2 (stromal antigen 2) protein, which is involved in the cohesin complex that is essential for proper cellular division. His research demonstrated that aneuploidy is promoted upon STAG2 inactivation, either through deletion or mutation. This identification of STAG2 as a tumor suppressor and inhibitor of aneuploidy provides a novel molecular concept and target for therapeutic intervention in all tumor types that display aneuploidy. In addition to this work, Solomon has been both active and successful in researching the pathogenesis and treatment of glioblastoma multiforme.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Alan D. D'Andrea, M.D., Receives the 52nd Annual AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Alan D. D’Andrea, M.D., the Alvan T. and Viola D. Fuller American Cancer Society professor of radiation oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Harvard Medical School, will receive the 52nd Annual AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award for his work in understanding cancer survival and progression, which has included milestones such as cloning the erythropoietin receptor and discovering the Fanconi anemia family of proteins involved in maintaining DNA stability.

D’Andrea’s lecture, “Targeting DNA Repair in Cancer Therapy: Lessons From Fanconi Anemia,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, March 31, in room S100 of McCormick Place South at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

“Dr. D’Andrea has been a vital contributor to cancer research,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “His work has greatly enhanced our knowledge of the field of DNA instability and repair mechanisms. Furthermore, his studies have provided us with a better understanding of the biological relationships of rare hereditary diseases, such as Fanconi anemia, and cancer.”

The AACR and Eli Lilly and Company established the G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award in 1961 to honor G.H.A. Clowes, a founding member of the AACR. This honor recognizes an individual with outstanding recent accomplishments in basic cancer research.

“I am greatly honored to receive the 2012 G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award from the AACR,” D’Andrea said. “Work from my laboratory has shown that the study of rare pediatric cancer susceptibility syndromes, such as Fanconi anemia, can lead to broad insights into the cause and treatment of cancer in the general population. My laboratory members and I are especially grateful to the children and families with Fanconi anemia who have been our close partners in this research during the last two decades.”

During his postdoctoral studies, D’Andrea cloned the erythropoietin (EPO) receptor, a key protein involved in red blood cell production (erythropoiesis) and survival. The receptor’s role in erythropoiesis offers a potential avenue for cancer therapeutics, as a blood supply is necessary for the growth and spread of cancer. D’Andrea continues to investigate the receptor in hematological malignancies, examining the ways that inherent (somatic) mutations and/or epigenetic modifications of the receptor affect its downstream, intracellular signaling pathways including JAK/STAT (Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription) and MAPK (mitogen-activated protein kinase).

D’Andrea has also investigated DNA repair mechanisms, more specifically how DNA damage impacts chromosomal stability, cell cycle progression and resulting cancer susceptibility. He has examined these processes in rare chromosomal instability syndromes including ataxia telangiectasia, Fanconi anemia and Bloom’s syndrome. His most extensive work has involved Fanconi anemia, which has the potential to lead to the onset of acute myelogenous leukemia. D’Andrea’s work in DNA repair mechanisms has led to the identification of the FANCC protein. He discovered that this protein is part of a family of proteins that block the harmful effects of DNA-damaging agents, in turn assisting in the preservation of DNA integrity in the body. His research into the FANCC protein family continues to provide insights that enhance the understanding of DNA repair processes in different disease pathologies.

D’Andrea received his medical degree from Harvard Medical School. He did his residency at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in pediatrics and his fellowship at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital of Boston in pediatric hematology and oncology. He returned to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital of Boston after postdoctoral studies at the Whitehead Institute. He is professor in the departments of radiation oncology and pediatrics, genetics and complex diseases and co-director of Gene Therapy Center, Children’s Hospital of Boston.

He has received many awards, including the American Academy of Pediatrics Excellence in Research Award, the E. Mead Johnson Award for Research in Pediatrics and the Fanconi Anemia Scientific Symposium’s Award of Merit. In addition, D’Andrea has published numerous papers in high-impact peer-reviewed journals.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
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AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research Honors Pelayo Correa, M.D., With Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship Award

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research and its Minorities in Cancer Research membership group will award Pelayo Correa, M.D., with the Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

Correa is the Ann Potter Wilson endowed chair in cancer research, and professor of medicine and pathology in the division of gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn. His award presentation and lecture, “Gastric cancer: An infectious disease,” will take place on Sunday, April 1 at 4:15 p.m. CT in room W196 of the McCormick Place West Convention Center.

The AACR-MICR Jane Cooke Wright Lectureship was established in 2006 to give recognition to an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, though leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of minority investigators in cancer research.

Correa’s research centers around the epidemiology of gastric cancer, the second leading cause of cancer-related mortalities worldwide. The majority of his research involves investigating the relationship between Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections and the onset of stomach cancer.

Correa’s interest in gastric cancers began in the 1960s. During this time, he noticed that the incidence of stomach cancer within subpopulations of people in his native country of Colombia who lived in high-altitude areas of the Andes Mountains was far greater than among those who lived on the Pacific coast. In an effort to understand this occurrence, he started collecting biopsy specimens from affected individuals and began to characterize the progression of the disease.

Correa demonstrated that the progression to gastric cancer begins with a wave of inflammation within the stomach (gastritis) followed by loss of glands (atrophy) and intestinal metaplasia and dysplasia. Eventually, this process will continue to progress into stomach cancer. This multi-step transition from stomach inflammation to cancer has since been termed the “Correa Cascade,” a tribute to the extensive studies conducted by Correa to define the variable stages of gastric cancer onset and progression.

Correa and his colleagues are currently examining the effects of variable strains of H. pylori on the development of gastric cancer in ethnic populations worldwide. The bacterial strains can be traced to their ancestral origin. Those with African ancestry are less carcinogenic than those of European origin. These studies take into account the complexity of the disease and have included the identification of genetic and environmental factors that, coupled with H. pylori infections, contribute to the disease’s process.

Correa received his medical degree at the Universidad de Antioquia in Medellin, Colombia, in 1949. He completed a pathology residency at Emory University in Atlanta, Ga., and then returned to Colombia in 1954, where he served as chairman of the department of pathology at the Universidad del Valle School of Medicine. Correa returned to the United States on a permanent basis in 1970 when he began working at the National Institute of Cancer and later at Louisiana State University Medical Center, where his laboratory thrived until being destroyed by Hurricane Katrina, causing him to relocate to the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center at Vanderbilt University in 2005.

He is the founding editor of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention, a journal of the AACR. He has received numerous honors in the United States and Latin America, including the Schering Award for Research Done by Medical Students in Colombia, Maude Abbott Lecturer at the International Academy of Pathology, the first American Cancer Society Award on Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention, presidential appointment to the National Cancer Advisory Board, honorary member of Sociedad Colombiana de Patologia, the Distinguished Achievement Award from the American Society of Preventative Oncology and honorary fellow of the American College of Epidemiology.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Honors Lisa M. Coussens, Ph.D., With the 15th Annual AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 26 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will award Lisa M. Coussens, Ph.D., with the 15th Annual AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship for her role as an internationally renowned basic scientist who has conducted novel studies on inflammation and stromal regulation of tissue homeostasis and tumor development.

Coussens’ lecture, “Inflammation and Cancer: Translating Basic Research into Clinical Practice,” will take place on Saturday, March 31 at 5:15 p.m. CT in room W196 of McCormick Place. The lecture is part of the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

“I am so honored to be given this opportunity,” said Coussens, associate director for basic research for the Knight Cancer Institute at Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU). “Solving the problem of cancer will require diverse perspectives and insights. It is gratifying to be the recipient of an award that encourages scientists to foster progress, not only in their own work, but by assisting and encouraging others.”

Along with her role in the OSHU Knight Cancer Institute, Coussens serves as the Hildegard Lamfrom chair in basic science and professor and chair of cell and developmental biology for OHSU.

The AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship was established in 1998 in honor of renowned virologist Charlotte Friend, Ph.D., for her discovery of the Friend virus and her pioneering research on viruses, cell differentiation and cancer. The lectureship recognizes an outstanding scientist who has made meritorious contributions to the field of cancer research and who has, through leadership or by example, furthered the advancement of women in science.

Coussens is well regarded for her research involving immune cell-mediated regulation of breast, lung and skin cancer development. Her early studies were amongst the first to define mechanistic roles for immune system-related cells, such as mast cells, in inflammatory processes regulating blood vessel production (angiogenesis) and tumorigenesis. She and her collaborators also helped to define in vivo roles of leukocyte-derived matrix metalloproteases (MMPs), as key regulators of tumor development.

Her studies have highlighted the numerous functions of MMPs in biological events such as fostering tumor cell survival, and fundamentally regulating tumor microenvironments to favor cancer development. Landmark results from her laboratory have showcased the diversity between leukocyte subtypes and their ability to regulate cancer development and metastasis. Coussens’ research has also demonstrated that lymphocytes and myeloid cells coregulate pro- and antitumor bioactivities in tissue-dependent manners. Her examination of interactions between myeloid cells and lymphocytes has fueled a paradigm shift in the field of tumor immunology and has reinforced the need for additional studies involving these cell populations in carcinogenesis.

Collectively, Coussens has contributed to the understanding that cancer is a disease that mirrors embryonic development, alluding to the notion that cancer is similarly vulnerable to manipulation and reprogramming. Her research has also expanded the view of inflammation and its role in cancer onset and progression, in turn promoting the need for drugs that target immune-pathways, when appropriate, within cancer treatment regimes.

Her lab continues important work, collaborating with biotech companies and clinicians. Currently, the lab is working with clinicians to develop investigator-initiated phase I/II clinical trials to examine immune modulation and standard-of-care chemotherapy in mesothelioma, breast and pancreas cancer.

Coussens received her Bachelor of Arts in biology from San Francisco State University, her doctorate in biological chemistry from the University of California, Los Angeles, and was a post-doctoral fellow in cancer biology at the University of California, San Francisco.

She has organized and presented at multiple national and international meetings, and has served on and assisted numerous professional organizations and government agencies. She has been the principal investigator on 24 research grants, which have also provided significant opportunities for mentoring of junior scientists.

In addition, she previously received the Gertrude B. Elion Cancer Research Award from the AACR, a V Foundation Scholar Award, the Edward Mallinckrodt Jr. Foundation Award for Medical Research and sequential awards from the Hellman family. She also received the prestigious Era of Hope Scholar Award from the U.S. Department of Defense. She has published 75 peer-reviewed articles with more in review, 20 other articles or editorials, and 17 book chapters. Coussens is a past member of the AACR Board of Directors, and former deputy editor for the AACR journal Cancer Research. She currently serves as an editorial board member for the journal Cancer Cell.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Congratulates Co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer Lisa Paulsen on Receiving the Society of Surgical Oncology's James Ewing Layman Award

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research congratulates Lisa Paulsen, president and chief executive officer of the Entertainment Industry Foundation and co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), on receiving the James Ewing Layman Award. The Society of Surgical Oncology is honoring Paulsen with the award for her efforts to eradicate cancer through her leadership of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), especially her major role in establishing Stand Up To Cancer.

“Lisa Paulsen’s accomplishments have touched the lives of many cancer patients,” said AACR Chief Executive Officer Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.). “The monies raised by the EIF have contributed to many breakthroughs, including the development of the breast cancer therapy trastuzumab. Recently, Stand Up To Cancer has begun to change the face of cancer with the funding of impressive scientific Dream Teams and Innovative Research Grants to young investigators. Along with the co-founders of SU2C, she has skillfully leveraged the assets of the entertainment industry to advance translational research and bring the dream of the conquest of all cancers closer to reality. We applaud her recognition by the Society of Surgical Oncology.”

Paulsen will receive the award today at the Society of Surgical Oncology Annual Meeting, held in Orlando, Fla.

As a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, the EIF utilizes the enormous power of the industry to raise awareness and funds for critical health, educational and social issues. Among the most pressing health issues championed by the EIF is the fight against cancer. Under Paulsen’s leadership, the EIF has raised millions of dollars for cancer research, education, prevention and treatment. Among the fundraising vehicles established by the EIF during Paulsen’s tenure as president and CEO is one of the largest single-day women’s cancer fundraisers in the country — the EIF Revlon Run/Walk for Women. SU2C was launched in May 2008 and is the largest initiative of the EIF.

Members of SU2C’s Executive Leadership Council include Sherry Lansing, chairperson of the EIF Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Katie Couric; EIF 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.

SU2C was founded on the belief that there is a strong understanding of the basic science of cancer and that, with the appropriate level of funding, teams of scientists will be in a position to translate this understanding to the clinic for rapid patient benefit.

In its first year alone, more than $100 million was pledged to SU2C for cancer research. SU2C committed more than $76 million of this money to fund five interdisciplinary scientific Dream Teams. These Dream Teams were identified by the SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, chaired by 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. An additional Dream Team, jointly funded with the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA), was established in December 2011. In addition, 26 Innovative Research Grants have been awarded by SU2C to meritorious young investigators. These grants support high-risk and potentially high-reward projects with significant potential for translational application.

To date, the Dream Teams and Innovative Research Grant recipients comprise more than 270 scientists from more than 67 unique institutions. Moreover, SU2C-funded cancer research has, in just three short years since the first funding was allocated, spawned 34 clinical trials across the country. SU2C’s mission of accelerating the translation of cancer research from “bench to bedside” is already bearing fruit and benefiting patients now.

As the proud scientific partner of SU2C, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of team science and individual grants that have the potential to have near-term impact on the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of cancers.

The James Ewing Layman Award is bestowed annually by the Society of Surgical Oncology and its James Ewing Foundation. It is awarded to a nonphysician to thank and honor his or her work in support of public awareness, patient resources or clinical research efforts in the prevention or cure of cancer. Previous awardees include Sanford L. Weill, Mary Lasker, Laurance Rockefeller, and Evelyn Lauder. The James Ewing Foundation was established in 1978 to perpetuate the memory of the discoverer of Ewing’s sarcoma, James Stephen Ewing, M.D. In addition to being the founder of the Society of Surgical Oncology, Ewing was a founding member and the first president of the AACR.

The AACR seeks to establish a close relationship with surgical oncologists as they represent a vitally important specialty in the interdisciplinary care of cancer patients, and it is in the process of forming a Task Force on Surgical Oncology, with Monica Morrow, M.D., chief of breast service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and president-elect of the Society of Surgical Oncology, as chairperson of the task force. The goal of the task force is to give surgical oncologists who are research-oriented a greater platform for their voice.

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Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

AACR Honors Graham A. Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., With Award for Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will recognize Graham A. Colditz, M.D., Dr.P.H., with the 21st AACR-American Cancer Society Award for Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The AACR-American Cancer Society Award for Research Excellence in Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention was established in 1992 to honor outstanding research accomplishments in the fields of cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention. Colditz will give his lecture, “Integrating risk across the life-span: The case of breast cancer prevention,” on Tuesday, April 3 at 3 p.m. CT in room S100 of McCormick Place.

Colditz is the Niess-Gain professor of surgery, professor of medicine and associate director of prevention and control at the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Mo. He is also chief of the division of public health sciences, department of surgery and deputy director at the Institute for Public Health at Washington University School of Medicine.

Colditz’s research interests have revolved around elucidating the lifestyle and environmental risk factors that contribute to the onset of cancer. One mechanism employed by Colditz to accomplish this has been to conduct large-scale, population studies involving subsets of individuals that present with a particular disease. Colditz has served as principal investigator on two such studies, the Nurses’ Health Study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Growing Up Today Study (GUTS).

The Nurses’ Health Study seeks to identify risk factors and biomarkers such as smoking, tobacco, oral contraceptive use, diet and exercise, and alcohol consumption that predispose or increase the risk for women to develop various diseases or conditions including cancer, cardiovascular or eye disease, osteoporosis and/or stroke. From these studies, Colditz has determined that specific hormone replacement therapies, for instance the addition of progestin to estrogen-based treatment regimens, are associated with a substantial increase in a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer, especially among postmenopausal women. This finding has been confirmed in randomized, controlled trials and subsequent epidemiological studies that have further determined that up to 10 percent of all breast cancers diagnosed in postmenopausal women are associated with combined hormone-based cancer therapies.

Similar studies have been conducted by Colditz within GUTS. This study is tailored toward investigating the risk factors among children and adolescents that predispose them to diseases such as diabetes and cancer. He has shown alcohol intake during adolescence increases a woman’s risk of premalignant breast lesions in her early adult years. The study is further focused on defining the role of a sedentary lifestyle and the growing epidemic of childhood obesity on disease occurrence and understanding how such risk factors influence adulthood predisposition to illness.

In addition to his work with the Nurses’ Health Study and GUTS, Colditz is heavily involved in cancer prevention and education and has worked to implement strategies to reduce cancer’s burden on society. He has been influential in developing an interactive web tool (www.yourdiseaserisk.wustl.edu) that provides the public with cancer risk assessments and prevention strategies, while simultaneously educating users on the background and nature of cancer. This website has received numerous awards, including the 2008 eHealth Leadership Award for interactive media.

Born in Sydney, Australia, Colditz received his master’s and doctorate of public health degrees from Harvard University of Public Health in Boston, Mass., in 1982 and 1986, respectively. In 1998, he received his medical degree from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.

Colditz has received many honors and awards, including the AACR-DeWitt S. Goodman Memorial Lectureship, a Fulbright Scholarship and the Knox Fellowship at Harvard University, the American Cancer Society Faculty Research Award, the ASPO Distinguished Achievement Award, election to membership of the Institute of Health and the American Cancer Society Cissy Hornung Clinical Research Professorship. In 2011, he was awarded the American Cancer Society Medal of Honor for cancer control research.

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Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR's 2012 Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship Goes to Mary J. C. Hendrix, Ph.D.

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The AACR will honor Mary J. C. Hendrix, Ph.D., president and scientific director of the Children’s Memorial Research Center at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, with the sixth annual Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The AACR Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lecture is presented to a scientist whose novel and significant work had or may have a far-reaching impact on the detection, diagnosis, treatment or prevention of cancer, and who embodies the dedication of the princess to multinational collaborations. Her Imperial Highness Princess Kikuko Takamatsu was instrumental in promoting cancer research and encouraging cancer scientists. She became a champion for these causes following her mother’s death from bowel cancer in 1933 at the young age of 43.

“I am honored and humbled to be the recipient of the Princess Takamatsu Memorial Lectureship, especially having had the extraordinary privilege of meeting Princess Takamatsu and admiring her tenacious efforts toward the eradication of cancer,” Hendrix said. “Many of our scientific accomplishments were greatly enhanced through international collaborations, which the Princess Takamatsu Lectureship actively promotes.”

Hendrix’s lecture, “Targeting the Plasticity of Metastatic Tumor Cells,” will take place at 4:30 p.m. CT on Monday, April 2 in room S100 at McCormick Place West.

Hendrix, a cell biologist, has led groundbreaking work that has helped change the way scientists understand how cancer grows and spreads, findings that hold promise for the development of new therapeutic strategies.

New blood vessels are capable of being formed from existing vessels through a process called angiogenesis. Tumors exploit this biological process as a means to foster their development and growth and to transport spreading (metastatic) cancer cells to secondary tumor locations throughout the body via the bloodstream.

This concept of tumor growth and spreading was further expanded in 1999, when Hendrix and her colleagues introduced the concept of “vasculogenic mimicry” (VM) in their study published in the American Journal of Pathology and highlighted in Science. Hendrix’s team observed that highly aggressive uveal melanomas, which develop in the eye, exhibit the ability to form vascular networks in the primary tumor, networks which had been generated by the cancer cells themselves. This discovery supported the idea that tumors possess the ability to fuel themselves by generating complex, vascular networks without the need of endothelial cells or new blood vessel formation. VM has now been reported in over 20 different cancer types, associated with aggressive phenotype.

These results, combined with subsequent studies, may help explain why some cancers often do not respond to conventional chemotherapies or why tumor growth and spread can continue despite treatment with angiogenesis inhibitors in rodent models and in humans. This hypothesis has been supported by Hendrix in her 2004 Journal of the National Cancer Institute article, which showed that the drug endostatin, along with other angiogenesis inhibitors, blocked endothelial cell-mediated formation of new blood vessels, but failed to halt the formation of vascular networks produced by treated uveal and cutaneous melanoma cells.

Subsequent studies conducted by Hendrix and her colleagues have focused on understanding the molecular driving forces behind vasculogenic mimicry. More specifically, how cell-to-cell communication, cell identity and fate, and cellular interactions within the tumor microenvironment all contribute to specific gene expression changes that lead to tumorigenesis, tumor-mediated vasculogenesis and metastasis. These studies, in addition to contributing to the understanding of cancer evolution and survival, have further highlighted the “plastic” nature of tumor cells (similar to an embryonic phenotype) and their potential to be reprogrammed, which may ultimately lead to new therapeutic opportunities against cancer.

Hendrix is a past president of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology and is a recipient of a prestigious MERIT Award from the National Cancer Institute. An author of more than 200 scientific publications, Hendrix has received numerous awards and honors.

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Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Recognizes the Outstanding Achievements of Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D.

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Recipient of the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research

CHICAGO — Robert A. Weinberg, Ph.D., is the recipient of the 2012 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research for his outstanding work in the fields of cell and molecular biology, and cancer genetics.

The Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award, now in its 15th year, recognizes an individual scientist of international renown who has made a major scientific discovery in basic or translational cancer research.

Weinberg will give an award lecture during the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 on Monday, April 4 at 5:00 p.m. CT in the Skyline Ballroom of McCormick Place.

“Dr. Weinberg is a true pioneer of cancer research and an authority on the genetics of human cancer,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “His work has had a profound impact on our understanding of the role of oncogenes and suppressor genes in cancer research, and among his major findings has demonstrated how certain gene regulators contribute to metastasis.”

“The Pezcoller-AACR award is a singular honor and in receiving it, I join the ranks of a select few who have been recognized in this way over the past 15 years,” Weinberg said. “This represents a tribute to the truly extraordinary people whom I have been able to attract to my laboratory over the past three decades and more. Their qualities and achievements make it abundantly clear that the most important thing a scientist like myself can do is to recruit talented young people to his or her scientific workshop.”

Weinberg is a founding member of the Whitehead Institute and a professor of biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His most notable accomplishments to date include his discoveries of the first human oncogene, ras, capable of initiating cancer formation in normal cells and his isolation of the first tumor suppressor gene, Rb.

The Weinberg laboratory made a seminal discovery in 1979, when Weinberg and colleagues isolated DNA from mouse cells that had been transformed into tumor cells by exposure to chemical carcinogens. The researchers subsequently introduced this DNA into normal mouse fibroblasts, which proceeded to transform into tumor cells. This observation indicated that a factor existed within the isolated tumor cell DNA that was capable of causing cancer in otherwise normal cells. This factor was later discovered to be a mutated form of a cellular gene (also referred to as an oncogene or cancer-causing gene). These results laid the groundwork for subsequent research conducted by his group and helped pave the way for future biomedical research and landmark cancer discoveries.

Weinberg’s early research demonstrated that the neoplastic behavior of cancer cells can be traced to their inherent genetic material. This led to the discovery of somatic mutations, or small changes in the cell’s genetic material, that result in the formation, activation or establishment of cancer-causing genes and proteins.

The Weinberg lab is currently focusing on the molecular biology of tumorigenesis. More specifically, it is investigating how interactions between different cell types in various areas of the body lead to cancer formation, progression, invasiveness and metastasis. By understanding these fundamental processes that govern the ability of cancer to form and survive, researchers will be better able to investigate how to specifically target a patient’s cancer.

Weinberg received his doctorate in biology from MIT in 1969, and has since held research positions at the Weizmann Institute and the Salk Institute. He was one of the founding members of the MIT Center for Cancer Research in 1973. In 1982, he was appointed a professor of biology at MIT, cofounded the Whitehead Institute and published his landmark paper “Mechanism of Activation of a Human Oncogene” in the journal Nature.

He has received numerous awards including, but not limited to: Discover magazine’s Scientist of the Year award (1982); U.S. Steel Foundation Award in Microbiology (1984); Bristol-Myers Squibb Award for Distinguished Achievement in Cancer Research (1984); AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award (1996); National Medal of Science (1997); Wolf Prize in Medicine (2004); Landon-AACR Prize for Basic and Translational Cancer Research (2006); Otto Warburg Medal (2007); Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Jill Rose Award (2008); and Science of Oncology Award from ASCO (2011).

He is also an elected member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, a member of the Institute of Medicine and the American Philosophical Society, and a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Weinberg has authored or edited six books and more than 350 articles.

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Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Society of Surgical Oncology Names Lisa C. Paulsen Recipient of the 2012 James Ewing Layman's Award

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

The SSO Recognized Paulsen for Her Leadership of the
Entertainment Industry Foundation, Including Her Efforts in the
Creation of the “Stand Up To Cancer” Initiative

Los Angeles, CA – March 23, 2012 – The Society of Surgical Oncology (SSO) and its James Ewing Foundation recognized the efforts of Stand Up To Cancer’s co-founder Lisa C. Paulsen toward eradicating cancer by presenting her the SSO’s 2012 James Ewing Layman’s Award at the Society’s Annual Cancer Symposium in Orlando, Florida on March 23rd.

The James Ewing Layman’s Award is presented annually and is intended to thank and honor non-physicians for their work in support of public awareness, patient resources, or clinical or research efforts in the prevention or cure of cancer.

Lisa Paulsen is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Entertainment Industry Foundation (EIF), a national philanthropic organization of the TV and film industry, founded in 1942. Under Paulsen’s leadership, EIF’s charitable budget has grown from $1.8 million to more than $160 million per year. She has recruited senior executives from all the major studios, networks, unions, guilds, and agencies as board members, and has enlisted celebrated actors as volunteers. EIF funds efforts in science and medicine, education, the environment, poverty, and other major issues facing society.

In 2008, EIF was a co-creator of the Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) initiative. Since then, more than $180 million has been pledged to SU2C for research. SU2C has awarded six three-year grants to multi-institutional, multi-disciplinary research “Dream Teams” and has given “Innovative Research Grants” to 26 individual young scientists for “high-risk, potentially high-reward” research rarely funded by other sources.

EIF has been a leading force in the fight against cancer for 20 years. Funds raised through EIF’s Revlon Run/Walk For Women, for example, helped fast-track the revolutionary breast cancer treatment Herceptin ®, which received FDA approval years ahead of schedule. In addition to raising funds to advance research, EIF’s Women’s Cancer Programs also raise awareness and support community programs that assist women at risk of and affected by cancer. EIF’s National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance, co-founded with Katie Couric, also raises funds for cutting-edge research on all aspects of colon cancer, and promotes the life-saving value of screening and early detection.

“It was a great privilege to receive this award from such an esteemed group of surgeons, whose precision and passion save lives every day,” Paulsen said. “All of us at the Entertainment Industry Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer are grateful to and extremely supportive of the Society of Surgical Oncology’s mission and its ability to improve and consistently advance patient care. Surgical oncologists play a key role in a multidisciplinary approach to cancer research and treatment, and we’re proud to have surgeons among the members of the SU2C Dream Teams.”

ABOUT THE JAMES EWING FOUNDATION

Founded in 1970 by the Society of Surgical Oncology, the primary focus of the James Ewing Foundation is the support of education and research in surgical oncology. The Foundation is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to advancing Dr. Ewing's legacy as a researcher and clinician. Past recipients of the James Ewing Layman’s Award have included Sanford L. Weill; Mary Lasker; Laurance Rockefeller; Armand Hammer; Evelyn Lauder; Anne and Donna Gioia; Lt. Governor John C. Carney, Jr.; Paula Kim; Nancy Brinker; Don and Deidre Imus; Sec. HHS Tommy G. Thompson; and Hamilton Jordan.

ABOUT THE SOCIETY OF SURGICAL ONCOLOGY

Founded in 1940, the mission of the Society of Surgical Oncology is to improve patient care by advancing the science and practice of surgical oncology worldwide. The Society is a 2,800 member organization for surgeons and health care providers dedicated to advancing and promoting the science and treatment of cancer.

ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY FOUNDATION

The Entertainment Industry Foundation, as a leading charitable organization of the entertainment industry, has distributed hundreds of millions of dollars to support charitable initiatives addressing critical health, education and social issues. For more information, visit www.eifoundation.org.

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 can get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives. SU2C facilitates collaboration among the best and the brightest in the cancer research community. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) and a Scientific Advisory Committee conduct rigorous, competitive review processes through which SU2C’s grantees are selected. By galvanizing the entertainment industry, SU2C generates awareness and builds grassroots support for this new approach to ending cancer.

Stand Up To Cancer was founded by a group of media, entertainment and philanthropic leaders whose lives have been affected by cancer in significant ways. Members of SU2C’s Executive Leadership Council include Sherry Lansing, chairperson of the Entertainment Industry Foundation’s (EIF) Board of Directors and founder of the Sherry Lansing Foundation; EIF President and CEO Lisa Paulsen; Katie Couric; EIF 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.

###

Contact:
Kathleen Lobb, EIF (onsite)
Misty Espinoza, EIF
Tel: 917-623-9743 (Lobb)
      213-240-3926 (Espinoza)
Email: klobb@eifoundation.org
          mespinoza@eifoundation.org

Contact:
Curt Mattson
Tel: 847-427-1400, ext 280
Cell: 630-730-7314
Email: curtmattson@surgeonc.org

AACR Honors Bert Vogelstein, M.D., with Distinguished Lectureship

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will award Bert Vogelstein, M.D., with the Eighth Annual AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

Vogelstein’s lecture, “Cancer genomics and their implications for research and patients,” will take place on Monday, April 2 at 3:30 p.m. CT in the Skyline Ballroom of McCormick Place.

“We congratulate Dr. Vogelstein on his paradigm-shifting research in the application of molecular biology to the study of human cancer,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “His landmark contributions have stimulated new thinking about cancer science and its potential clinical impact.”

The AACR-Irving Weinstein Foundation Distinguished Lectureship was established in 2004 to acknowledge an individual whose outstanding innovations in science and whose position as a thought leader have the potential to inspire creative thinking and new directions in cancer research.

“When Judy Garber invited me to give this award, she said that its major purpose was to ‘inspire young investigators toward creative avenues of research.’ That purpose resonated with me, as young investigators, particularly students and post-docs, have been responsible for virtually all of the advances in cancer research, and our future is in their hands,” said Vogelstein, director of the Ludwig Center for Cancer Genetics and Therapeutics, professor of oncology and pathology and an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

“This lecture will give me a chance to highlight the work of the young investigators in my laboratory, and to emphasize how many opportunities there are for creative uses of the information gained from cancer genetics in the immediate future,” he added.

Vogelstein’s scientific expertise is in determining the molecular and genetic causes of cancer. In the late 1980’s, he formulated a model for the development of colorectal tumors that has formed the conceptual basis for understanding solid tumors in general. Since that time, he has devoted his career to identifying the genes and mutations predicted by his model. In the process, he, together with long-time collaborator Kenneth W. Kinzler, Ph.D., and their team, have discovered many of the genetic alterations that underlie numerous forms of human cancers, including those in such well-known genes as p53, APC, b-catenin, PIK3CA, and IDH1.

Currently, Vogelstein’s research team is interested in engineering novel ways to diagnose cancer as well as an individual’s degree of susceptibility toward developing cancer based on his or her genetics. Such techniques would allow for early detection of potentially oncogenic mutations through routine blood tests.

Vogelstein obtained his medical degree from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where he also completed his internship and residency in pediatrics. During his postdoctoral fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, he focused his research on new techniques in molecular biology.

He has been honored with numerous awards including, but not limited to, the Young Investigator Award from the American Federation for Clinical Research, The Gairdner Foundation International Award in Science, the Pezcoller Foundation AACR-International Award for Cancer Research, the Richard Lounsbery Award from the National Academy of Sciences and the AACR G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award. Vogelstein is also a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society and the European Molecular Biology Organization.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Lawrence H. Einhorn, M.D., Receives the 17th Annual AACR Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Lawrence H. Einhorn, M.D., distinguished professor of medicine and the Lance Armstrong Foundation chair in oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine, and a physician-researcher at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, Indianapolis, Ind., will be awarded the 17th Annual AACR Joseph H. Burchenal Memorial Award for Outstanding Achievement in Clinical Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The award is presented to a scientist who has made outstanding achievements in clinical cancer research. Einhorn’s lecture, “Curing testicular cancer: Present studies and future challenges,” is scheduled for 4 p.m. CT on April 3 in room S100 of McCormick Place South.

“I want to very graciously express my appreciation and humility at being the recipient of the Joseph Burchenal Award for Clinical Research,” said Einhorn. “Successful clinical research is never performed by one individual in a vacuum, and I have the opportunity to work with many extraordinary colleagues. I never had the opportunity to become closely acquainted with Dr. Burchenal, but he was one of my early idols in oncology.”

Einhorn’s clinical interests include solid tumor oncology, specifically within the fields of genitourinary and lung cancers. His legacy will be forever linked, however, with revolutionizing testicular cancer treatment. At one point, patients diagnosed with testicular cancer had approximately a 10 percent chance of survival when they developed metastatic disease.

Einhorn’s research drastically altered this number when he first studied platinum combination chemotherapy in patients with metastatic testicular cancer. This monumental finding has resulted in current survival rates for metastatic testicular cancer at 80 percent.

Einhorn rose to even greater prominence when he used his novel treatment paradigm to treat Lance Armstrong, cancer advocate and seven-time winner of the Tour de France. With Einhorn’s treatment, Armstrong survived stage 3 testicular cancer that initially presented with abdominal, brain and lung metastases. Like Armstrong, Einhorn remains dedicated to raising cancer awareness. He was appointed the first Lance Armstrong Foundation professor of oncology in 2006.

After receiving his medical degree from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Einhorn completed fellowships at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, and the Indiana University Medical Center in Indianapolis. Einhorn has published more than 450 peer-reviewed articles. His work has garnered many accolades, including AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award, American Society of Clinical Oncology Karnofsky Award, American Cancer Society Medal of Honor, and the General Motors Kettering Prize. In addition, Einhorn is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and American Philosophical Society.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(310) 528-8206

Scientists Identify New Mechanism of Prostate Cancer Cell Metabolism

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Higher levels of PFKFB4 found in metastatic prostate tumors.
Depletion of this gene inhibited tumor growth in laboratory models.
Results suggest a potential new target for therapy.

PHILADELPHIA — Cancer cell metabolism may present a new target for therapy as scientists have uncovered a possible gene that leads to greater growth of prostate cancer cells.

Study results are published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Almut Schulze, Ph.D., a group leader in the Gene Expression Analysis Laboratory at Cancer Research U.K., and colleagues analyzed three metastatic prostate cancer cell lines and compared those findings with those of a nonmalignant prostate epithelial cell line.

“Cancer metabolism is a new and emerging target that can be exploited as a potential therapeutic, and our study identified one of the components for the growth of these cancer cells,” she said.

The researchers analyzed the effects of gene silencing of 222 metabolic enzymes, transporters and regulators on the survival of the cell lines.

“This approach revealed a significant complexity in the metabolic requirements of prostate cancer cells and identified genes selectively required for their survival,” said Schulze.

Researchers determined that the gene PFKFB4 was vital in many of these processes. Specifically, it was required to balance glycolytic activity and antioxidant production to maintain cellular redox balance in the cancer cells. When levels of this gene were depleted in laboratory models, tumor growth was inhibited. Higher levels of this gene were found in the metastatic prostate cancer cell lines.

Schulze concluded that this gene is required for tumor growth and thus could be manipulated with targeted therapies. Although this study was confined to prostate cancer, she believes the findings could be applicable in other cancers as well.

The study was funded by Cancer Research U.K.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Marker of DNA Damage Could Predict Response to Platinum Chemotherapy

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Assay could direct treatment options for triple-negative breast cancer.
Accumulations of telomere AI predicted sensitivity to therapy.

PHILADELPHIA — Scientists have uncovered a marker of DNA damage that could predict who will respond to platinum-based chemotherapy drugs like cisplatin or carboplatin.

These drugs are widely used for ovarian cancer, but as with most cancer drugs, it can be difficult to predict who will respond to therapy.

A team of researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute found that this marker, telomeric allelic imbalance or tAI, could predict sensitivity to therapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer.

The results are published in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“We currently do not have any targeted therapies for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, so if these laboratory findings are confirmed and an assay is created to predict sensitivity to drugs that target defective DNA repair, it would be a major step forward,” said lead pathologist Andrea Richardson, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Scientists have long known that DNA repair status is a predictor of sensitivity to therapy and thus prognosis. However, measurements of DNA repair status have been slow to arrive.

Richardson and colleagues looked for genomic signatures in cell lines and tumors and correlated them to platinum sensitivity.

In patients with triple-negative breast cancer, they found that a high level of subchromosomal regions with allelic imbalance extended to the telomere predicted response to cisplatin treatment. The same was true for serous ovarian cancer.

Importantly for patients with triple-negative breast cancer, researchers found an inverse relationship between the level of tAI and BRCA1 expression.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Stephen W. Fesik, Ph.D., Receives Sixth Annual AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will recognize Stephen W. Fesik, Ph.D., with the 2012 AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Chemistry in Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

Fesik is the Orrin H. Ingram II chair in cancer research and professor of biochemistry, pharmacology and chemistry at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn. His lecture, “Drugging the undruggable using fragment-based methods,” will take place at 3:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 3, in room W196 of McCormick Place West.

“It is a great honor to be recognized by the American Association for Cancer Research, which has a history of contributing to the fight against cancer for over 100 years,” said Fesik. “I appreciate the support of my past and present colleagues who made this award possible. Using fragment-based methods, we hope to discover inhibitors against highly validated but challenging cancer targets. Every day, I am inspired by the possibility that our efforts in cancer drug discovery could dramatically improve the lives of millions that are affected by this horrible disease.”

Fesik is receiving this award for the use of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) to discover novel, potent small molecules capable of being used as cancer therapeutics.

He was one of the first researchers to utilize NMR spectroscopy for cancer drug discovery. He developed many NMR methods and determined the three-dimensional structures of several proteins, especially proteins involved in apoptosis. In addition, through the use of his “SAR (structure-activity relationships) by NMR” method, one of the first examples of fragment-based approaches to drug discovery, several inhibitors of protein-protein interactions were discovered. One of these compounds, ABT-263 (navitoclax), is currently in clinical trials for its ability to inhibit the Bcl-2 family of proteins and subsequently initiate tumor cell death (apoptosis).

Fesik received his doctorate in medicinal chemistry from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy, Storrs, Conn., and conducted his postdoctoral work at Yale Medical School in the Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, New Haven, Conn. Subsequently, Fesik joined Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, Ill., where he served in various roles, including the divisional vice president of cancer research. In 2009, he joined Vanderbilt where the focus of his research is on cancer drug discovery using fragment-based methods and structure-based drug design.

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Research Team Honored for Innovative Science to Advance Cancer Research and Patient Benefit

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

A Team from The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden Hospital U.K. Receives the AACR’s Sixth Annual Team Science Award

CHICAGO — The Sixth Annual AACR Team Science Award will be presented to a team of researchers from The Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) and The Royal Marsden Hospital: Cancer Research U.K. Cancer Therapeutics Unit and Drug Development Unit, during the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

The AACR Team Science Award recognizes an outstanding interdisciplinary research team for its innovative and meritorious scientific work that has advanced or will likely advance cancer research, detection, diagnosis, prevention or treatment. This team was selected based on its tremendous impact in preclinical and clinical studies relating to cancer therapeutics.

“This team’s research is an outstanding example of how innovative cancer research conducted by a highly functioning translational team can start with biologic hypotheses and ultimately lead to much-needed cancer therapeutics,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research. “The AACR congratulates this research team for its successes to date and looks forward to its future accomplishments that help cancer patients.”

The 2012 AACR Team Science Award will be presented during the opening ceremony on Sunday, April 1, beginning at 8:15 a.m. CT in the Skyline Ballroom of McCormick Place.

The ICR and Royal Marsden Hospital: Cancer Research U.K. Cancer Therapeutics Unit and Drug Development Unit Team, which is based in Sutton and London, U.K., has been responsible, with academic and industrial collaborators, for the discovery of 16 therapeutic drug candidates over the past six years. Six of these candidate drugs, which include highly innovative inhibitors of the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 (HSP90), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), protein kinase B/AKT, and cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs), have now entered clinical trials. The 16-member team also carried out pioneering preclinical work on BRAF and its inhibitors and discovered CHK1 and dual Aurora/FLT3 inhibitors.

Led by Paul Workman, Ph.D., D.Sc., F.Med.Sci., Harrap professor of pharmacology and therapeutics and deputy chief executive at the ICR, as well as head of the division of cancer therapeutics and director of the Cancer Research U.K. Cancer Therapeutics Unit, this team’s many research accomplishments include the discovery and development of abiraterone.

This drug is used to treat castration-resistant prostate cancer by inhibiting CYP17A1, a critical enzyme required for the production of testosterone in the body. By inhibiting the enzymatic production of testosterone precursor molecules in the body, abiraterone essentially helps starve the cancer for fuel, which in this case is often testosterone or its derivative, dihyroxytestosterone.

Workman’s research team evaluated abiraterone through phase I and II clinical studies where the drug demonstrated impressive anti-tumor activity with excellent tolerability. In partnership with a biotechnology company, the team subsequently was involved in a multinational phase III study that demonstrated a survival advantage of four months following abiraterone treatment. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved abiraterone in April 2011 for the treatment of metastatic, castration-resistant prostate cancer. It has also been approved by Health Canada and the European Medicines Agency.

Overall, the work carried out by this multidisciplinary team over the last six years provides an outstanding example of the nonprofit cancer drug discovery and development model that they have pioneered, as well as exemplifying a meritorious ability to collaborate productively with industry to accelerate patient benefit.

“I am proud and honored to accept this award on behalf of our team at The Institute of Cancer Research and The Royal Marsden,” Workman said. “The dedicated members of our multidisciplinary team are all individually experts in their respective fields of cancer biology, pharmacology, medicinal chemistry and medical oncology. This expertise is really important, but it’s also the very close collaboration between the scientists and doctors in our cancer research institute and partner hospital, as well as industry colleagues, that has really enhanced our ability to translate basic scientific research into new personalized cancer medicines.”

“This award is a great endorsement of the academic drug discovery and development model that we pioneered. Most of all we are thrilled that we have been able to make a real and ongoing impact on the lives of cancer patients,” he added.

Harpal Kumar, D.Sc., Cancer Research U.K.’s chief executive, said: “We’re delighted that Cancer Research U.K.-funded scientists have been recognized for their work in bringing more effective treatments to patients with this prestigious award. The great achievement reflects the often groundbreaking work that our researchers are leading, taking us closer to our vision of beating cancer.”

The AACR Team Science Award, generously supported by a grant from Eli Lilly and Company, is presented with the intent to stimulate change within the traditional cancer research culture by recognizing those individuals and institutions that value and foster interdisciplinary team science. The winning team collectively receives a $50,000 prize and is recognized for its scientific accomplishments and leadership role in fostering team science to advance cancer research.

Honorees include (in alphabetical order):

Bissan Al-Lazikani, Ph.D., leader of the Computational Biology and Chemogenomics Research Team;
Udai Banerji, Ph.D., Cancer Research U.K. senior clinical lecturer at the ICR and The Royal Marsden;
Julian Blagg, D.Phil., head of medicinal chemistry, deputy director of the Cancer Research U.K. Cancer Therapeutics Unit, leader of the Medicinal Chemistry 1 Research Team;
Ian Collins, Ph.D., leader of the Medicinal Chemistry 2 Research Team;
Johann S. de Bono, M.D., Ph.D., head of the Drug Development Unit and leader of Prostate Targeted Treatment Research Team;
Sue Eccles, Ph.D., leader of the Tumor Biology and Metastasis Research Team;
Michelle D. Garrett, Ph.D., leader of the Cell Cycle Control Research Team;
Swen Hoelder, Ph.D., leader of the Medicinal Chemistry 4 Research Team;
Keith Jones, Ph.D., leader of the Medicinal Chemistry 3 Research Team;
Stan Kaye, M.D., Ph.D., Cancer Research U.K. professor of medical oncology at the ICR and The Royal Marsden;
Spiros Linardopoulos, Ph.D., leader of the Target Discovery and Apoptosis Research Team;
Richard Marais, Ph.D., head of the Division of Cancer Biology and leader of the Signal Transduction Research Team;
Florence I. Raynaud, Ph.D., leader of the Drug Metabolism and Pharmacokinetics Research Group;
Caroline J. Springer, Ph.D., leader of the Gene and Oncogene Targeting Research Team;
Rob L.M. van Montfort, Ph.D., leader of the Hit Discovery and Structural Design Research Team; and
Paul Workman, Ph.D., D.Sc., F.Med.Sci., director of the Cancer Research U.K. Cancer Therapeutics Unit at the ICR.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., Receives AACR’s Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will award Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., with the 36th Annual AACR Richard and Hinda Rosenthal Memorial Award during the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4. Gillison is receiving this award in recognition of her significant contributions to the understanding of the role of human papillomavirus (HPV) in head and neck cancers.

Gillison’s award lecture, “Clinical implications of HPV in head and neck cancers,” will take place at 10 a.m. CT on Wednesday, April 4 in room S100 of the McCormick Place Convention Center.

“It is an honor to be the recipient of this award,” said Gillison. “Our team strives to generate data that will improve the lives of individuals affected by head and neck cancers, and this is a wonderful validation that we are on the right track.”

This award is designed to provide incentive to young investigators early in their careers. It was established in 1977 by the AACR and the Rosenthal Family Foundation to recognize research that has made, or promises to make, a notable contribution to improved clinical care in the field of cancer.

Gillison is a professor of medicine, epidemiology and otolaryngology and the Jeg Coughlin Chair of Cancer Research at Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute in Columbus, Ohio. She is also adjunct faculty at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, in Baltimore, Md. Her seminal research on the role of HPV in head and neck cancers revolutionized the specialty. Her research has demonstrated that HPV infection causes a distinct molecular, clinical and pathological subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas.

In a landmark case-control study, Gillison identified oral sexual behavior and HPV infection as risk factors for oropharyngeal cancer, findings that led the International Agency for Research on Cancer to formally recognize HPV-16 as a significant cause of oropharyngeal cancers.

Results of other key studies conducted by Gillison and her colleagues showed that tumor HPV status is one of the single greatest predictors of survival in head and neck cancer. As a result, multiple organizations now advocate routine HPV testing of oropharyngeal cancer patients. Clinical trial designs have also been amended to adopt HPV testing as a means by which to stratify various cancer subsets, allowing for better targeted therapies and treatment regimens. Additionally, Gillison established the gold standard of HPV diagnostic tests, currently in use within clinics nationwide. Currently, she is the principal investigator of the first phase III trial focused on HPV-positive head and neck cancers, which began enrolling patients in 2011.

Gillison has led several studies in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that have examined the effects of HPV infection on head and neck cancer at the population level. She has also been the leader in development of methods for oral HPV detection, which will facilitate the development of primary and secondary prevention strategies for the cancer she characterized.

Gillison’s work has had, and will continue to have, significant public health implications. Her group’s recent research established that HPV has been the cause of a dramatic increase in the incidence of oropharyngeal cancer in the United States during the last 20 years.

Currently, the burden of HPV-caused cancers is shifting from women to men, a trend that is anticipated to continue throughout the next decade. In 2011, such data were presented to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, which now recommends that all preteen boys aged 11 to 12 be vaccinated against HPV.

# # #

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Honors Yibin Kang, Ph.D., With Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will recognize Yibin Kang, Ph.D., associate professor of molecular biology in the department of molecular biology at Princeton University and member of the Cancer Institute of New Jersey, with the 32nd Annual AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

Kang’s lecture, “Decoding tumor-stromal interactions in breast cancer metastasis,” will take place at 4:00 p.m. CT on Tuesday, April 3, in room W196 of McCormick Place West.

“It is a privilege to receive this honor from the American Association for Cancer Research and an honor to be recognized by leaders in the field,” noted Kang. “Through continued collaboration with my distinguished colleagues, I am hopeful that we will be able to further elucidate the inner workings of cancer metastasis and apply that knowledge toward the development of targeted therapies.”

Since 1979, the AACR Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cancer Research has honored an investigator younger than 40 to recognize his or her meritorious achievements within the field of cancer research. Award recipients are nominated by their peers and are selected by the AACR International Selection Committee. Final determination is then made by the AACR’s Executive Committee.

Kang is being recognized for his research in furthering the molecular understanding of cancer metastasis. His research has defined the biological mechanisms that govern the ability of breast cancer cells to migrate and colonize various locations throughout the body. The need to understand this ability of cancer cells to metastasize and form secondary tumors is essential as these events often occur in patients, despite having received cancer treatments.

Through the use of imaging techniques and various mouse models, Kang has discovered that certain tumor proteins are capable of altering the biological activities of various bone cells to facilitate metastasis. One such protein, JAG1 or “Jagged1,” promotes secondary tumor formation by stimulating tumor-promoting cellular responses in bone cells, causing the eventual degradation of the bone tissue. This allows for the establishment of a more suitable environment for metastatic cancer cells to grow. Kang’s goal is to better understand how cancer cells are able to populate areas of the body away from primary cancer locations so that better treatments can be designed to counteract such occurrences.

Kang received his doctorate in genetics from Duke University in Durham, N.C. He conducted postdoctoral work at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, N.Y., and joined the faculty of Princeton University, Princeton, N.J., in 2004.

He has published more than 60 novel research articles, and has received numerous awards including the AIMM-ASBMR John Haddad Young Investigator Award and the American Cancer Society Research Scholar Award. He was one of five individuals to receive the prestigious 2006 Department of Defense Era of Hope Scholar Award. Last year, Kang received the Vilcek Prize for Creative Promise in Biomedical Sciences, a prestigious award honoring young immigrant scientists who have demonstrated exceptional creativity and originality in the early stages of their careers in the United States.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Awards 44 Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Awards

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research is awarding 44 Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Awards at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The award, now in its 27th year, is intended to enhance the education and training of minority researchers and increase the visibility and recognition of minorities involved in cancer research. It provides funds for the participation of early-career, meritorious minority scientists at the Annual Meeting. Scholars are chosen from minority institutions and the larger bodies of universities, colleges and research institutions based on their qualifications, references from mentors and an estimation of the professional benefit to the awardees.

The award is sponsored by a grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities. Additionally, Merck Oncology has agreed to provide support to fund the participation of young minority investigators.

The recipients of the 2012 Minority Scholar in Cancer Research Awards include:

Maria M. Abreu, B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #4978. The C/EBPbeta isoform, liver-enriched inhibitory protein (LIP) induces cell death in breast cancer cell lines;
Lauren Amable, Ph.D., University of South Alabama, Mobile, Ala.
Abstract #5613. A specific isoform of Gli1 binds the Gli-binding-site of the c-jun and c-fos promoters;
Ernest K. Amankwah, Ph.D., H. Lee Moffitt Cancer & Research Center, Tampa, Fla.
Abstract #2615. Genetic variations in angiogenesis-related genes in prostate cancer recurrence;
Oluwatoyin A. Asojo, Ph.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb.
Abstract #4746. Structural studies of human glioma pathogenesis-related protein 1 (GLIPR1);
Tameka A. Bailey, Ph.D., University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Neb.
Abstract #1221. Microscopy-based high throughput screen for the mechanistic analyses of ErbB2 degradation in response to HSP90-targeted therapeutics;
Erica N. Bozeman, B.E., Emory University, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #3537. Manipulation of local and systemic immune suppression by GPI-anchored immune stimulatory proteins;
Rebecca Joyce Burkhalter, B.S., University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo.
Abstract #2472. Peritoneal mechanobiology and metastatic success in epithelial ovarian cancer;
Linette Castillo-Pichardo, Ph.D., Universidad Central del Caribe, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Abstract #2142. Dietary grape polyphenol resveratrol regulates Rac activity to increase mammary tumor growth and metastasis;
Tainya C. Clarke, M.P.H., University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Fla.
Abstract #3577. A decade of changed behavior: Trends in screening adherence and incidence 2000-2010;
Shahnjayla K. Connors, Ph.D., M.P.H., H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute, Tampa, Fla.;
Leah M. Cook, Ph.D., University of Alabama-Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala.
Abstract #3416. Ubiquitous Brms1 expression is critical for mammary carcinoma metastasis suppression via promotion of apoptosis;
Rachel Cooper, M.S., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #2114. Trypanosoma brucei: A model to evaluate joint contribution of BRCA2 and PARP in DNA damage repair;
Valerie A. Cortez, B.S., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Abstract #3294. A novel inducible mammary gland-specific PELP1 murine breast cancer model;
Zobeida Cruz-Monserrate, Ph.D., University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas
Abstract #2357. Novel transgenic animal model of salivary gland tumors;
Alejandra De Angulo, B.S., University of Texas at Austin, DPRI, Austin, Texas
Abstract #3553. Modulation of pro-inflammatory signaling pathways by aging T-lymphocytes contributes to a more malignant phenotype in prostate epithelial cells;
Romone M. Fancy, B.S., University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Ala.
Abstract #4754. Quantitative characterization of calmodulin and Fas death domain interactions;
Lauren L. Fonseca, B.S., University of Hawai'i Kaka’ako Campus, Honolulu, Hawaii
Abstract #2144. RasGRp1 induces autophagy in primary epidermal keratinocytes resembling fail-safe mechanisms triggered by oncogenic Ras;
Kyle E. Francis, M.S., Institution of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, Edinburgh, U.K.
Abstract #3642. Phospho-CHK1 as a prognostic biomarker in ovarian cancer and a potential target in platinum-resistant disease;
Evan Gomes, Ph.D., MD Anderson Cancer Center Orlando Cancer Research Institute, Orlando, Fla.
Abstract #2859. Dual targeting of protein tyrosine kinase c-Src and protein tyrosine phosphatase SHP-2 is a novel therapeutic strategy that induces potent inhibition of pancreatic cancer cell viability in vitro and tumor progression in vivo;
Engda Hagos, Ph.D., Colgate University, Hamilton, N.Y.
Abstract #2028. Krüppel-like factor 4 null mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibit DNA repair defects post exposure to gamma-irradiation;
Chanae R. Hardamon, B.S., University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.
Abstract #5228. Inhibition of myeloid cell PI3Kγ is a potential therapeutic approach to treat pancreatic cancer;
Ashley C. Huderson, B.S., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #5459. Benzo(a)pyrene biotransformation enzyme expression, activities and metabolite disposition in ApcMin mouse colon and liver is altered by resveratrol exposure;
Tiffany A. Katz, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Abstract #1052. Synergy between inhibition of novel histone demethylase (LSD2) and DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) and histone deacetylase (HDAC) in modulating gene expression and inhibiting growth in human breast cancer cells;
Laurimer Kuilan-Torres, B.S., University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Abstract #3078. Effects of neuregulins in the regulation of EGFR in breast cancer cell lines;
Taoreed O. Lawal, B.S., Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #2890. Image-guided transcatheter intra-arterial drug delivery of doxorubicin encapsulated iron oxide nanoparticles to liver tumors: safety and feasibility;
Stephania Libreros, B.S., Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, Fla.
Abstract #1393. Chitinase-3-like-1 protein overexpression in lung epithelial cells enhances breast cancer metastasis to the lung;
Florencia McAllister, M.D., Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.
Abstract #2968. TH17 cells in early pancreatic tumorigenesis;
Lauren E. McCullough, M.S.P.H., University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, N.C.
Abstract #2601. Polymorphisms in oxidative stress genes, physical activity and breast cancer risk;
Tanisha Z. McGlothen, B.S., Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #785. Leptin-Notch-Wnt axis affects drug resistance in breast cancer;
Melania E. Mercado-Pimentel, Ph.D., University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.
Abstract #2398. S100P/RAGE signaling activates AP1 and NF-kB in miR-21/RECK regulation;
Diana M. Merino, M.S., Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Abstract #2479. TP53 status as a marker of recurrence and survival in choroid plexus carcinomas;
Shermaine K. Mitchell-Ryan, M.S., Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Mich.
Abstract #3822. A tumor-targeted 5-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine antifolate is a potent inhibitor of 5-amino-4-carboxamide formyltransferase in de novo purine biosynthesis;
Sylvestor A. Moses, M.S., University of Arizona Cancer Center, Tucson, Ariz.
Abstract #3752. Nanoparticles delivery of a novel AKT/PDK1 inhibitor inhibits pancreatic cancer tumor growth;
Bethsaida I. Nieves, Ph.D., Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, Calif.
Abstract #204. Molecular function of the RNA binding protein EWS in RNA processing;
Olorunseun O. Ogunwobi, Ph.D., University of Florida, Gainesville, Fla.
Abstract #2413. Human glypican-3 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression via induction of epithelial-mesenchymal transition;
Trenis D. Palmer, B.S., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #4217. Engaging CD151 inhibits cell migration and metastasis through a novel mechanism involving the cell adhesion molecule ALCAM/CD166;
Deanna M. Patmore, B.S., Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio
Abstract #1433. TC21/R-Ras2 is a critical mediator of the Nf1 oncogenic switch;
Bethany Kristen Rankin, B.S., University at Buffalo, Buffalo, N.Y.
Abstract #3901. Estrogen receptor conformation-sensing small molecules as novel anticancer agents;
Zeyana S. Rivera, Ph.D., University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Abstract #2514. CSPG4 as a target of antibody-based immunotherapy for malignant mesothelioma;
Raysa Rosario Acevedo, B.S., Universidad Central del Caribe School of Medicine, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
Abstract #1992. Ganoderma lucidum (Reishi) induces autophagy in inflammatory breast cancer by regulation of the mTOR signaling pathway;
Jennifer M. Rothberg, B.S., Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Mich.
Abstract #2467. Acidic pericellular pH increases contribution of cathepsin B to invasiveness of a human breast carcinoma cell line;
Sabrina L. Samudio-Ruiz, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.
Abstract #4083. Increased DNA methyltransferase activity and DNA methylation following epidermal growth factor stimulation in ovarian cancer cells;
Francisco J. Sánchez-Rivera, B.S., David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research at MIT, Cambridge, Mass.
Abstract #2957. Uncovering tumor-specific components of the p53 pathway using mouse models and RNAi; and
Cherease R. Street, B.S., City University of New York Medical School, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #3891. NOSH-aspirin, a novel nitric oxide- and hydrogen sufide-releasing hybrid is a potent inhibitor of colon cancer cell growth.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Congratulates 35 Recipients of the Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholar in Cancer Research Awards

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will recognize leaders in the minority cancer community with the Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholars in Cancer Research Awards. The 35 recipients will be honored at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholars in Cancer Research Awards are given to scientists who are working at the level of assistant professor or above at a minority-serving institution and who are engaged in meritorious basic, clinical, translational or epidemiological cancer research. Minority-serving institutions include historically black colleges and universities, Hispanic-serving institutions, American Indian tribally controlled colleges and universities, and other post-secondary institutions defined as minorities-serving by the U.S. Department of Education.

The award is intended to increase the scientific knowledge base of faculty members at minority-serving institutions, to encourage them in their research and to assist in inspiring their students to pursue careers in cancer research. It is supported by a grant from the National Cancer Institute’s Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities.

The recipients of the 2012 Minority-serving Institution Faculty Scholars in Cancer Research Awards include:

Tiffany W. Ardley, Ph.D., Florida A&M University College of Pharmacy, Tallahassee, Fla.
Abstract #3903. Synthesis of substituted N-{4-[(2-hydroxyethyl)sulfanyl]-3,6-dihydropyridin-1(2h)-yl} benzamide/benzenesulfonamide as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents;
Zhenbang Chen, Ph.D., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.;
Mahavir B. Chougule, Ph.D., University of Hawaii at Hilo College of Pharmacy, Hilo, Hawaii
Abstract #5644. Targeted nanocarriers of siRNA for the treatment of cancer;
Laronna S. Colbert, M.D., Morehouse School of Medicine, Decatur, Ga.
Abstract #80. Differential expression of NILCO reveals pathogenesis of human breast cancer;
Oswald D'Auvergne, Ph.D., Southern University, Baton Rouge, La.
Abstract #280. Genetics and functions of Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) glycoproteins in virion egress, infectivity and tumorigenesis;
Sakina E. Eltom, D.V.M., Ph.D., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #698. Overexpression of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor correlates with high tumor grade in human breast invasive carcinomas;
Tamar Ginossar, Ph.D., University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, N.M.;
Shanchun Guo, Ph.D., M.D., Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #5297. Autocrine stimulation of VEGFR-2 by leptin is associated with Notch signaling pathway and cancer stem cell marker expression;
Cimona V. Hinton, Ph.D., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #538. ROS differentially regulates prostate cancer cell survival;
Offiong F. Ikpatt, M.D., Ph.D., University of Miami, Miramar, Fla.;
Efe Williams Iyamu, M.D., Ph.D., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #1627. Chloroquine-induced inhibition of Arginase-1 promotes the nuclear localization of p53 in colon cancer cell lines;
Kimberly M. Jackson, Ph.D., Spelman College, Atlanta, Ga.;
Khosrow Kashfi, Ph.D., City University of New York Medical School, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #3898. NOSH compounds: Nitric oxide- and hydrogen sulfide-releasing hybrids, a new class of anti-inflammatory pharmaceuticals;
Dae Joon Kim, Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Abstract #2537. UVB irradiation induces nuclear translocation of TC-PTP in keratinocytes;
Lilia Kucheryavykh, Ph.D., University Central del Caribe, Bayamon, Puerto Rico
Abstract #318. Microglia promote glioma cell migration through a Pyk2 signaling pathway;
Nazarius Lamango, Ph.D., Florida A&M University, Tallahassee, Fla.
Abstract #1843. Overexpression of polyisoprenylated methylated protein methyl esterase in triple-negative breast cancer;
TinChung Leung, Ph.D., North Carolina Central University, Kannapolis, N.C.
Abstract #4255. Natural product ginger promotes hematopoietic recovery;
Magaly Martinez-Ferrer, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Abstract #590. Andrographolide suppresses prostate cancer cell migration and alters the expression of vimentin, ZO-1 and MMP-11;
Amosy E. M'Koma, M.D., Ph.D., M.S., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #2058. Macrophage engulfment of erythrocytes releases free heme iron, a possible transforming factor in ulcerative colitis-related colorectal cancer;
Shane Young Morita, M.D., University of Hawaii/The Queen’s Medical Center, Honolulu, Hawaii
Abstract #3591. Triple-negative (c-KIT, BRAF, NRAS) acral lentiginous melanoma in Hawaii: Molecular profiling in a multi-ethnic population;
Valerie Odero-Marah, Ph.D., Clark Atlanta University, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #5332. Snail transcription factor contributes to prostate cancer tumor progression via reactive oxygen species and Rac1 activation;
Yvette C. Paulino, Ph.D., University of Guam, Mangilao, Guam;
Carlos Perez-Stable, Ph.D., University of Miami VA Medical Center, Miami, Fla.
Abstract #4679. Betulinic acid inhibits deubiquitinases to increase the degradation of pro-survival proteins and enhance prostate cancer-specific apoptosis;
James E. Raynor Jr., Ph.D., Fayetteville State University, Fayetteville, N.C.;
Checo J. Rorie, Ph.D., North Carolina A&T State University, Greensboro, N.C.
Abstract #4908. The apoptotic response of the triple-negative breast cancer cell line HCC1806 to chemotherapeutics;
Pothana Saikumar, Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas;
Amos M. Sakwe, Ph.D., Meharry Medical College, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #5313. Sustained hypercalcemia primes noninvasive breast cancer cells for metastasis to high-calcium microenvironments;
Rajesh Singh, Ph.D., Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #3649. Expression of CXCR5 and its natural ligand CXCL13 in ovarian cancer;
Shailesh Singh, Ph.D., Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, Ga.
Abstract #586. Withaferin-A inhibits prostate tumor growth by enhancing antitumor immune response;
Rajeshwar Rao Tekmal, Ph.D., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Abstract #5753. Potential therapeutic use of ER beta modulators in treating endocrine therapy-resistant breast cancers;
Marta Torroella-Kouri, Ph.D., University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Fla.
Abstract #398. Tumor microenvironment imposes major alterations and profoundly shapes functional status of macrophages: Peritoneal and tumor-associated macrophages from tumor hosts are two very different subpopulations;
Pablo E. Vivas-Mejía, Ph.D., University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Abstract #1105. MicroRNAs and their target genes promote cisplatin resistance in epithelial ovarian cancer cells;
Leslie G. Wooten-Blanks, Ph.D., Claflin University, Orangeburg, S.C.;
Huan Xie, Ph.D., Texas Southern University, Houston, Texas
Abstract #2889. Development of a novel nanoconstruct for tumor hypoxia photothermal therapy; and
XiaoHe Yang, Ph.D., M.D., North Carolina Central University, Kannapolis, N.C.
Abstract #548. Erythropoietin promotes mammary tumor development in MMTV-erbB-2 transgenic mice.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Awards 34 Students the AACR-Thomas J. Bardos Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research will recognize 34 recipients of the AACR-Thomas J. Bardos Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The primary purpose of the Bardos award is to inspire science students at the undergraduate level to enter the field of cancer research.

The AACR is committed to promoting the education and training of the next generation of dedicated scientists, and to facilitating and nurturing their careers in cancer research or cancer-related biomedical science. Since its founding in 1997, AACR Science Education Awards have been supported by generous annual contributions from a distinguished member of the AACR, Dr. Thomas J. Bardos, Ph.D. His contributions are subsequently matched by those of the AACR. The National Cancer Institute Center to Reduce Cancer Health Disparities generously provides additional funding to support the participation of underrepresented minority students.

The recipients of the 2011-2012 AACR-Thomas J. Bardos Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students include:

Jeff Chen, University of California Davis, Davis, Calif.;
Benjamin W. Dulken, University of Washington, Seattle, Wash.
Abstract #4770. Delivery of doxorubicin to multi-drug resistant murine xenografts via drug-loaded micelles formed from mixtures of amphiphilic triblock copolymers;
Aurian P. Garcia-Gonzalez, University of Puerto Rico-Rio Piedras, San Juan, Puerto Rico;
Allison Gomez, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, Calif.;
Kelsey Gray, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
Abstract #103. DCPS as a cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma susceptibility gene;
Akash Gupta, University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky.;
Nisan M. Hubbard, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Va.;
Thomas M. Kaffenberger, Ohio State University Medical Center, Columbus, Ohio;
Steve L. Lu, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas;
Ashwathi S. Mohan, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas;
Melony A. Ochieng, North Carolina Central University, Durham, N.C.;
Emily E. Ortega, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md.;
Daniel W. Sharp, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah;
Daniel C. Sotelo, University of Arizona, Tucson, Ariz.;
Ken Tanaka, International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan;
Christopher A. Walker, University of Georgia, Athens, Ga.; and
Lian Zhu, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Abstract #2139. RhoC is a determinant of metastatic potential and affects the abundance of breast cancer stem cells.

The recipients of the 2012-2013 AACR-Thomas J. Bardos Science Education Award for Undergraduate Students include:

Grace C. Blitzer, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wis.
Abstract #2352. Molecular profiles of head and neck cancer tumorgrafts;
Sara K. Coulup, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, Colo.
Abstract #4745. Multivalent dendrimeric peptides as new biomarker probes for the detection of cancer metastasis;
Victoria E. Deneke, Indiana University School of Medicine-South Bend, Notre Dame, Ind.
Abstract #2183. Determining the functional roles of the specific isoforms of ARID3B from cellular localizations;
Lois M. Dodson, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.;
Jerry Fong, Washington University, St. Louis, Mo.
Abstract #1457. Valproic acid enhances radiation therapy by protecting normal hippocampal neurons and sensitizing malignant glioblastoma cells;
Wenji Guo, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, Ill.
Abstract #4322. Iron increases the invasiveness of prostate cancer cells in vitro: Mechanisms and inhibition by the antioxidant ebselen;
Selena Kuo, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, Calif.
Abstract #3378. Metformin protects head and neck cancer stem cells against DNA damage-induced apoptosis;
Russell J. Ledet, Southern University and A&M College, Baton Rouge, La.
Abstract #5735. Synthesis and characterization of PEG-ylated porphyrins for targeting the epidermal growth factor receptor in colorectal cancer detection;
Daniel O. Macaulay, Prairie View A&M University, Prairie View, Texas
Abstract #4773. Synergistic effects of chitosan and docosahexanoic acid on osteopontin expression and secretion in an ovarian cancer cell line, SKOV-3
Abstract #3931. Progesterone and estrogen affect the expression and secretion of heparin-binding epidermal growth factor-like growth factor (HB-EGF) in RL95-2 cells, an endometrial cancer cell line;
Clarissa R. Martins, University of Nevada, Reno, Nev.
Abstract #5440. Upregulation of prostaglandin E2 and TGF-alpha by linoleic acid enhances pro-oncogenic signaling in models of human lung and breast cancer;
Gael R. Nicolas, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla.
Abstract #2897. Preferential drug delivery to cancer cells than to normal cells by using the Niosome-Chitosan Thermo-Responsive Double Package System (NCTR-DPS);
Elham Rahimy, University of California, San Diego, San Diego, Calif.
Abstract #422. Nanog promotes PI3K/Akt and mTOR-mediated invasion in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma;
John L. Robinson, University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla;
Connie R. Shi, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Abstract #5622. Effect of novel RhoC inhibitor on breast cancer progression and metastasis in vivo;
Ronald F. Siebenaler, Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio;
Helen Unger, Yeshiva University, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #2253. New targets of mTORC1 pathway in ER-positive cells; and
Jimmy N. Vo, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Ark.
Abstract #1535. Intratumoral chitosan/interleukin-12 immunotherapy reduces breast cancer metastasis.

# # #

AACR Welcomes New Members to the Board of Directors and Nominating Committee

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The members of the American Association for Cancer Research will welcome Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., as president-elect 2012-2013 on Monday, April 2, at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago, Ill. from March 31 - April 4.

Sawyers is chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Additionally, he is a professor in the Cell and Developmental Biology Program and the Department of Medicine at the Joan & Sanford Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University. He will serve for one year as AACR president, beginning in April 2013.

“Dr. Sawyers is a tremendous asset to the AACR and the cancer research community. His extraordinary experience in translational and clinical research will be extremely valuable to the AACR as we continue to accelerate the translation of exciting basic research for the benefit of cancer patients. The AACR is excited to welcome him on board,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR.

Sawyers’ vision statement for his term emphasized his great concern about the federal budget for cancer research and his desire to work with the AACR and its members to raise awareness among its nation’s political leaders and general public about the importance to public health.

“We must educate our leaders, and the public, that this is absolutely the wrong time to compromise on cancer research funding,” he said. “Our voices must be heard, and the American Association for Cancer Research is uniquely poised to coordinate on this outcry. It is time to bring this issue to the forefront through a highly coordinated, worldwide plan to ‘occupy’ cancer research.” (Read more about Charles L. Sawyers, M.D.)

In addition, the members have elected five distinguished scientists to serve on the AACR Board of Directors for the 2012 to 2015 term: Kenneth C. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. (hon.); Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D.; Michelle M. Le Beau, Ph.D.; Benjamin G. Neel, M.D., Ph.D.; and Karen H. Vousden, Ph.D.

Kenneth C. Anderson, M.D., Ph.D. (hon.), is the Kraft Family Professor of Medicine, vice chair of the Joint Program in Transfusion Medicine and research associate of the Center for Blood Research at Harvard Medical School. Anderson is also the director of the Lebow Institute for Myeloma Therapeutics, director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center, medical director of the Blood Component Laboratory, attending physician of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Service, associate professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, associate medical director at Brigham and Women’s Hospital Blood Bank and an associate physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, Mass.

He currently serves as a member of the AACR’s Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee, the Task Force on Regulatory Science and Policy and the Clinical and Translational Cancer Research Committee. Anderson has served as co-chairperson of the AACR Annual Meeting Program Committee, co-chairperson and member of the Scientific Program Committee for the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics and a member of the Team Science Award Committee. He is an editorial board member for Molecular Cancer Therapeutics and is editor-in-chief of Clinical Cancer Research, both of which are journals of the AACR.

Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D., is director of the Beth Israel Deaconess Cancer Center in Boston, Mass., professor of systems biology at Harvard Medical School and chief of the Division of Signal Transduction at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Cantley currently serves as co-editor-in-chief for the AACR’s newest journal, Cancer Discovery, along with Jose Baselga, M.D., Ph.D. He is a member of the AACR’s Council of Scientific Advisors, the Special Conferences Committee and the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research Committee, and was a member of the AACR Outstanding Achievement Award for Breast Cancer Research Committee. Cantley served as a member and co-chairperson of the Annual Meeting Program Committee and the Scientific Committee of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. He was chairperson of the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research Committee, co-chairperson of the special conference Targeting the PI3-Kinase Pathway in Cancer and co-chairperson of the AACR-ASH Workshop on PI3-Kinase: A Common Pathway for Hematologic Malignancies and Solid Tumors.

He is the leader of the Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team: “Targeting the PI3K Pathway”; Sawyers, newly elected president-elect of the AACR, is the co-leader of this initiative. AACR is a scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer.

Michelle M. Le Beau, Ph.D., is the Arthur and Marian Edelstein Professor in the department of medicine, section of hematology/oncology, director of the University of Chicago Comprehensive Cancer Center and director of the Cancer Cytogenetics Laboratory at the University of Chicago.

Le Beau is a member of the AACR’s Science Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee and has previously served as a member of the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship Committee, the Publications Committee and the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research Committee. She is vice president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes.

Benjamin G. Neel, M.D., Ph.D., is director of the Ontario Cancer Institute at University Health Network, which includes The Campbell Family Cancer Research Institute at Princess Margaret Hospital. He is also a professor in the department of medical biophysics at the University of Toronto and holds a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in signal transduction and disease.

Neel is the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 Committee chairperson and a scientific editor for Cancer Discovery. His other involvement with the AACR includes: chairperson and member on the Annual Meeting Program Committee, and a member of the Scientific Review Committee for the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics and the Laboratory Research Awards Committee. He also served as an editorial board member of Cell Growth and Differentiation.

Karen H. Vousden, Ph.D., is director of the Beatson Institute for Cancer Research in Glasgow, Scotland.

She is currently a scientific editor for Cancer Discovery, a co-chairperson of the Annual Meeting Program Committee and a Steering Committee member of the Council of Scientific Advisors. She is also a member of Molecular Cancer Research’s editorial board and a member of the AACR’s International Affairs Committee. Vousden has served as a member on the following AACR committees: Annual Meeting Education Committee, Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research Committee, the Task Force on Aging and Cancer and the Scientific Review Committee of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics.

On Monday, April 2, at 12:30 p.m. CT, during the AACR Annual Meeting Business Meeting, the AACR leadership will induct Frank McCormick, Ph.D., F.R.S., D.Sc. (hon.), as president of the AACR.

McCormick is the director of the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center. He holds the E. Dixon Heise distinguished professorship in oncology and the David A. Wood distinguished professorship of tumor biology and cancer research at UCSF. Additionally, he is the associate dean of the UCSF School of Medicine and a distinguished professor in residence in the department of microbiology and immunology as well as in the department of biochemistry and biophysics.

McCormick will succeed Judy E. Garber, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician of medicine and attending physician of medical service at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass.

Garber served with distinction as AACR president for the 2011 to 2012 term and will assume the role of past-president (2012-2013).

In addition, the following renowned scientists have been elected to serve as members of the Nominating Committee for the 2012 to 2014 term: Chi Van Dang, M.D., Ph.D.; Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D.; Matthew L. Meyerson, M.D., Ph.D.; and Martine F. Roussel, Ph.D.

Chi Van Dang, M.D., Ph.D., is director of the Abramson Cancer Center and the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. He is also a professor of medicine and the John H. Glick professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

He is currently a scientific editor of Cancer Discovery, an editorial board member for Cancer Research and a member of the Publications Committee and the Science Education Committee. He has served as a co-chairperson for the special conference Pancreatic Cancer: Advances and Challenges and the Annual Meeting Program Committee, a member of the AACR Team Science Award Committee, a session chairperson for the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics and as senior editor and associate editor for Cancer Research.

Susan Band Horwitz, Ph.D., is the Distinguished University Professor and co-chair in the Department of Molecular Pharmacology, and associate director for therapeutics at the Albert Einstein Cancer Center in New York, N.Y. She is also the Rose C. Falkenstein professor of cancer research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, N.Y.

Horwitz is an AACR past president and currently serves as a member on the Council of Scientific Advisors. She was a chairperson of the AACR’s Translational Cancer Medicine Meeting; co-chairperson of the educational workshop Translational Cancer Research for Basic Scientists, the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research Committee and the AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development; and served as faculty for the Scientist↔Survivor Program at the AACR 2009 Annual Meeting. She was a member on numerous AACR committees and the Board of Directors.

Matthew L. Meyerson, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School, director of the Center for Cancer Genome Discovery and professor of pathology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.

Meyerson is currently a member on the AACR Special Conferences Committee and the 2012 Annual Meeting Education Committee, and is a scientific editor for Cancer Discovery. He has served as a co-chairperson or chairperson for the AACR-Japanese Cancer Association Joint Conference, Cancer Genomics, Epigenomics and the Development of Novel Therapeutics; the AACR International Conference on New Horizons in Cancer Research: Biology to Prevention to Therapy; and the AACR International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer Joint Conference, The Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer.

Martine F. Roussel, Ph.D., is a full member in the departments of genetics and tumor cell biology, co-chair of the Cancer Center Signal Transduction Program and endowed chair in molecular oncogenesis at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and is a professor in the department of molecular sciences at the University of Tennessee in Memphis, Tenn.

Roussel is currently an editorial board member of Molecular Cancer Research. She has served as a chairperson and member of the AACR-Women in Cancer Research Charlotte Friend Memorial Lectureship Committee, co-chairperson and member of the Annual Meeting Program Committee and chairperson of the G.H.A. Clowes Memorial Award Committee. Roussel was a member of the Laboratory Research Awards Committee, the Scientific Review Committee of the AACR International Conference on Molecular Diagnostics in Cancer Therapeutic Development, the Annual Meeting Education Committee and the Kirk A. Landon-AACR Prize for Basic Cancer Research Committee, and served as an editorial board member and associate editor for Cancer Research.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Elects Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., as President-elect 2012-2013

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The members of the American Association for Cancer Research have elected Charles L. Sawyers, M.D., as their president-elect for 2012-2013. Sawyers is chair of the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Additionally, he is a professor in the Cell and Developmental Biology Program and the Department of Medicine at the Joan & Sanford Weill Graduate School of Medical Sciences of Cornell University.

In his new role, Sawyers will work collaboratively with the AACR Board of Directors and the 34,000-plus membership to further the AACR’s mission to accelerate progress in the prevention and cure of cancer. He will officially become president-elect on Monday, April 2, at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago, Ill. from March 31 - April 4, and will assume the presidency in April 2013.

“I am deeply honored to serve as president-elect of the AACR,” said Sawyers. “We are in the midst of a transformative decade in cancer research, with many new therapies emerging from our work that are improving the lives of cancer patients around the world. Yet we are at risk of failing to realize this full vision due to the economic challenges faced by our nation. Now is not the time to cut our investment in cancer research. I will work with the outstanding staff of the AACR to get this important message to the leadership in Washington.”

“Dr. Sawyers’ research has revolutionized the cancer therapeutics landscape,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “We are thrilled that an esteemed expert in clinical and translational research has been elected to serve as the next AACR president-elect. Dr. Sawyers shares in the AACR’s goal to bring a renewed commitment to increased, sustained funding for cancer research, and we know that he will lead the association with much vigor and commitment to make cancer research funding a higher national priority.”

A member of the AACR since 1998, Sawyers has demonstrated his dedication to the AACR through his extensive leadership and involvement in the association. He is a scientific editor of Cancer Discovery and was associate editor for Cancer Research (2000-2004), all of which are journals of the AACR.

Among his many accolades, he was keynote speaker (2009) and scientific committee co-chairperson (2003) of the AACR-NCI-EORTC International Conference: Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics, co-chairperson of the AACR’s special conferences Targeting the PI3 Kinase Pathway in Cancer (2008) and Emerging Concepts in Oncology (2006), and was chairperson of the AACR’s educational workshop Molecular Biology in Clinical Oncology (2005-2007). Sawyers has also served as a member of the AACR Board of Directors, the Nominating Committee, the Council of Scientific Advisors, and the AACR Award for Lifetime Achievement in Cancer Research Committee.

Among his extensive service to the field of cancer research, Sawyers is past president of the American Society of Clinical Investigation; served on the National Cancer Institute’s Board of Scientific Councilors; and is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine.

Sawyers has received numerous accolades for his clinical and translational research, including the AACR Richard & Hinda Rosenthal Foundation Award, the Dorothy P. Landon-AACR Prize for Translational Cancer Research, the Doris Duke Distinguished Clinical Scientist Award, the ASCO David A. Karnofsky Award and the Lasker~DeBakey Clinical Medical Research Award.
His research efforts are currently centered on investigating the signaling pathways that drive the growth of cancer cells, with an eye toward designing new treatment options for patients. In collaboration with Brian Druker, M.D., at Oregon Health Sciences University, he developed the ABL kinase inhibitor imatinib as a primary therapy for patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Shortly thereafter, his group discovered that resistance to imatinib is caused by BCR-ABL kinase domain mutations.

He worked closely with John Kuriyan, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, to examine the structural consequences of these mutations on the ABL kinase domain and postulated that second-generation ABL kinase inhibitors that bind to ABL differently from imatinib might retain activity against imatinib-resistant mutants. In collaboration with scientists at Bristol-Myers Squibb, his research showed that the dual Src/Abl inhibitor dasatinib has such properties in preclinical models, then co-led the clinical development of dasatinib as a treatment for imatinib-resistant CML.

Subsequently, he found that dasatinib resistance occurs through additional, novel BCR-ABL mutations, some of which remain sensitive to imatinib, making a strong case for combined ABL kinase inhibitor treatment to prevent the emergence of resistant subclones. Sawyers’ work in prostate cancer defined upregulation of androgen receptor signaling as the primary mechanism of resistance to hormone therapy, resulting in the discovery of the antiandrogen MDV3100 in collaboration with Michael Jung, that was recently shown to prolong survival in men with metastatic prostate cancer.

Additionally, in 2009, Sawyers was named a co-leader of the Stand Up To Cancer Dream Team: “Targeting the PI3K Pathway.” Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D., serves as leader. The AACR is a scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer. This Dream Team is a collaborative group of researchers investigating targeted therapies to treat women’s cancers.

Sawyers received his medical degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1985. Three years later he completed residency training at the University of California, San Francisco, and joined the fellowship program of the division of hematology-oncology at UCLA. In 1993, Sawyers became an assistant professor at UCLA, and three years later was appointed associate chief of basic research and director of the Hematopoietic Malignancies and Bone Marrow Transplant Program. In 2002, he was named a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator. Sawyers joined Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2006 to chair the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7109
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Awards 30 Women in Cancer Research Scholars

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research is awarding 30 Women in Cancer Research scholars at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 – April 4.

The annual award provides funding for the participation of early-career members of the AACR’s Women in Cancer Research membership group who are presenting scientific papers at this year’s AACR Annual Meeting. This year’s recipients were chosen following a highly competitive selection process. Scholars are selected on the basis of their qualifications, references from mentors and an estimation of the potential professional benefit to the awardees. There were nearly 250 applicants this year and these recipients truly represent the best and brightest young scientists.

Merck Oncology and the William H. Pruscoff Foundation have provided additional support to fund the participation of these young investigators in this year’s AACR Annual Meeting. The 2012 Women in Cancer Research scholars are:

Stacey J. Adam, Ph.D., Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
Abstract #4879. Distinct roles of p53 and p19ARF in MYC-dependent tumor oncogene addiction;
Anna M. Azarova, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Abstract #2935. The ATP-competitive mTOR inhibitor Torin2 enhances sensitivity of the ALK F1174L mutation to crizotinib in neuroblastoma;
Paloma Bragado, Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #5234. Microenvironmental signals dictate disseminated tumor cells (DTCs) fate through regulation of TGFβII and p38α;
Andrea N. Burnett-Hartman, Ph.D., Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, Wash.
Abstract #1673. BRAF mutation is associated with large, proximal sessile serrated polyps, but not with adenomas;
Zafira Castano, Ph.D., Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.
Abstract #4861. Triple-negative breast cancers establish a systemic environment that drives malignant progression of otherwise indolent disseminated tumors via EGF and IGF;
Katherine L. Cook, Ph.D., Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
Abstract #4995. Glucose-regulated protein 78 regulates crosstalk between apoptosis and autophagy to determine anti-estrogen responsiveness;
Catherine A. Del Vecchio, B.A., Stanford University, Stanford, Calif.
Abstract #10. Oncogenic variant EGFRvIII defines a hierarchy in glioblastoma and expression is restricted by epigenetic mechanisms despite the presence of gene amplification;
Lissette Delgado-Cruzata, Ph.D., Columbia University School of Public Health, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #4482. Effects of lifestyle modification on global DNA methylation in minority breast cancer survivors;
Emily M. Fox, Ph.D., Vanderbilt-Ingram Comprehensive Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #4825. Inhibition of AKT abrogates resistance to endocrine therapy in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer;
Joan T. Garrett, Ph.D., Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tenn.
Abstract #3867. Dual blockade of HER2 in HER2-overexpressing tumor cells does not eliminate HER3 function completely: Clinical implications;
Xiaolan Guo, M.D., Ph.D., University of Minnesota Hormel Institute, Austin, Minn.
Abstract #1173. AKT-mTOR pathway mediates mutant p53 gain-of-function by inhibiting autophagy;
Karin G. Hermans, Ph.D., University Health Network, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Abstract #3330. Functional characterization of microRNAs identified in human acute myeloid leukemia stem cells;
Christine How, B.S., University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Abstract #2311. MicroRNA-196b regulates HOXB7 in cervical cancer;
Andrea L. Kasinski, Ph.D., Yale University, New Haven, Conn.
Abstract #2950. miR-34 prevents in vivo lung tumor initiation and progression in the therapeutically resistant Kras;p53 mouse model;
Kate Lawrenson, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Calif.
Abstract #2928. Functional effects of SNPs in noncoding RNAs at the 3q25 ovarian cancer susceptibility locus;
Vivian S. W. Li, Ph.D., Hubrecht Institute, Utrecht, Netherlands
Abstract #983. Wnt pathway activation involves inhibition of β-catenin ubiquitination within the endogenous Axin1 complex;
Monica Mann, B.S., University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Abstract #5628. Novel cell permeable peptide inhibitors of PELP1 oncogenic functions;
Tapati Mazumdar, Ph.D., The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Abstract #898. Hedgehog signaling (HH/Gli) transcriptionally regulates hTERT gene expression in human cancer cells;
Ying Ni, M.S., The Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio
Abstract #1120. α-Tocopherol protects cells from lipid peroxidation and rescues tumorigenic phenotypes in CS/CSL patients with germline SDHx variants;
Mukti Parikh, M.S., Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Abstract #3306. A novel reconstructed metastasis (rMet) model to understand the role of breast cancer stem cells in metastasis;
Ruth Perets, M.D., Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Abstract #3292. A genetically engineered mouse model for high grade serous “ovarian” carcinoma arising in the fallopian tube;
Aparna Rao, M.S., University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Abstract #4399. Immunostimulatory effects of HSP90 inhibition: Insights from combinational immunotherapies targeting EphA2;
Jaya Sangodkar, B.S., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #1885. Targeting the FOXO1/KLF6 transcriptional network to modulate response to antiEGFR-based therapy;
Raphaela Schwentner, M.Sc., Children's Cancer Research Institute, Vienna, Austria
Abstract #2198. A functional ETS/E2F module in cancers expressing ETS fusion genes;
Bing Song, Ph.D., Purdue University, West Lafayette, Ind.
Abstract #2050. Plk1 phosphorylation of Orc2 promotes DNA replication under conditions of stress;
Maria S. Sosa, Ph.D., Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, N.Y.
Abstract #4262. NR2F1 and SOX9 mediate reprogramming of tumor cells into dormancy: Potential role in dormant bone marrow DTCs;
Christina Vorvis, B.S., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Abstract #5335. Identification and molecular characterization of pancreatic tumor-initiating cells;
Sarah R. Walker, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Mass.
Abstract #971. Identification of BCL6 targeted therapies for breast cancer through gene expression networks;
Xiaoqi Xie, Ph.D., The Cancer Institute of New Jersey/UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, New Brunswick, N.J.
Abstract #2276. Coordinate autophagy and PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway inhibition enhances cell death in melanoma; and
Pan Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, N.J.
Abstract #2121. Nonerythroid alpha spectrin prevents telomere fragility after DNA interstrand crosslink damage.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 – April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Honors 19 New Members to 50-year Members Club

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

CHICAGO — The American Association for Cancer Research is pleased to recognize 19 new inductees to the ranks of the 50-year Member Club during the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“The AACR extends its heartfelt appreciation to these members for their long-term participation and continued support of our association,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “Their valuable input into AACR programs and activities speaks to their lifelong commitment and devotion to the mission of the AACR and cancer research. The AACR has benefited greatly from their sage advice over the years, and we are delighted to honor them and their service to our association.”

The AACR will present awards of appreciation to its 50-year members during the opening ceremony, which will be held on Sunday, April 1 at 8:15 a.m. CT in the Skyline Ballroom of McCormick Place in Chicago, Ill.

In addition, the 50-year members will be honored during a breakfast that will take place on Tuesday, April 3 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. CT in Boulevard C Room at the Chicago Hilton. (Please note: This is an invitation-only event.)

The following people will be inducted into the 50-year Member Club, joining 143 other members who have been AACR members for more than 50 years:

Joseph R. Bertino, M.D., past president of the AACR, and associate director and chief scientific officer at UMDNJ-The Cancer Institute of New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J.;
William H. Bond, M.D., retired, Indianapolis, Ind.;
Bayard D. Clarkson, M.D., past president, former treasurer, and emeritus founding president and chair of the AACR Foundation, and head of the laboratory of hematopoietic cell kinetics at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, N.Y.;
Henry P. Close, M.D., retired, Devon, Pa.;
Allan H. Conney, Ph.D., professor and director of the laboratory for cancer research at Rutgers University, Piscataway, N.J.;
Joseph R. Davis, M.D., Ph.D., retired, Aurora, Ill.;
Geoffrey Falkson, M.D., retired, Hermanus, South Africa;
Emil J. Freireich, M.D., D.Sc., director of the adult leukemia research program at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas;
Raul Grinberg, M.D., retired, Vestal, N.Y.;
Franz Halberg, M.D., director of the Halberg Chronobio Center at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minn.;
Harold B. Haley, M.D., retired, Roanoke, Va.;
Alvin S. Levine, Ph.D., retired, St. Pete Beach, Fla.;
Robert E. Madden, M.D., professor of surgery at New York Medical College, Valhalla, N.Y.;
Ines Mandl, Ph.D., retired, New York, N.Y.;
Robert J. Rutman, Ph.D., retired, Mesa, Ariz.;
Joseph Song, M.D., retired, Des Moines, Iowa;
John S. Stehlin, M.D., scientific director of the Christus Stehlin Foundation, Houston, Texas;
Athanasios Theologides, M.D., Ph.D., retired, Santa Clara, Calif.; and
Arthur J. Weiss, M.D., physician at Oceanside Medical Corporation, Little Deer Isle, Maine.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Praises New HHS Tobacco Education Campaign

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for its plans to launch a new nationwide tobacco education campaign, “Tips From a Former Smoker,” which will feature depictions of the health risks of smoking.

“Tobacco use causes nearly one-third of all cancer deaths, about 170,000 people every year — and cancer is only one of the ways that tobacco kills people,” said Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the AACR Task Force on Tobacco and Cancer, and chief of medical oncology at Yale University. “We must do a better job educating people about the dangers of all tobacco products because, despite our efforts to date, one in five Americans is still smoking. Tobacco use is the single largest cause of preventable death in the country, yet we’re seeing that every day nearly 4,000 young people try their first cigarette, with about 1,000 becoming addicted to the nicotine in these products.”

The goals of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) campaign are to increase public awareness about the health risks of smoking and secondhand smoke exposure, motivate smokers to quit, encourage smokers who need help to call 1-800-QUITNOW and encourage adults to actively protect their kids from exposure to secondhand smoke. The ads will begin airing nationwide on Monday, March 19.

The HHS announcement comes on the heels of a new report from the surgeon general, titled Preventing Tobacco Use Among Youth and Young Adults, which details the scope, health consequences and influences that lead to youth tobacco use and specifies proven strategies that prevent its use. The report also provides further scientific evidence on the addictive nature of nicotine.

Remarking on the administration’s efforts, Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR, said, “As a research community we are actively working to find better treatments for all types of cancer, but we know that tobacco use causes cancer and the best way to prevent people from dying from this terrible disease is simply to prevent them from using tobacco in the first place. The administration’s efforts to prevent tobacco use are very encouraging and we hope this will make a real difference in combating this enormous public health problem, which causes no fewer than 18 different types of cancer.”

In 2010, the AACR released a comprehensive policy statement (Adobe Acrobat Reader required) on tobacco and cancer comprising policy recommendations and a road map for future research to stem the tide of tobacco-related death and disease. In particular, the statement highlighted the need for more effective, evidence-based public communication to prevent, reduce and eliminate tobacco use.

Among other tobacco-related efforts planned for the coming year, the task force will sponsor a policy session at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 on Sunday, April 1 at 3:15 p.m. CT in room W178 of McCormick Place West titled “Challenging Conventional Cancer Care: The Untold Story of Tobacco’s Effect on Cancer Biology, Treatment Response and Survival.” This Science Policy Session will offer attendees an analysis of the effects of tobacco on tumor physiology and cancer treatment, identify the complexities of both assessing tobacco use and providing cessation support to cancer patients, report on the current state of tobacco assessment in National Cancer Institute Cooperative Group clinical trials and provide a framework for incorporating tobacco use into the design and interpretation of future cancer research.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

Pancreatic Cancer Action Network–AACR Pathway to Leadership Grants

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Two Awards Total $1.2 Million to Advance Pancreatic Cancer Research

CHICAGO — The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network and the American Association for Cancer Research have awarded Stephanie K. Dougan, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, and Oliver G. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow at Johns Hopkins University, the 2012 Pancreatic Cancer Action Network-AACR Pathway to Leadership Grants.

These five-year grants, each providing $600,000 in research funding, will be formally awarded at the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held here March 31 - April 4.

“With the partnership of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, we are able to provide these grants to encourage gifted, young researchers such as Dr. Dougan and Dr. McDonald to pursue their research endeavors and advance the field,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research. “Their projects have the potential to lead to breakthroughs that better prevent, detect and treat pancreatic cancer.”

“As the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network works diligently to double the survival rate of pancreatic cancer by 2020, it is critical that we fund the very best science and brightest minds to ensure scientific progress is made. We are honored to welcome Drs. Dougan and McDonald to the team and to our robust community of pancreatic cancer researchers,” stated Lynn Matrisian, Ph.D., Pancreatic Cancer Action Network’s vice president of scientific and medical affairs. “We look forward to interacting with Drs. Dougan and McDonald and trust that the Pathway to Leadership Grant will accelerate progress towards improved patient outcomes.”

The Pathway to Leadership Grant, intended for postdoctoral or clinical research fellows, parallels the highly coveted K99/R00 early-career investigator awards offered by the National Institutes of Health. It provides financial support for two years of mentored research followed by three years of independent research.

The goals of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network–AACR grants program are to build a robust pancreatic cancer research community; to encourage collaboration, information-sharing and innovation; and to expedite scientific and medical breakthroughs for patient benefit.

Funding decisions for the Pathway to Leadership Grant are made by a stellar committee of experts in pancreatic cancer using a rigorous and transparent process. In addition to receiving research funds, grant recipients are provided with career development opportunities. These include mentorships and connections with senior scientists in the field; invitations to present at scientific sessions, lead conference workshops, and participate in training and educational webinars; involvement with pancreatic cancer survivors and their caregivers; and resources to keep them apprised of emerging developments in the field.

2012 Pathway to Leadership Grant Recipients:

Stephanie K. Dougan, Ph.D.
Dougan’s research, “Transnuclear mice: Understanding the T cell response to pancreatic cancer,” proposes to generate an innovative mouse model (called TN) of pancreatic cancer with alterations to the immune system. In this TN mouse model, cytotoxic (or killer) T cells of the immune system will be programmed to recognize a protein present in pancreatic cancer cells, mesothelin. The mice will also allow Dougan to investigate the balance between cytotoxic T cells trained to attack pancreatic cancer and regulatory T cells that would otherwise impede the immune response.

Dougan believes that immunotherapy represents a very attractive approach for pancreatic cancer treatment. Through the creation of TN mice, Dougan aims to identify mechanisms to inhibit the immunosuppressive regulatory T cell response, in turn resulting in an increased population of cytotoxic T cells and a heightened immune response generated against the cancer.

“This novel approach will not only generate many lines of useful mouse models, but also identify the specificity of regulatory T cells for the first time, and may help address why these cells home so readily to pancreatic tumors and block the body’s innate immune response to the tumor,” Dougan said. “Such information will allow us to create targeted therapies to suppress or eliminate regulatory T cells specifically while promoting cytotoxic T cell function.”

This research will serve as the foundation of Dougan’s independent research program.

Dougan’s grant is supported by Celgene Corporation.

Oliver G. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D.
McDonald’s research, “Genome-wide epigenetic reprogramming during evolution of pancreatic cancer,” will investigate non-sequence related genetic or epigenetic events that induce cellular changes necessary for the onset and eventual metastasis (spread) of human pancreatic cancer.

Previous studies conducted by McDonald and colleagues have mapped the function of various epigenetic modifications that accompany pivotal cellular changes. For example, normal cells of the pancreas would not have the ability to depart the pancreas or survive in the bloodstream, but cancer cells are able to adopt these characteristics. Such modifications represent survival mechanisms exhibited by cancer cells as these epigenetic changes facilitate cell movement necessary for metastasis, as well as chemotherapeutic resistance. By understanding the nature of such modifications and the mechanisms involved in their establishment, McDonald and his colleagues hope to identify key regulators of pancreatic cancer reprogramming, metastasis and resistance to chemotherapy.

“These seminal studies will provide unprecedented insights into epigenetic reprogramming during pancreatic cancer evolution,” said McDonald. “The findings will have far-reaching implications, and will pave the way for development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics for pancreatic cancer.”

McDonald’s research is supported by The Daniel and Janet Mordecai Foundation.

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Twitter: @pancan
Follow the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network on Facebook: www.facebook.com/jointhefight

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

About the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network

The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network is the national organization creating hope in a comprehensive way through research, patient support, community outreach and advocacy for a cure. The organization is leading the way to increase the survival rate for people diagnosed with this devastating disease through a bold initiative—The Vision of Progress: Double the Pancreatic Cancer Survival Rate by 2020. Together, we can know, fight and end pancreatic cancer by intensifying our efforts to heighten awareness, raise funds for comprehensive private research, and advocate for dedicated federal research to advance early diagnostics, better treatments and increase chances of survival.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

Dietary Cadmium may be Linked With Breast Cancer Risk

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Cadmium is a toxic metal found in many fertilizers.
Study included more than 55,000 women.
Whole grains and vegetables may counteract the effects.

PHILADELPHIA — Dietary cadmium, a toxic metal widely dispersed in the environment and found in many farm fertilizers, may lead to an increased risk of breast cancer, according to a study published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Cadmium occurs at low concentrations naturally, but scientists are concerned because contamination of farmland mainly due to atmospheric deposition and use of fertilizers leads to higher uptake in plants.

“Because of a high accumulation in agricultural crops, the main sources of dietary cadmium are bread and other cereals, potatoes, root crops and vegetables,” said Agneta Åkesson, Ph.D., associate professor at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. “In general, these foods are also considered healthy.”

For the current study, Åkesson and colleagues observed 55,987 women for more than 12 years. They estimated the dietary cadmium exposure using a food frequency questionnaire. During the follow-up period, researchers observed 2,112 incidences of breast cancer including 1,626 estrogen receptor-positive and 290 estrogen receptor-negative cases.

Cadmium consumption was divided into three groups with the highest levels of exposure compared with the lowest. Overall, a higher exposure to cadmium via diet was linked with a 21 percent increase in breast cancer. Among lean and normal weight women, the increased risk was 27 percent.

Both estrogen receptor-positive and negative tumors had the same risk increase at roughly 23 percent. Åkesson said that women who consumed higher amounts of whole grains and vegetables had a lower risk of breast cancer compared to women exposed to dietary cadmium through other foods.

“It’s possible that this healthy diet to some extent can counteract the negative effect of cadmium, but our findings need to be confirmed with further studies,” said Åkesson. “It is, however, important that the exposure to cadmium from all food is low.”

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and of related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

AACR CEO Receives Prestigious Research!America Advocacy Award

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Research!America Honors Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), for her leadership and dedication to cancer research, treatment and prevention

PHILADELPHIA — Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the American Association for Cancer Research, will receive Research!America’s 2012 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Award for Sustained National Leadership. Foti is honored for her national leadership role in science and public policy, and in particular, for her tireless and effective advocacy for federal funding for cancer research and biomedical science during her long tenure as chief executive officer of the AACR.

“I am deeply honored and humbled to receive this award from Research!America,” said Foti. “This is a time of unprecedented scientific progress and opportunity. Today more than ever, cancer researchers are translating fundamental discoveries for the benefit of patients, and I passionately believe there is no better investment that our country can make than in advancing the promise of biomedical research.

“The AACR is proud to be a member of the Research!America alliance of organizations that share in its unwavering mission to educate lawmakers and the public about the value of research in saving lives. We applaud the work of Research!America to foster collaborations across the entire biomedical research community in order to expand the nation’s support of scientific discovery and innovation,” she added.

The award will be presented to Foti at the 16th Annual Advocacy Awards, being held tonight at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, D.C. The awards dinner attracts nearly 500 leaders from government, industry, academia and health advocacy organizations to recognize top medical and health research advocates whose efforts had an extraordinary impact on advancing the nation’s contributions to research.

“Dr. Foti has long provided the knowledge, commitment and the national leadership to increase funding for medical research,” said Mary Woolley, president and CEO of Research!America. “Her leadership has created synergy within the cancer community for strong advocacy initiatives.”

Foti became CEO of the AACR in 1982. During her tenure, the AACR’s membership has grown from about 3,000 to 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; health care professionals; students; cancer survivors; and research and patient advocates in the United States and more than 90 other countries.

In the fall of 2007, the AACR opened a Washington, D.C. office to educate members of Congress about the inextricable link between cancer research and public health. As a result, the AACR has a regular presence on Capitol Hill, sponsoring educational briefings for members of Congress and their staffs, and facilitating opportunities to connect researchers with key decision makers at all levels of government.

Most recently, Foti’s leadership was instrumental in the production of the landmark AACR Cancer Progress Report 2011, which highlights the extraordinary progress made in cancer research over the past 40 years. This report is a comprehensive, informational tool that illustrates the astounding return on investment in cancer research supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute, and provides a summary of the scientific breakthroughs that promise to revolutionize the prevention, detection, diagnosis and treatment of cancer.

Foti has received many accolades for her contributions to cancer research. In 2010, she was awarded the first Margaret Foti Award, established in cooperation with the University of Catania Ph.D. Oncology Program and the Italian League Against Cancer of Catania. In 2009, she received the first Margaret Kripke Legend Award from the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the European CanCer Organization Lifetime Achievement Award and a citation from Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter for her dedication to increasing awareness of the importance of cancer research as well as for her pivotal role in designating May as National Cancer Research Month. She was the first recipient of the AACR Margaret Foti Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research, created in her name in 2007.

She has received numerous other awards, such as the Award of Appreciation from the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research Chairpersons, the Award with Recognition and Appreciation from the Israel Cancer Association, the Italian League Against Cancer Commendation, the Distinguished Service Award from the George Washington University Medical Center’s GW Cancer Institute, the Distinguished Service Award from the Association of American Cancer Institutes, the AACR Award for Leadership and Extraordinary Achievements in Cancer Research, the Ville de Paris Award, the Cina del Duca Award for raising public awareness of cancer globally, the Community Caring Award from the William S. Graham Foundation for Melanoma Research and the Special Recognition Award from the American Society of Clinical Oncology for her work in advancing clinical cancer research.

Foti has also been awarded honorary memberships in the Japanese Cancer Association, the European Association for Cancer Research and the Hungarian Cancer Society. She was awarded an honorary doctorate in medicine and surgery from the University of Rome La Sapienza in 2003, and a second honorary doctorate in medicine and surgery from the University of Catania in Sicily in July 2008. She received a third honorary doctorate in medicine from the University CEU San Pablo in Madrid in 2009.

Award benefactors Beverly and Raymond R. Sackler, M.D., emeritus directors of Research!America, are long-standing supporters of medical research. They have sponsored research investigations at more than a dozen leading universities in the United States and abroad through the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Foundation and the Raymond and Beverly Sackler Fund for the Arts and Sciences.

Other 2012 Research!America Advocacy Award winners are U.S. Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski, D-Md.; Sanjay Gupta, M.D., chief medical correspondent for CNN; Scott Johnson, president and founder of the Myelin Repair Foundation; Donald Lindberg, M.D., director of the National Library of Medicine; and the Food Allergy Initiative.

Research!America is the nation’s largest nonprofit public education and advocacy alliance working to make research to improve health a higher national priority. The annual Research!America Advocacy Awards program was established in 1996 to honor outstanding advocates for medical, health and scientific research.

The 2012 Advocacy Awards represent Research!America’s 16th year of recognizing the accomplishments of leading advocates for medical and health research. For more information, visit www.researchamerica.org/advocacy_awards.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

AACR Announces Annual Meeting 2012 Press Conference Schedule

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research is pleased to announce the official press conference schedule for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012, held in Chicago, Ill. from March 31 - April 4.

Press conferences will be held at the Hyatt McCormick Conference Center, which is adjacent to the McCormick Place Conference Center. Attendance is limited to registered members of the media and pre-approved guests.

Press registration is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration. Reporters who are unable to attend the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 in person can participate in selected press conferences by calling (888) 647-7462. If calling from outside the United States or Canada, please dial (201) 604-0169.

The AACR will host the following press conferences. A full press kit with embargoed news releases and abstracts will be distributed on Tuesday, March 27, 2012.

Saturday, March 31:

“Late-breaking Clinical Trials”
1:30 p.m. CT
Room CC20 A/B/C
U.S./Canada: (888) 647-7462; International: (201) 604-0169

“Personalized Medicine: Late-breaking Science from AACR Journals”
4:00 p.m. CT
Room CC20 A/B/C
U.S./Canada: (888) 647-7462; International: (201) 604-0169

Sunday, April 1:

“Breast and Gynecological Cancers”
8:00 a.m. CT
Room CC20 A/B/C
U.S./Canada: (888) 647-7462; International: (201) 604-0169

“Stand Up To Cancer”
1:00 p.m. CT
Room CC10 A/B/C
Teleconference: Not available

Monday, April 2:

“Vaccines and Immunotherapy”
7:30 a.m. CT
Room CC20 A/B/C
U.S./Canada: (888) 647-7462; International: (201) 604-0169

“Genetic Screening”
11:00 a.m. CT
Room CC20 A/B/C
U.S./Canada: (888) 647-7462; International: (201) 604-0169

# # #

Press registration for the AACR Annual Meeting 2012 is free to qualified journalists and public information officers: www.aacr.org/PressRegistration.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR
Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In Chicago, March 31 - April 4:
(312) 528-8206

AACR Calls for Letters of Intent for a New Stand Up To Cancer-Cancer Research Institute Cancer Immunology Translational Research Dream Team

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) and the Cancer Research Institute (CRI), along with the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), call upon the cancer research community to submit Letters of Intent for a new Dream Team — the SU2C-CRI Cancer Immunology Translational Research Dream Team.

Significant scientific developments in the field of cancer immunology and the recent FDA approvals of two cancer immunotherapies highlight the field’s potential to transform cancer treatment.

The formation of a Dream Team focused on this promising area of cancer research aligns with CRI’s 60-year mission to advance cancer immunology and SU2C’s mission to accelerate translation of scientific discovery into new treatments for cancer patients.

The SU2C-CRI Cancer Immunology Translational Research Dream Team Grant will provide funding of $6 million over a three-year period for translational cancer research projects that address laboratory and clinical efforts leading to the immunological treatment, control and prevention of cancer. Projects should also deliver near-term patient benefit through investigation by a multidisciplinary, multi-institutional, synergistic Dream Team of expert investigators.

In addition, these projects may include the identification of inflammatory/immune pathways involved in cancer initiation, progression, dissemination and responsiveness to therapy and their targeting by therapeutic approaches such as vaccines, antibodies, adoptive cell transfer, cytokines and other molecularly targeted therapeutics.

Deadline: Letters of Intent must be submitted by 12:00 p.m. (noon) ET on Monday, April 9, 2012. The SU2C-CRI Cancer Immunology Translational Research Dream Team is scheduled to be announced in September.

To maximize creativity, innovation and collaboration, the Dream Team must include laboratory and clinical researchers, senior and/or young investigators and senior scientists who have not worked together in the past, as well as patient advocates. Mechanisms to foster collaboration within and among the Dream Teams should be employed — an approach that promotes the sharing of information and a goal-oriented focus on measurable milestones of progress.

A SU2C-CRI Joint Scientific Advisory Committee (JSAC) will conduct a unique, interactive, rapid and rigorous evaluation of the applications via a multi-step scientific review process.

The JSAC is composed of highly accomplished senior laboratory researchers and physician-scientists, as well as advocates. The committee is chaired by 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. It is co-chaired by Giorgio Trinchieri, M.D., and Carl H. June, M.D. Trinchieri is director of the Cancer and Inflammation Program and chief of the Laboratory of Experimental Immunology at the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, and associate director for basic science at the Trans-NIH Center for Human Immunology. June is director of translational research at the Abramson Cancer Center at the University of Pennsylvania, and is an investigator with the Abramson Family Cancer Research Institute. He is also a professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine.

Since the launch of Stand Up To Cancer in 2008, the AACR has played an integral role as SU2C’s scientific partner by providing scientific leadership, expert peer review and grants administration. The AACR is responsible for administering these grants and provides ongoing scientific oversight to ensure that progress is being made.

For general information on eligibility criteria, the application process and other details about the SU2C-CRI Cancer Immunology Translational Research Dream Team, please visit: www.aacr.org/SU2CCRI.
Inquiries may also be directed to the SU2C Grants Office at: (267) 765-1049 or SU2C@aacr.org.
Interested applicants should submit Letters of Intent detailing their best ideas for cancer immunology translational research using the proposalCENTRAL website at: https://proposalcentral.altum.com/.

# # #

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, with the leadership of a prestigious SU2C Scientific Advisory Committee, provides scientific oversight, expert peer 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 Cancer Research Institute

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI), a nonprofit established in 1953, is the global leader in cancer immunology. Since its inception, CRI has invested hundreds of millions of dollars to support research conducted by more than 3,000 scientists and clinicians worldwide to understand the immune system and how it can be harnessed to conquer all cancers. This work has laid the foundation for nearly every major cancer immunotherapy breakthrough over the past half century.

Guided by an international panel of the world’s leading immunologists and cancer immunologists, including three Nobel laureates and 29 members of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, CRI provides essential funding to support every stage of discovery, from laboratory investigation to clinical trials of the most promising cancer immunotherapies for patients.

CRI also sponsors a seminal international symposium on cancer immunology each year, hosts annual scientific colloquia dedicated to overcoming challenges in immunotherapy research and development, forges collaborative partnerships between academia and industry to facilitate the development pathway for novel immunotherapeutics and presents special recognition awards to individuals who have made outstanding contributions to cancer research, patient care and public awareness.

Through its sustaining support and leadership in the field, CRI is accelerating the development of safe and effective immunotherapies that stand to revolutionize the treatment of all cancers. For more information, visit http://cancerresearch.org.

About the American Association for Cancer Research

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by annually convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review, grants administration and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit: www.AACR.org.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

Combination Therapy May Enhance Gemcitabine Activity for Pancreatic Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 28 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Nab-paclitaxel appears to enhance gemcitabine activity.
Study also shows the potential value of a time-delay administration.
Combination treatment regimen already in late-stage phase III clinical trial.

PHILADELPHIA — Oncologists who treat patients with pancreatic cancer may be one step closer to understanding why gemcitabine, the only currently available treatment, works in some cases but not in others, according to a paper in Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

David Tuveson, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of pancreatic cancer medicine at the University of Cambridge, utilized a laboratory model to test the combination of gemcitabine and nab-paclitaxel in pancreatic cancer.

“The combination has shown promise in an early clinical trial, and clinical results from a pivotal phase III trial will be reported in 2013,” said Tuveson. “However, we know very little about the mechanism of action because tumor samples have been so small.”

Using a laboratory model of metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma, the researchers showed that combination treatment increased intratumoral gemcitabine levels due to a marked decrease in the primary gemcitabine metabolizing enzyme, cytidine deaminase.

Paclitaxel appeared to reduce these levels through reactive oxygen species-mediated degradation, resulting in increased stabilization of gemcitabine. Tuveson said understanding these mechanisms of action are important and will lead to better administration of the therapeutic combination if the larger human trials prove positive.

“For example, we predict from this mechanistic study that nab-paclitaxel may be most effective if we administer it first, and delay administration of the gemcitabine. The next step is to test this prediction, since it could help a great deal with patient treatment,” said Tuveson.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Combined Inhibition of VEGF and c-MET Can Decrease Metastasis

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Inhibition of VEGF increased c-MET expression in tumors.
Invasion and metastasis were blocked by inhibition of VEGF plus c-MET.
Dual VEGF/c-MET inhibitors are in late-stage clinical trials.

PHILADELPHIA — Dual inhibition of vascular endothelial growth factor and c-MET signaling inhibited tumor invasion and metastasis in a laboratory model of pancreatic neuroendocrine cancer, according to a paper published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“Inhibition of VEGF signaling plus c-MET signaling results in a synergistic effect on tumors that leads to slowing of tumor growth and decreased invasiveness and metastasis,” said lead researcher Donald M. McDonald, M.D., Ph.D., a professor at the University of California San Francisco Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Previous laboratory research had shown that inhibition of VEGF signaling with agents like bevacizumab or sunitinib can give rise to a number of side effects including increased tumor invasion and metastasis.

What was not known was whether anti-VEGF therapy results in elevated c-MET expression, which has been previously shown to promote tumor cell invasiveness and metastasis. To determine this, McDonald and colleagues conducted a two-phase laboratory study. They treated mice engineered to develop pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors with an anti-VEGF antibody, which reduced tumor size but increased invasiveness and metastasis. This treatment also increased tumor hypoxia and expression and activity of c-MET.

However, when both VEGF and c-MET signaling were inhibited simultaneously, there was a reduction in invasion and metastasis. The researchers tested three c-MET inhibitors: crizotinib and PF-04217903, which target c-MET but not VEGF signaling, and cabozantinib, a dual inhibitor that blocks VEGF and c-MET signaling.

McDonald said they conducted their initial study in neuroendocrine pancreatic tumors because the genetic mouse model of these tumors has been studied so extensively, and then observed the effect in other tumors as well.

“The intent of this study was to explore a mechanism, and there is no indication that this effect will be confined to pancreatic tumors,” he said.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

AACR Expresses Concern With the President's FY2013 Budget

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Calls on Congress to Provide $2 Billion Increase

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The American Association for Cancer Research is grateful for President Obama’s outspoken support for science, innovation and research, but fears the president’s recent proposal to freeze funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal year 2013 will slow the rate of progress against cancer.

“The potential for continued flat funding could not come at a worse time because the opportunities for turning our growing scientific knowledge into effective strategies for the treatment and prevention of cancer have never been greater,” said AACR President Judy E. Garber, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Center for Cancer Genetics and Prevention at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

“This is a defining moment in cancer research; tremendous progress has been made in our understanding of cancer and its vulnerabilities,” Garber added. “We must capitalize on these discoveries and transform treatment for cancer patients everywhere. In addition, the value of cancer research and biomedical research to the economic health and well-being of this nation cannot be overestimated.”

For the past decade the NIH budget has remained essentially flat, and due to the rate of biomedical inflation has lost approximately $5.5 billion in purchasing power since 2003. If enacted, the president’s request would continue the downward trend that is putting lifesaving research at risk, and jeopardize the nation’s longstanding position of global leadership in science and technology.

These consequences would seemingly undermine the president’s stated commitment to scientific progress and innovation, as emphasized in his recent State of the Union Address. During the speech, the president acknowledged that basic research is essential to innovation. He specifically highlighted opportunities in cancer research by saying, “Today, the discoveries taking place in our federally-financed labs and universities could lead to new treatments that kill cancer cells but leave healthy ones untouched.”

“We are grateful for President Obama’s longstanding support for cancer research, but the fiscal year 2013 budget request is extremely concerning,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “If we are going to continue to make significant progress, it will require a renewed commitment on the parts of President Obama and Congress to provide the NIH and National Cancer Institute with sustained funding increases.”

As the FY2013 budget debate advances, the AACR will be calling on Congress to provide the NIH with a $2 billion increase, to $33 billion.

“This level of support will ensure the future scientific advances needed to capitalize on past research investments, spur innovation and make a difference in the lives of people worldwide,” said Foti.

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Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

AACR Journal Cancer Discovery Receives Prestigious 2011 PROSE Award

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research’s newest journal, Cancer Discovery, has received a 2011 American Publishers Award for Professional and Scholarly Excellence (PROSE Award). Cancer Discovery received this award for “Best New Journal in Science, Technology and Medicine.”

The Professional and Scholarly Publishing (PSP) Division of the Association of American Publishers presented more than 45 PROSE awards at a special awards luncheon, which was held recently during the PSP Annual Conference in Washington, D.C.

“The American Association for Cancer Research is honored to receive this accolade for its newest addition, Cancer Discovery, to our robust publications program,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “This award solidifies the journal’s reputation as an influential publication in the industry. Through the expert guidance of its outstanding editors-in-chief, Cancer Discovery brings top-rated research articles to the scientific and medical community, and we are very proud that it has received this early recognition for its contributions to the cancer literature.”

“All of us who are involved with the publishing of Cancer Discovery are extremely pleased to receive such an esteemed award,” said the journal’s publisher Diane Scott-Lichter. “Cancer Discovery captures the most significant work in cancer research and provides a unique forum to communicate and inspire new thinking in the field.”

Cancer Discovery launched at the AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011 and is the seventh journal published by the AACR. The journal provides readers with high-impact, peer-reviewed articles describing major advances in basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological research. It features game-changing research, review articles, perspectives and commentaries, news, and “Research Watch” summaries of important journal articles.

In addition, Cancer Discovery combines the expertise and experience of founding Editors-in-Chief Lewis C. Cantley, Ph.D., director of the cancer center and chief of the division of signal transduction at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and professor of systems biology at Harvard Medical School, and José Baselga, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of hematology/oncology and associate director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, and professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.

The 2011 PROSE Awards received a record-breaking 512 entries — more than ever before in its 36-year history — from more than 60 professional and scholarly publishers across the country. Award recipients were determined by a distinguished panel of 14 PROSE judges. A full list of the award recipients and video highlights from this year’s awards luncheon can be found at www.proseawards.com.

For more information on Cancer Discovery, please visit http://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
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About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

AACR Supports World Cancer Day, Saturday, Feb. 4, 2012

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research supports World Cancer Day on Saturday, Feb. 4, and the efforts of the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) to bring the looming world cancer crisis to the forefront by urging the public, government leaders and health policy makers to take proactive steps in the global fight against cancer.

The 2012 World Cancer Day initiative, in following the footsteps of this year’s theme “Together it is Possible,” is raising public awareness through education and encouragement of healthy lifestyle choices in an effort to reduce cancer risk.

“World Cancer Day is a reminder that we must take action and work together to decrease the global burden of cancer,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “The AACR has had a long-standing focus on cancer prevention research. We believe that known prevention strategies offer long-term potential for lowering cancer incidences and mortality and we urge everyone to take action.”

Worldwide, cancer cases are projected to almost double to 21.4 million by 2030, with nearly two-thirds of all diagnoses occurring in low- and middle-income countries. In the United States alone, approximately 1.64 million people will be diagnosed with cancer and more than 577,000 will die of the disease in 2012. However, one in three cancer deaths are preventable through lifestyle changes such as these:

Eat a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables, limit your fat intake and if you consume alcohol, do so in moderation.
Exercise regularly, at least 30 minutes a day, and maintain a healthy weight.
Avoid tobacco use – this includes cigarettes, pipes, water pipes and chewing tobacco.
Protect yourself from the sun by avoiding midday sun, wearing sunscreen, and avoiding tanning beds and sunlamps.
Get vaccinated and protect yourself from certain viral infections like the Hepatitis B virus and the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Be aware of your family history, learn the signs of cancer, perform self-exams and get proper routine cancer screenings by your doctor.

How else can you help? Take action, join the fight against cancer and sign the World Cancer Day declaration. The declaration is an initiative to bring the global cancer burden to the attention of governments and health policy makers.

In an effort to rally the online community, a dedicated 2012 World Cancer Day application on Facebook has been launched to allow users to make their personal pledge by donating their Facebook status. A companion campaign on Twitter will support #WorldCancerDay as a trending topic. Express your commitment to cancer prevention publicly.

It is only by every person, organization and government entity doing their part that we will be able to reduce the global cancer burden. Learn more about World Cancer Day, and how you can get involved: http://www.worldcancerday.org/wcd-home.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in 97 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, biology, diagnosis and treatment of cancer by convening more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous cancer organizations. As the Scientific Partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research that have the potential for patient benefit. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policy makers about the value of cancer research and related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

Soy Isoflavone Supplements Did Not Provide Breast Cancer Protections

registration@aacr.org () — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Findings suggest the effects of food may be more complex.
Adverse effect observed in younger women.

PHILADELPHIA — Soy isoflavone supplements did not decrease breast cancer cell proliferation in a randomized clinical trial, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Lead researcher Seema A. Khan, M.D., professor of surgery at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, said the results of this study are consistent with the findings of previous studies that were designed to test cancer prevention benefits of dietary supplements.

“Simply put, supplements are not food. Although soy-based foods appear to have a protective effect, we are not seeing the same effect with supplementation using isolated components of soy, so the continued testing of soy supplements is likely not worthwhile,” said Khan.

Khan said that beta-carotene and selenium supplementation have also been shown to lack benefit in lung cancer prevention studies.

“Foods are very complex and there are likely traveling companions that we haven’t identified that are protecting against cancer,” said Khan.

For the current study, Khan and colleagues randomly assigned 98 women to receive a mixed soy isoflavones supplement or placebo. Isoflavones are components of soy foods that were expected to have anti-estrogen activity.

These women had more than 4,000 breast cancer epithelial cells identified by fine needle aspiration biopsy. At six months, researchers evaluated the levels of Ki-67, an established protein marker of cancer cell growth. In the overall population, no difference was seen after six months in either group. However, among pre-menopausal women, the level of Ki-67 increased from 1.71 to 2.18, suggesting a negative effect of the supplementation.

“This was a small finding, but one that should suggest caution,” said Khan.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the AACR

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) is the world’s first and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research and its mission to prevent and cure cancer. AACR’s membership includes 34,000 laboratory, translational and clinical researchers; population scientists; other health care professionals; and cancer advocates residing in more than 90 countries. The AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise of the cancer community to accelerate progress in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through more than 20 conferences and educational workshops, the largest of which is the AACR Annual Meeting with more than 18,000 attendees. In addition, the AACR publishes seven peer-reviewed scientific journals and a magazine for cancer survivors, patients and their caregivers. The AACR funds meritorious research directly as well as in cooperation with numerous organizations. As the scientific partner of Stand Up To Cancer, the AACR provides expert peer review and scientific oversight of individual and team science grants in cancer research. The AACR actively communicates with legislators and policymakers about the value of cancer research and of related biomedical science in saving lives from cancer.

For more information about the AACR, visit www.AACR.org.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

AACR Congratulates David G. Nathan, M.D., on Receiving Lifetime Achievement Award from ASH

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research congratulates David G. Nathan, M.D., a member of the AACR Foundation’s Board of Trustees, on receiving the 2011 Wallace H. Coulter Award for Lifetime Achievement in Hematology from the American Society of Hematology.

This award is the American Society of Hematology’s highest honor and is named for Wallace Henry Coulter, a prolific inventor and entrepreneur who made important contributions to hematology and to the American Society of Hematology. The award is presented to someone who has demonstrated a lasting commitment to the field of hematology through outstanding contributions to education, research and practice.

“David Nathan is a true leader in the field of hematology research, and we are pleased that he has been awarded this distinguished honor. His visionary leadership will continue to move the field forward for the benefit of patients not only with hematologic diseases, but also all types of cancer,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR.

Nathan is president emeritus of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and the Robert A. Stranahan distinguished professor of pediatrics and a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. Throughout the course of his nearly 50-year career, he has made numerous advances in medicine, including the development of the first prenatal diagnostic test for thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, and the introduction of hydroxyurea for the amelioration of sickle cell anemia.

Nathan graduated from Harvard College in 1951, then from Harvard Medical School in 1955. He completed an internship and residency at the Peter Bent Brigham Hospital (now Brigham and Women’s Hospital) and was a clinical associate at the National Cancer Institute. From 1959 to 1966 Nathan was a hematologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and then became chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology at Children’s Hospital Boston and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. In 1985, he was named physician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital Boston, a position he held until he was named president of Dana-Farber in 1995. He served as president until 2000.

As part of his career-long commitment to clinical research, Nathan chaired the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Panel on Clinical Research in 1997. He is also a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians, the American Pediatric Society, the Institute of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the American Philosophical Society. In addition, he has written several books and has published several articles in AACR journals, among others. Nathan is the recipient of numerous awards, including the American Society of Hematology Henry M. Stratton Medal, the National Medal of Science, the Walker Prize of the Boston Museum of Science, the John Howland Medal of the American Pediatric Society and the George M. Kober Medal of the Association of American Physicians.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

Possible New Pathway Can Overcome Glioblastoma Resistance

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

A20 E3 ubiquitin ligase could be a therapeutic target.
Targeting this ligase may overcome TRAIL resistance.
No current therapy available for glioblastoma.

PHILADELPHIA — Glioblastoma, a lethal brain cancer, is one of the most resistant to available therapies and patients typically live approximately 15 months.

Previous research has focused on the activation of the apoptosis, or cell death, pathway using therapeutic agents such as tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL); however, the vast majority of these experiments have been stymied by resistance.

“Scientists in this field have been hoping to treat this cancer with this new type of apoptosis pathway-targeted therapeutic drug, and this new information may provide a path forward,” said Chunhai “Charlie” Hao, M.D., Ph.D., a neuropathologist at Emory University.

Using human glioblastoma samples and tumor-initiating cells or cancer stem cells, Hao and colleagues identified a possible new pathway for targeted therapies. Results of their work are published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

TRAIL treatment often leads to caspase-8-mediated apoptosis. However, study results showed that the A20 E3 ligase is highly expressed in glioblastomas and together with receptor interacting protein 1 (RIP1) and caspase-8, forms a signaling complex. Upon TRAIL interaction with this complex, the A20 E3 ligase triggers ubiquitination of RIP1, interferes with activation of caspase-8 and prevents caspase-8-initiated apoptosis.

“Previous research in this area has been unable to overcome the obstacle created by resistance. This research shows one of the mechanisms for how we can manipulate the ubiquitination process to overcome the resistance to the apoptosis-targeted cancer therapies,” said Hao.

Understanding the mechanisms of resistance is vital to developing therapies going forward, according to Hao.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Applications Open for Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Grants

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Deadline for Applications is Feb. 1, 2012.

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research is currently accepting applications for the 2012 Caring for Carcinoid Foundation-AACR Grants for Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research. This is the second year of the AACR’s grant-giving partnership with the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation.

“The AACR shares in the vision of the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation to combat carcinoid tumors through innovative cancer research,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “We are very pleased to be the scientific partner of this Foundation that vigorously supports and encourages this important research.”

2012 Caring for Carcinoid Foundation-AACR Grants for Carcinoid Tumor and Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumor Research: These two-year grants of $250,000 ($125,000 per year) are open to independent junior and senior investigators affiliated with academic, medical or research institutions to develop and study new ideas and innovative approaches that have direct application and relevance to carcinoid tumors or pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Through this joint effort, the AACR and the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation hope to increase the understanding of neuroendocrine tumor biology, elucidate the mechanisms of currently available therapies and identify new treatment targets for carcinoid and pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.

Proposed research may be in any discipline of basic, translational, clinical or epidemiological cancer research. Applications will be accepted from researchers currently in the field and those with application experience in other areas of cancer research. It is anticipated that at least two grants will be funded.

The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2012, noon ET.

Learn more about eligibility criteria, the nomination process and other details.

# # #

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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 U.S. 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.

About the Caring for Carcinoid Foundation
The Caring for Carcinoid Foundation is dedicated to discovering cures for patients with carcinoid, pancreatic neuroendocrine and related neuroendocrine cancers. The CFCF directs 100 percent of all individual donations to breakthrough scientific research. This is made possible by the generous support of CFCF’s Board of Directors and corporate sponsors. Since its inception, the CFCF has awarded more than 6 million dollars in research grants to leading scientists at renowned institutions.

Media Contact:
Tara Yates
(215) 446-7110
Tara.Yates@aacr.org

Scientists Uncover Novel Mechanism of Glioblastoma Development

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 18 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Changes to specific proteins can lead to tumor growth and development.
Glioblastoma patients often have a poor prognosis.
Understanding molecular mechanisms can lead to new treatments.

PHILADELPHIA — Most research on glioblastoma development, a complicated tumor of the brain with a poor prognosis, has focused on the gene transcription level, but scientists suggest that post-transcriptional regulation could be equally or even more important.

In a recent report in Molecular Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, scientists led by Luiz O. F. Penalva, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the department of cellular and structural biology at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, illustrated that the connection between two RNA-binding proteins, Musashi1 and HuR, can have important consequences to glioblastoma.

“This is a novel finding in terms of what we know about glioblastoma development,” said Penalva. “Most of what we know about glioblastoma is limited to gene transcription-level research, but there are other regulatory processes beyond transcription that when disrupted could contribute to tumor formation.”

RNA-binding proteins are key regulators in all cellular processes from splicing to translation. Changes that affect either their function or expression levels can have dramatic consequences to protein production and can lead to disease states including cancer.

In the lab, Penalva and his colleagues showed that increased levels of HuR up-regulate the expression of another RNA-binding protein, Musashi1. Both proteins control the expression of cancer-related genes; their interaction brings together two important gene networks with major consequences to glioblastoma development.

The results are still early, but Penalva stressed that little is known about glioblastoma development and the findings represent a move toward greater understanding.

“To treat cancer, you have to understand what triggers tumor formation,” said Penalva. “If we continue to think that all the activity is at the transcription level, we are just fooling ourselves. Clearly, something is going on beyond that level.”

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

AACR Announces Revised News Release Embargo Policy

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research has updated its embargo sanctions policy. This revised policy affects all meetings and journals promoted by the AACR.

In sum, the AACR supports quality scientific journalism and recognizes that comprehensive stories take time to prepare carefully. Toward that end, the AACR Communications Department often releases material early, under embargo, to credentialed journalists. This process requires trust and responsibility on the part of both parties. The revised embargo policy recognizes that journalists and other media professionals occasionally make honest mistakes; these mistakes should not permanently damage the relationship between the association and the media.

Therefore, each embargo break by a journalist or outlet will be investigated by the AACR Communications Department. If the break is determined to be accidental, the outlet will take internal steps to make sure its processes are corrected. After assurances are made, both verbally and in writing, that these steps have been taken, the AACR will maintain the press credentials of the media outlet.

However, repeat offenders may face sanctions at the discretion of the AACR Communications Department, which potentially include removal from AACR mailing lists, dismissal from AACR meetings and the possible removal of the ability to cover other AACR events.

Read the complete, revised AACR embargo policy.

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Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Ganetespib Showed Activity in KRAS-Mutant NSCLC as Monotherapy and in Combinations

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Novel Hsp90 inhibitor shows activity in slowing KRAS-mutant NSCLC tumor cell growth.
Use with traditional chemotherapy resulted in increased cancer cell death.
Phase 2b/3 trial combined with docetaxel under way.

SAN DIEGO — The investigational drug ganetespib, a synthetic second-generation Hsp90 inhibitor, slowed the growth of cancer cells taken from non-small cell lung cancer tumors with a mutation in the KRAS gene. The drug was even more active when combined with traditional lung cancer treatments and other investigational targeted therapies, according to preclinical study data.

David A. Proia, Ph.D., and Jaime Acquaviva, Ph.D., scientists at Synta Pharmaceuticals Corp., presented the data at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012.

Currently, patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with KRAS mutations have no effective treatment strategy. A phase 2 trial showed tumor shrinkage in more than 60 percent of patients with KRAS-mutant NSCLC at eight weeks after treatment with ganetespib administered once weekly as a monotherapy, indicating the drug’s potential effectiveness, according to Proia.

He and his colleagues examined whether ganetespib was effective against several different cell lines of KRAS-mutant NSCLC and confirmed it was effective in 15 different cell lines. They then sought to determine which combination treatments would enhance the activity of ganetespib in this cancer type.

First, the researchers combined ganetespib with several standard-of-care chemotherapies currently available in the clinic for KRAS-mutant NSCLC tumor samples. They found that the combination of ganetespib with alkylating agents, antimitotics and topoisomerase inhibitors resulted in an increased cell death of 1.4-, 1.5- and 2.6-fold, respectively, compared with ganetespib alone.

“We saw great activity with, for example, docetaxel and [ganetespib],” Proia said. “What we are doing now is conducting a large phase 2b/phase 3 trial with docetaxel and [ganetespib] in NSCLC patients. Activity in the KRAS-mutant subpopulation is a coprimary endpoint in this trial.”

The researchers also tested ganetespib in combination with two therapies that target pathways known to be involved in NSCLC: a MEK inhibitor or a PI3K/mTOR inhibitor. Results in tumor samples revealed that combining ganetespib with either therapy was also more active in slowing tumor growth compared with ganetespib alone.

“Not only was ganetespib activity enhanced in combination with traditional chemotherapies, which may be understood in terms of the ability of Hsp90 inhibition to block certain resistance or repair mechanisms, but activity was also enhanced in combination with a number of targeted therapies for which recent work has shown very interesting complementary inhibition of signaling pathways,” Proia said.

Finally, the researchers further validated their results by combining ganetespib with the PI3K/mTOR inhibitor in mice with KRAS-mutant NSCLC. Both drugs alone promoted tumor shrinkage, but the combination resulted in a greater inhibition of tumor growth.

If further validated, this research could open up avenues for future treatment options for patients with KRAS-mutant NSCLC.

# # #

About the AACR:
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 United States 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.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association’s membership includes more than 3,500 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries.

IASLC members promote the study of etiology, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and all other aspects of lung cancer and thoracic malignancies. IASLC disseminates information about lung cancer to scientists, members of the medical community and the public and uses all available means to eliminate lung cancer as a health threat for individual patients throughout the world. Membership is open to any physician, scientist, nurse or allied health professional interested in lung cancer, including patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates.

IASLC publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, a valuable resource for medical specialists and scientists who focus on the detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

To learn more about IASLC, visit http://iaslc.org

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In San Diego, Jan. 8-11:
(619) 615-6922

Precancer Markers Identified in Airway Epithelium Cells of Healthy Smokers

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Smokers are more likely to have molecular features of cancerization in the large airway epithelium.
Smokers with COPD had significant changes in the small airway epithelium.
Findings could lead to development of a diagnostic test.

SAN DIEGO — Smoking may be associated with the development of molecular features of cancer in the large airway epithelium. In the small airway epithelium, molecular cancerization is associated with development of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, according to recent data.

“We are striving to find the earliest molecular changes that are induced by environmental stressors — in this case, smoking,” said Renat Shaykhiev, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, who presented the findings at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012. “Our goal is to understand the early pathogenesis of lung cancer and to develop strategies to prevent lung cancer in susceptible individuals.”

Shaykhiev and colleagues analyzed the large and small airway epithelia of healthy nonsmokers, healthy smokers and smokers with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which is typically caused by long-term smoking, for expression of so-called “molecular cancerization” features (i.e., the genes upregulated in lung cancer compared with nonmalignant adjacent tissue).

Researchers found significantly more cancer-like gene expression changes in the large airway epithelia of smokers than in those of nonsmokers. When analyzing the small airway epithelium, though, they did not find significant differences between healthy smokers and nonsmokers, but they did find significant overall upregulation of cancerization genes in smokers with COPD. Analysis of these genes in the large and small airway epithelia obtained from the same individuals revealed that molecular cancerization occurs more frequently in the large airway epithelium than in the small airway epithelium.

Shaykhiev and colleagues drew the following conclusions: Smoking is associated with acquisition of molecular cancerization features in the large airway epithelium prior to the development of disease, and the large airway epithelium is likely more susceptible to smoking-induced changes than the small airway epithelium, implying that it may be the primary site of molecular alterations leading to lung cancer in smokers.

These findings could potentially lead to the development of a diagnostic test that would look for these genetic changes in susceptible individuals, the researchers suggested.
“Ideally, we would use these genes to do very routine analysis to determine which smokers or even nonsmokers are at risk for development of lung cancer,” said Shaykhiev.

# # #

Embargoed For Release:                                                  Media Contact:
4:30 p.m. PT, Jan. 10, 2012                      Jeremy Moore
                                        (215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In San Diego, Jan. 8-11:
(619) 615-6922

Sorafenib Effective in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, but Low Survival Rates Reported

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Survival rates were “unsatisfactory” in patients with NSCLC and a KRAS mutation.
“Great need” exists for new treatment combinations in this patient population.

SAN DIEGO — Sorafenib was effective in patients with non-small cell lung cancer and a KRAS mutation, but survival rates were reportedly “unsatisfactory,” according to data presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012.

Patients with lung cancer and a KRAS mutation are believed to have a poor prognosis and may not benefit from treatment with epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors, according to study author Wouter W. Mellema, M.D., a doctoral candidate at VU University Medical Center in Amsterdam.

“There is a great need for targeted treatment options for patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with a KRAS mutation,” he said.

In the phase 2, multicenter study conducted in the Netherlands, researchers assigned 57 patients with NSCLC and a KRAS mutation to 400 mg of sorafenib twice daily.

At six weeks, Mellema and colleagues reported a rate of no progression of 52.6 percent. Fifteen patients stopped treatment before six weeks — 10 of whom stopped due to clinical progression. Median progression-free survival was 2.3 months, and median overall survival was 5.3 months. The researchers reported that 14 patients are still alive.

“Sorafenib could be a useful drug in this patient population by inhibiting the growth-stimulating signal of the RAS protein,” Mellema said. “However, although sorafenib showed relevant activity, the outcome was unsatisfactory.”

Mellema and his team had conducted a pilot study in 10 patients, which showed “very promising results. Unfortunately, the results of the phase 2 study were less optimistic. We expected that progression-free survival and overall survival would be better [in the phase 2 study],” Mellema said.

He suggested that the KRAS mutation causes early progression by stimulating cell growth through an alternative pathway. “Future studies currently in preparation in our group should focus on simultaneous inhibition of these pathways,” he said.

# # #

Sensitive Detection Method Analyzes Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients With Lung Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Extremely sensitive methodology can analyze a DNA sample size as small as three cells.
Analysis method may be able to detect mutations in CTCs from patients with NSCLC.
Method could help track progress of NSCLC and guide choice of targeted therapies.

SAN DIEGO — Researchers have developed a method to analyze circulating tumor cells in the blood of patients with non-small cell lung cancer. This method, which can analyze a sample size as small as three cells, may allow clinicians to track cancer progress and treatments and could help them develop new therapies.

“We have developed an extremely sensitive test that could be able to detect mutations present in circulating tumor cells (CTCs), and we are hoping that from their characterization, we would be able to understand diagnostic, prognostic and predictive markers,” said Heidi S. Erickson, Ph.D., assistant professor of thoracic/head and neck medical oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

Erickson presented the findings at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012.

Even though researchers have found that the presence of CTCs in the blood of patients with lung cancer is associated with short survival, clinicians have had no way to analyze the actual CTCs because their levels were so small.

In this study, Erickson and colleagues showed the effectiveness of using high-throughput matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry single nucleotide polymorphism analysis (MALDI-TOF MS SNP) — an extremely sensitive analysis using a mass spectrometer — to analyze and determine the exact genetic mutations present in DNA from a few malignant cells that can be applied to CTC samples.

Identifying these mutations would allow clinicians to track progress of genetic changes and thus monitor the cancer and the effectiveness of any treatments being administered. It could also enable researchers to identify ways in which the cancer develops and possibly identify new therapy targets. This analysis method also benefits the patient in the way samples are taken.

“By being able to collect a blood sample from a patient instead of having to do a biopsy, we’ll have an opportunity to monitor the patient throughout treatment in an easier way,” said Erickson.

The researchers showed the method works by “spiking” a blood sample with a cell line containing a known specific mutation. They then used the MALDI-TOF MS SNP method to test the sample and found the cancer cell line mutation they had used.

Collection and purification methods of CTC samples are not yet perfected. When they are, the researchers will test samples from actual patients with lung cancer, Erickson said.

# # #

Estrogen-Targeting Drug Combo May Help Prevent Lung Cancer

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Early results reported from a preclinical mouse study.
Combination included an antiestrogen and aromatase inhibitor.
Effect seen before and after precancerous development.

SAN DIEGO — A combination of drugs that target estrogen production significantly reduced the number of tobacco carcinogen-induced lung tumors in mice, according to results from a preclinical study.

“Antiestrogens have been shown to prevent breast cancer in some women,” said Jill M. Siegfried, Ph.D., professor in the department of pharmacology and chemical biology at University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. “If antiestrogens can prevent lung cancer as well, this would be a major advance, because these drugs are safe to give for long periods and there are no approved ways to prevent lung cancer.”

Siegfried presented the results at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012.

Most lung cancers are positive for a type of estrogen receptor that makes lung tumors grow when exposed to estrogen. In addition, an enzyme in the lung called aromatase produces estrogen. Siegfried and colleagues hoped that by blocking this estrogen receptor and the aromatase enzyme, they might be able to prevent estrogen-sensitive lung tumors.

To test this theory, they conducted a study on two groups of female mice: one group that was currently being exposed to a tobacco carcinogen and one that had past exposure to a tobacco carcinogen and in which some precancerous cells had already formed. The mice were assigned to treatment with a placebo, the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole, the antiestrogen fulvestrant or a combination of anastrozole and fulvestrant.

“The first model asks whether the treatments inhibit the process by which cancer is first started before it is even detectable under the microscope, and the second asks whether the treatments inhibit the process by which microscopic precancers develop into visible tumors,” Siegfried said.

In the first model, the combination treatment given during carcinogen exposure resulted in significantly fewer lung cancer tumors compared with placebo or either treatment alone. The tobacco carcinogen was stopped once treatment began to maximize its ability to halt lung cancer development. Combination treatment also resulted in maximum antitumor effects in the second model, where precancerous cells were already present.

According to Siegfried, these results suggest that antiestrogen treatment combined with an aromatase inhibitor prevents lung cancer development during tobacco carcinogen exposure and after carcinogen damage to the airways has already occurred.

Siegfried said that ultimately, the hope is that this research could lead to an approved treatment that could greatly reduce the risk for an ex-smoker to develop lung cancer.

“We may be able to prevent lung cancer in people who have been previously exposed to tobacco carcinogens using some of the same antiestrogen drugs that can prevent breast cancer,” Siegfried said. “A lot of work needs to be done to determine who would benefit from this therapy, and these drugs would need to be tested in clinical trials in those at high risk for lung cancer.”

# # #

Genetic Composition of Multicentric Lung Tumors Appears to be Similar

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Certain genes can be used to define the lung tumor’s type and ability to clone.
Genetic status information might be used to presume genetic background.

SAN DIEGO — Multicentric carcinogenesis with the same genetic mutation appears to occur in lung adenocarcinoma, according to data presented at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012.

Data also demonstrated that the EGFR and KRAS genes, which are mutually exclusive, can be used to define clinically relevant molecular subsets of lung adenocarcinoma and can define tumor clonality.

“The information on genetic status of multiple lung cancers is valuable and might be able to presume genetic backgrounds for carcinogenesis of the lung,” said Kenji Sugio, M.D., Ph.D., research director and chief of the department of thoracic oncology at the National Kyushu Cancer Center in Fukuoka, Japan.

By using high-resolution computerized tomography (CT), researchers are able to detect small-sized lung tumors and “sometimes multiple tumors.” Sugio and his colleagues analyzed the genotype of the EGFR and KRAS genes and the expression of the EML4-ALK fusion gene in synchronous multiple noninvasive adenocarcinomas to evaluate the possibility of multicentric carcinogenesis. According to Sugio, in five of the nine patients in this study, multiple tumors, which were defined as pathologically noninvasive tumors, showed the same genetic mutation.

“These findings demonstrate that multicentric carcinogenesis under the same genetic backgrounds occurs in lung adenocarcinoma,” Sugio said. “We expected a high incidence rate of the same genetic mutation in synchronous multiple lung adenocarcinomas because the whole lung of patients with lung cancer is thought to be under an almost uniform environment of carcinogen.”

# # #

Researchers Map Potential Genetic Origins, Pathways of Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Progress made in identifying ways lung cancer develops in never-smokers.
New mutations and pathway changes not found in patients who smoked.
Ten percent of lung cancers are found in patients who never smoked.

SAN DIEGO — Researchers have begun to identify which mutations and pathway changes lead to lung cancer in never-smokers — a first step in developing potential therapeutic targets.

Never-smokers (defined as an individual who smoked fewer than 100 cigarettes in his or her lifetime) are estimated to account for 10 percent of lung cancer cases. However, in the past, researchers have not examined this patient population as extensively as they have studied patients with lung cancer who smoked, according to Timothy G. Whitsett, Ph.D., senior postdoctoral fellow in the cancer and cell biology division at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen).

He presented findings on potential gene mutations and pathway alterations that could lead to lung cancer in never-smokers at the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine, held Jan. 8-11, 2012.

“This is the starting point. We certainly have a lot of pathways and gene expression alterations that we’re going to be very interested in confirming and looking at in larger cohorts of patients,” Whitsett said. “This is a very important subset of patients with lung cancer, and our research looks to identify pathways and genes that are potentially driving this form of cancer.”

Whitsett and his colleagues looked at three female patients with adenocarcinoma: one never-smoker with early-stage disease, one never-smoker with late-stage disease, and, as a comparison, one smoker with early-stage disease. The team performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) and whole transcriptome sequencing (WTS) on each patient to identify gene mutations and pathway alterations that could have led to the development and progression of their specific lung cancers.

“In the never-smoker with early-stage cancer, there were very few mutations in the genome, but when we looked at the whole transcriptome, we saw differences in gene expression,” said Whitsett.

In the never-smoker with late-stage disease, the researchers found mutations in what Whitsett called “classic tumor-suppressor genes.” He and his colleagues hypothesized that mutations of the tumor-suppressor genes might be a factor in late-stage lung cancer in never-smokers.

Notably, Whitsett and his colleagues reported that these never-smokers’ tumors lacked alterations in common genes associated with lung cancer such as EGFR, KRAS and EML/ALK translocations. This finding makes these patients ideal cases for the discovery of new mutations that may drive lung adenocarcinomas in never-smokers, according to the researchers.

Whitsett said that using WGS and WTS to identify cancer origins “has become a way to really dive down into an individual tumor to try to understand the pathways that may be driving that tumor and identify what therapeutic interventions may be possible.”

The researchers are now validating these findings in about 30 never-smokers with lung adenocarcinoma and about 60 clinically matched smokers with lung adenocarcinoma.

# # #

About the AACR:
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 United States 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.

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

About the IASLC:
The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) is the only global organization dedicated to the study of lung cancer. Founded in 1974, the association’s membership includes more than 3,500 lung cancer specialists in 80 countries.

IASLC members promote the study of etiology, epidemiology, prevention, diagnosis, treatment and all other aspects of lung cancer and thoracic malignancies. IASLC disseminates information about lung cancer to scientists, members of the medical community and the public and uses all available means to eliminate lung cancer as a health threat for individual patients throughout the world. Membership is open to any physician, scientist, nurse or allied health professional interested in lung cancer, including patients, survivors, caregivers and advocates.

IASLC publishes the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, a valuable resource for medical specialists and scientists who focus on the detection, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer.

To learn more about IASLC, please visit http://iaslc.org

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In San Diego, Jan. 8-11:
(619) 615-6922

Lung Cancer Conference to Focus on New Diagnostic Techniques, Potential Treatments

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the United States and often the most fatal unless caught early, but scientists are working on ways to improve their understanding of the disease.

Several hundred scientists will gather in San Diego at the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina during Jan. 8-11, 2012, for the AACR-IASLC Joint Conference on Molecular Origins of Lung Cancer: Biology, Therapy and Personalized Medicine.

The conference is jointly sponsored by the American Association for Cancer Research and the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

The conference hosted a media briefing, entitled “Lung Cancer Diagnosis: Pitfalls, Challenges and the Path Ahead,” on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 1:00 p.m. PT (4:00 p.m. ET). The briefing was held in the Atlanta/Chicago room of the San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina.

The following leaders in lung cancer spoke at the press conference:

Roy Herbst, M.D., Ph.D., chief of medical oncology and associate director for translational research at the Yale Cancer Center;
David P. Carbone, M.D., Ph.D., Harold L. Moses chair in cancer research, director of the Specialized Program of Research Excellence in Lung Cancer and co-leader of the Thoracic/Head and Neck Research Program at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center; and
Paul A. Bunn, M.D., professor and James Dudley chair in cancer research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Listen to a recording of the teleconference:

Download* the mp3 of the teleconference (34.26 MB, 37:25 minutes)

*On a PC, right mouse click on the "Download" link and select "Save link as..." in Firefox or "Save Target as..." in Internet Explorer.

Conference leaders have also designated the following research as newsworthy:

Estrogen-Targeting Drug Combo May Help Prevent Lung Cancer
Researchers Map Potential Genetic Origins, Pathways of Lung Cancer in Never-Smokers
Ganetespib Showed Activity in KRAS-Mutant NSCLC as Monotherapy and in Combinations
Precancer Markers Identified in Airway Epithelium Cells of Healthy Smokers
Sorafenib Effective in Patients With Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, but Low Survival Rates Reported
Sensitive Detection Method Analyzes Circulating Tumor Cells in Patients With Lung Cancer
Genetic Composition of Multicentric Lung Tumors Appears to be Similar

# # #

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org
In San Diego, Jan. 8-11:
(619) 615-6922

Antiestrogen Therapy May Decrease Risk for Melanoma

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Melanoma risk was 60 percent higher among those not taking antiestrogen therapy.
Researcher cautions against widespread antiestrogen supplementation use.
Study included 7,360 women with breast cancer.

PHILADELPHIA — Women with breast cancer who take antiestrogen supplements may be decreasing their risk for melanoma, according to a study published in Cancer Prevention Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Christine Bouchardy, M.D., Ph.D., professor at the University of Geneva and head of the Geneva Cancer Registry, and colleagues analyzed data from 7,360 women who had breast cancer between 1980 and 2005. About half (54 percent) of these women received antiestrogen therapy.

The researchers followed the patients until 2008 and recorded 34 melanoma cases during the follow-up period. Risk for melanoma was 60 percent higher among patients who did not receive antiestrogen therapy compared with patients who received antiestrogen therapy.

According to Bouchardy, the increased focus on estrogen’s role in breast cancer has led scientists to start questioning what role estrogen is playing in other cancers. “These data reinforce the hypothesis that estrogens play a role in melanoma occurrence,” she said.

Bouchardy said this may be due to the fact that estrogens are associated with increased levels of melanocytes and melanin production in human skin, which have been linked to early-stage melanoma. However, she cautioned against widespread antiestrogen supplementation to prevent melanoma in the general population.

“These results need to be replicated in other studies, particularly given the numerous side effects linked to this kind of drug,” said Bouchardy.

The study was funded by a grant from the Swiss Research Foundation against Cancer, a nonprofit group.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 basic, 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. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 18,000 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. 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. AACR journals received 20 percent of the total number of citations given to oncology journals in 2010. 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 the need for national policies that foster innovation and progress in the field.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(267) 646-0557
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Agent Shows Ability to Suppress Brain Metastasis and Related Damage

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 12:00:00 GMT

Brain metastasis remains an unconquered challenge in cancer treatment.
Pigment epithelium-derived factor suppressed brain damage.
Agent is already being studied for macular degeneration.

PHILADELPHIA — Scientists are one step closer to repairing the damage caused by brain metastasis, a major challenge in cancer treatment, according to data published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

“We are making progress from the neck down in cancer treatment, but brain metastases are increasing and are often a primary reason patients with breast cancer do not survive,” said Patricia S. Steeg, Ph.D., head of the Women’s Cancers Section at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Cancer Research.

Steeg, who is also a deputy editor of Clinical Cancer Research, another journal of the AACR, said very few drugs that are effective for the treatment of breast cancer break what scientists call the “blood–brain barrier” and treat disease established inside the brain.

Scientists are striving to understand the mechanisms and effects of brain cancer metastasis.

Steeg and colleagues observed the role of pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) on metastatic breast cancer cell lines. PEDF is currently being studied as a therapy for macular degeneration because it has been shown to protect neurons in the retina.

Researchers found that PEDF managed to suppress the brain metastatic activity of these lines. Furthermore, it exerted a prosurvival effect on neurons and shielded the brain from tumor-induced damage. Specifically, there was a 3.5-fold reduction in the number of dying neurons adjacent to tumors expressing PEDF.

Although further research is needed to confirm these findings and their applicability, Steeg said the findings represent a significant step forward in trying to manage this condition.

This study was supported by the intramural research programs of the National Cancer Institute and the National Eye Institute and by the U.S. Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Gene Identified in Increasing Pancreatic Cancer Risk

registration@aacr.org () — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Mutations in the ATM gene increase hereditary pancreatic cancer risk.
Information could help with risk counseling.
Screening methods are undergoing clinical trials.

PHILADELPHIA — Mutations in the ATM gene may increase the hereditary risk for pancreatic cancer, according to data published in Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most morbid cancers, with less than 5 percent of those diagnosed with the disease surviving to five years. Approximately 10 percent of patients come from families with multiple cases of pancreatic cancer.

“There was significant reason to believe this clustering was due to genetics, but we had not, to this point, been able to find the causative genes that explained the cluster of pancreatic cancer for a majority of these families,” said lead author Alison Klein, Ph.D., associate professor of oncology at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins and director of the National Familial Pancreas Tumor Registry.

Klein and colleagues used next-generation sequencing, including whole genome and whole exome analyses, and identified ATM gene mutations in two kindreds with familial pancreatic cancer.

When these initial findings were examined in a large series for patients, ATM mutations were present in four of 166 subjects with pancreatic cancer but were absent in 190 spousal control subsets.

Klein said that knowledge of the presence of the ATM gene could lead to better screening for pancreatic cancer, the fourth most common cause of cancer-related death. However, there are currently no recommended screening tests.

Many doctors use endoscopy as a screening tool for pancreatic cancer, but researchers are still evaluating this technique in clinical trials.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org

Stand Up To Cancer and Melanoma Research Alliance Announce Dream Team

registration@aacr.org () — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT

Team Will Pursue Targeted Therapies for Patients with a Melanoma Subtype for Which There are Few Treatment Options

PHILADELPHIA — Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C), the Melanoma Research Alliance (MRA) and SU2C’s scientific partner, the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), today announced a new Dream Team dedicated to melanoma research. Jeffrey M. Trent, Ph.D., and Patricia M. LoRusso, D.O., will lead the Dream Team project entitled “Personalized Medicine for Patients with BRAF Wild-Type (BRAFwt) Cancer.”

Melanoma of the skin is the fifth most common cancer diagnosed in the United States, where one person dies from the disease every hour.

“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 the AACR to fund such a talented and committed team marks an event of great significance that could herald the next wave of discoveries for patients and all those at risk for 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.”

Trent, an internationally recognized expert in molecular-based systems biology approaches to cancer, will serve as Dream Team leader. He is president and research director at the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) in Phoenix, Az., where he is also professor in the genetic basis of human disease division and head of the melanoma therapeutics lab. He also holds a similar title at the Van Andel Research Institute. His work is focused on applying genomic tools to study melanoma, and he is recognized for this work and his work in translational medicine.

LoRusso, Dream Team co-leader, is director of the Eisenberg Center for Experimental Therapeutics, 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, Mich. She is a leading clinical investigator in early developmental therapeutics and will be principal investigator for the clinical trials, overseeing all clinical aspects of this Dream Team project.

The SU2C-MRA Melanoma Dream Team Translational Cancer Research Grant provides $6 million during a three-year period. The project is intended to accelerate the application of new therapeutic agents to the clinic, thus advancing scientific research in the interests of both today’s cancer patients and those who may develop cancer in the future.

"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 Trent.

“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 LoRusso.

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 patients with BRAFwt metastatic melanoma.

This Dream Team will investigate the utility of personalized target/therapy identification in patients with BRAFwt metastatic melanoma and 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 and 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 target for the start of clinical trials is estimated at mid-2012. To inquire about clinical trials, e-mail MelanomaDreamTeam@karmanos.org.

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 Trent, an expert in human cancer genetics, and LoRusso, a clinician and clinical trialist, exemplifies the types of expertise SU2C 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. JSAC vice chairpersons include Suzanne L. Topalian, M.D., professor of surgery and director of the Melanoma Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University, and also Chief Science Officer at the MRA, and William G. Kaelin, Jr., M.D., professor at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

The review process began with a call for ideas issued by the AACR in May, coinciding with National Melanoma Awareness Month. In response, the AACR received 17 submissions, all of which were evaluated by the JSAC members.

The committee then chose three finalist teams, which each met in person with the JSAC to present the plans for their research, and respond to questions about their projects – a level of interaction between applicants and reviewers that is unique in a scientific review process.

Since the launch of SU2C 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. The AACR will work closely with the MRA, the largest private funder of melanoma research.

“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.

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, 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 of Arizona Diamondbacks MLB League
Connie Mack, U.S. Senator, Ret.
Jane Perlmutter, Ph.D., Gemini Group

Dream Team members come from the following institutions: Translational Genomic Research Institute, Karmanos Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Scripps Research Institute & Scripps Health, Van Andel Research Institute, Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Vanderbilt University, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins University, National Cancer Institute, Queensland Institute for Medical Research, and University of California Santa Cruz.

Prior to today’s announcement, SU2C has awarded grants to five Dream Teams comprised of 221 scientists at 43 unique institutions. The 26 Innovative Research Grants that have been awarded to young investigators include the Allan H. (Bud) and Sue Selig Stand Up To Cancer Melanoma Innovative Research Grant to Dr. Roger Lo at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, who is investigating which specific genetic changes lead to drug resistance in some patients with melanoma. MRA, in the four years since its founding, has awarded more than $30 million in funding to 73 projects at 55 institutions in 10 countries.

For more information on the Melanoma Dream Team, please watch: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLRaxFfuuuw starting at 12:01 a.m. ET, Dec. 14, 2011. To download footage with members of the team, please visit our FTP site at bit.ly/MelanomaInfo. Contact Adam Pockriss at Apockriss@Rubenstein.com for log-in information.

# # #

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.curemelanoma.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 U.S. 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 #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

Media Contacts:
Adam Pockriss
(212) 843-8286
Apockriss@Rubenstein.com

AACR Applauds Introduction of Resolution Recognizing 40th Anniversary of the National Cancer Act

registration@aacr.org () — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — The American Association for Cancer Research commends U.S. Senators Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and John Kerry (D-Mass.) for introducing a Congressional resolution this afternoon that reaffirms the national commitment to understanding and controlling cancer.

“We are deeply grateful to Senators Brown, Moran and Kerry, who took the initiative to introduce this important measure and rallied the support of so many of their distinguished colleagues behind it,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer of the AACR. “It is heartening to see senators from both sides of the aisle joining together to shine light on the urgent need to accelerate and strengthen the nation’s efforts against the more than 200 diseases we know as cancer.”

The resolution, cosponsored by 39 senators in addition to Brown, Moran and Kerry, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the signing of the National Cancer Act of 1971, which set the nation on a concerted course to conquer cancer through investment in cancer research and related biomedical science. The resolution is a tribute to the more than 12 million cancer survivors who are alive today because of our country’s commitment to accelerate progress in preventing, detecting, diagnosing and treating cancer.

“Today, more than any time in history, cancer researchers are maximizing the impact of the fundamental discoveries made over the past 40 years and are translating them into improved patient care,” said AACR President Judy Garber, M.D., M.P.H. “Our ability to maintain this momentum depends upon a strong commitment by Congress to adequately fund the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and its parent agency, the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The resolution also complements a landmark cancer progress report www.cancerprogressreport.org recently released by the AACR that illustrates the astounding return on investment in cancer research and biomedical science supported through the NIH and the NCI, and provides a summary of the scientific breakthroughs that promise to revolutionize the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Michele Sharp
(267) 312-8711
michele.sharp@aacr.org

Study of Two Sisters Sheds Light on Lymphoma Evolution

registration@aacr.org () — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 12:00:00 GMT

A woman received a transplant from her sister to treat leukemia.
Both sisters later developed lymphoma, suggesting transfer of a common ancestor.
Finding gives scientists new insight into lymphoma development.

PHILADELPHIA — When a 41-year-old woman was diagnosed with chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia, she received a bone marrow transplant and subsequent leukocyte infusion from her sister. These treatments controlled her leukemia, but seven years later, both sisters developed follicular lymphoma.

Although the phenomenon of a donor passing a malignancy to a recipient is well documented and considered a minimal risk to those in the transplant community, this case gave scientists the unique opportunity to understand the genetic abnormalities that led to follicular lymphoma in both cases.

“We were able to combine clinical activity with laboratory expertise to gain a real insight into the biology involved,” said David Weinstock, M.D., an assistant professor of medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, who published the case study in a recent issue of Cancer Discovery, the newest journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

The study was funded by a Stand Up To Cancer Innovative Research Grant.

Both sisters are now in remission after standard chemotherapy treatment. Weinstock’s research group will present their findings at the 2011 American Society of Hematology Annual Meeting and Exposition in San Diego on Dec. 12, 2011, at 6:00 p.m. PT.

Weinstock and his colleagues sequenced the DNA of samples derived from the two sisters as well as a frozen sample of the leukocyte infusion to determine the genetic lesions that led to the lymphoma.

They found that both sisters had identical BCL2/IGH rearrangements and the same V(D)J rearrangement. They also identified 15 mutations that were present in both lymphomas. Researchers recovered 14 of these mutations from the donor lymphocyte infusions using ultra-deep sequencing — a finding that indicates that a lymphoma ancestor harboring these mutations was passed from the donor to the recipient seven years before clinical presentation.

Weinstock said this sort of knowledge could one day lead to an early treatment for follicular lymphoma.

“Currently the only curative approach is stem cell transplantation, but the more we understand about the genetic aberrations that lead to follicular lymphoma, the better we’ll be able to manage the disease,” said Weinstock.

# # #

Follow the AACR on Twitter: @aacr #aacr
Follow the AACR on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/aacr.org

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 U.S. 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.

Media Contact:
Jeremy Moore
(215) 446-7109
Jeremy.Moore@aacr.org