Hill Day will bring cancer center directors, researchers, oncologists, cancer survivors, and other advocates to Capitol Hill to build support for federal funding at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Cancer Institute (NCI).
AACI Update | December 2018
Headlines
AACI Debuts New Website
The responsive, mobile-friendly interface offers enhanced viewing across devices, and real-time updates allow AACI to showcase its full range of events, programs, and initiatives. The website will also provide a platform for Dr. Roy Jensen’s presidential initiative: a library of sample legislation for AACI members.
CRI: From 'Initiative' to 'Innovation'
Entering its eleventh year, AACI's Clinical Research Initiative (CRI) has been renamed Clinical Research Innovation, to mark its popularity and success. Earlier this year, AACI sought recommendations from its members and board of directors for renaming CRI. The decision was rooted in a desire to reflect the program’s longevity: with over a decade of consistent growth, CRI has expanded beyond its status as an “initiative.”
eRegulatory Working Group Established
While most AACI cancer centers have in place a regulatory file system—either paper or an electronic system for the filing and version control of a trial’s required regulatory information—many utilize non-standard file-naming conventions. AACI Clinical Research Innovation (CRI) has established an eRegulatory working group to address the challenges that non-standard file names create.
New Congress Brings New Opportunities
The 116th Congress will convene on January 3, 2019 with nine new members of the United States Senate and 92 new members of the House of Representatives. The incoming Congress is the most demographically diverse in history and trends historically younger with an average age of 49 years old.
With new faces in Washington, AACI cancer centers have a great opportunity to set the stage for a positive relationship with these leaders. Now is the time for your cancer center to invite newly-elected officials in your state or region to your institution, introduce them to faculty and staff, educate them on novel technologies, and offer a tour.
Nominations Sought for Champion for Cures Award
Nominations are now being accepted for the 2019 Champion for Cures Award.
AACI created the Champion for Cures Award to recognize an individual or individuals who, through direct financial support of an AACI cancer center, demonstrate exceptional leadership in advancing cancer research and care and in inspiring others to do the same.
PCLI Welcomes New Steering Committee Members
Four new members have been selected to join AACI’s Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI) steering committee: Andrew Chapman, DO, FACP, chief of medical services, Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson Health; David Gaffney, MD, senior director of clinical research, Huntsman Cancer Institute, University of Utah; Richard Goldberg, MD, FACP, FASCO, director, WVU Cancer Institute; and Charles Ryan, MD, director, Division of Hematology, Oncology & Transplantation, Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota.
Webinar: Minority Recruitment to Clinical Trials
The AACI Physician Clinical Leadership Initiative (PCLI) will present a webinar on minority recruitment to clinical trials on Thursday, December 13 at 12:00 pm eastern. Facilitated by Ruben A. Mesa, MD, FACP, director of UT Health San Antonio MD Anderson Cancer Center, the webinar will address topics including barriers to trial enrollment that may disproportionately impact Latino patients and strategies to facilitate clinical trial participation among diverse populations.
Winter Break for AACI Update
Please let us know what you think about the new format of the December 2018 AACI Update!
AACI Update will take a holiday break in January, but we will be working to improve the February 1, 2019 issue based on your feedback.
News from the Centers
Johnson Named Among Women Power 100
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park's president and CEO, Candace S. Johnson, PhD, has been named to a new list of the most powerful female leaders in New York. City & State, a media company covering government and politics in New York, included Dr. Johnson on its New York Women Power 100 list, which honors the 100 most influential women in government, public affairs, business, culture, and social services.Pediatrician is Inaugural Pagano Scholar
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
A leading pediatrician will be the inaugural Chuck and Tina Pagano Scholar at Indiana University School of Medicine. Rachel Katzenellenbogen, MD, will hold that title as well as associate professor of pediatrics. She is also a member of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program at the Indiana University Melvin & Bren Simon Cancer Center and a member of the Herman B Wells Center for Pediatric Research.Lisenbee Elected to APSHO Board
Duke Cancer Institute
Kelly Lisenbee, DNP, ANP-C, AOCN, adult nurse practitioner, Department of Urologic Surgery, was recently elected to the board of directors for the Advanced Practitioner Society for Hematology and Oncology (APSHO).Lu-Yao Awarded by Geriatric Oncology Society
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson
Grace Lu-Yao, PhD, associate director of population science at the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health, has been honored with the International Society of Geriatric Oncology (SIOG) 2018 Nursing and Allied Health (NAH) Investigator Award at the SIOG 2018 Annual Conference.St. Clair Receives Lifetime Achievement Award
UK Markey Cancer Center
University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center researcher Daret St. Clair, PhD, has been named the 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient from the Society for Redox Biology and Medicine (SfRBM). St. Clair received the award and gave a feature lecture at the SfRBM’s 25th Annual Conference in Chicago in November.$20 Million Gift Boosts Multiple Myeloma Research
Siteman Cancer Center
Scottrade brokerage founder Rodger Riney and his wife, Paula, have donated $20 million to Washington University researchers at Siteman Cancer Center, establishing the Paula C. and Rodger O. Riney Blood Cancer Research Initiative Fund. To date, the Rineys have given $25 million to Washington University scientists with broad expertise in multiple myeloma, genomics, immunology and immunotherapy, imaging, and pharmacogenomics to develop promising new treatments for the disease.$11.5 Million SPORE Grant Supports Innovation in Leukemia Research
Siteman Cancer Center
Washington University researchers at Siteman Cancer Center have received an $11.5 million Specialized Program in Research Excellence (SPORE) grant to further high-level investigations into leukemia and related blood cancers. The goal is to develop biomarkers and treatments for leukemia and myelodysplastic syndromes and to develop and promote innovative translational leukemia research. Daniel C. Link, MD, is the principal investigator.
Duke Team Receives $10.8 Million From NCI
Duke Cancer Institute
The National Cancer Institute awarded $10.8 million to Duke Cancer Institute researchers as part of the Human Tumor Atlas Network, which will work to build a visual model of cancer tumors. The Duke team, led by Shelley Hwang, MD, and Jeffrey R. Marks, PhD, will develop a three-dimensional molecular characterization of pre-cancerous growths in the breast to better understand how breast cancers develop. Co-principal investigators are from Stanford and Arizona State universities.Grant Awarded to Discover Best Way to Deliver Genetic Services to Primary Care Patients
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah was recently awarded a prestigious team science grant through the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Moonshot initiative to study genetic counseling, genetic communication and genetic services to patients. The grant is expected to provide more than $5 million in research project support over the next five years.Grant to Establish Center for Early Detection of Liver Cancer
UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers from the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center received a $3.5 million, five-year grant from the NIH to create a center dedicated to developing an effective and affordable blood-based cancer-screening test to help detect liver cancer early.$2.3 Million Supports Studies on Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Jill Fehrenbacher, PhD, and Mark Kelley, PhD, are recipients of a five-year grant from the National Cancer Institute, which will enable them to continue their studies on chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). They will test the effectiveness of a small, targeted molecule called APX3330 to prevent or reverse CIPN caused by cancer drugs in tumor-bearing mice.$2.1 Million Grant to Study Cognitive Decline During Chemotherapy
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
With the help of a $2.1 million grant, Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and VCU School of Nursing researchers will study how a gene that regulates estrogen and neurotransmitter levels could be tied to cognitive decline in patients undergoing chemotherapy for breast and endometrial cancers. Theresa Swift-Scanlan, PhD, is the primary investigator.Husband and Wife Doctors Receive $1.8 Million to Test New Breast Cancer Approach
University of Virginia Cancer Center
The NIH has awarded a husband-and-wife team at UVA Cancer Center more than $1.8 million to improve radiation therapy and breast surgery for patients with early-stage breast cancer. Radiation oncologist Dr. Timothy Showalter and breast cancer surgeon Dr. Shayna L. Showalter are leading an interdisciplinary effort to evaluate a technique they developed at UVA called Precision Breast intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT).McMahon Receives Pancreatic Cancer Collective Grant
Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah
Martin McMahon, PhD, has received a grant from the Pancreatic Cancer Collective, the strategic partnership of the Lustgarten Foundation and Stand Up To Cancer. The funding will be used to test combined blockade of intracellular signaling via the RAS pathway, and autophagic recycling of the cells’ interior contents.Omuro Named New Neuro-Oncology Chief
Yale Cancer Center, Yale School of Medicine
Antonio Omuro, MD, has been appointed the new chief of neuro-oncology and a leader for the Brain Tumor Program at Smilow Cancer Hospital. Dr. Omuro started his new position December 1, 2018.
Whetstine Joins Cancer Epigenetics Program
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
Epigenetics researcher Johnathan Whetstine, PhD, joined Fox Chase as program leader of the Cancer Epigenetics Program. Previously, Dr. Whetstine served as vice chair of the Epigenetics Program at Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
Dlugosz to Oversee Basic Science Research
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center has named Andrzej Dlugosz, MD, associate director for basic science research. Dr. Dlugosz currently co-leads the Rogel Cancer Center’s cancer biology program.CAR T Clinical Trial Opens for Patients with HER2-Positive Breast Cancer That Has Spread to Brain
City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center
Women with HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread to the brain need more treatment options, and City of Hope and Mustang Bio Inc. are meeting that challenge. A new City of Hope chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell trial—the first to focus on HER2-postive breast cancer patients with brain metastases—is now enrolling potential participants.
Anti-CD47 Cancer Therapy Safe, Shows Promise in Small Clinical Trial
Stanford Cancer Institute
A novel immunotherapy appears safe for use in patients with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, according to a Phase I multicenter clinical trial led by a researcher at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Although some patients showed signs of a transitory anemia or reactions at the injection site, the treatment posed few significant side effects. Ranjana Advani, MD, is lead author of the study.Decrease in Specific Gene 'Silencing' Molecules Linked with Pediatric Brain Tumors
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
Experimenting with lab-grown brain cancer cells, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have added to evidence that a shortage of specific, tiny molecules that silence certain genes is linked to the development and growth of pediatric brain tumors known as low-grade gliomas.
New Way That Skin Stops Tumor Growth Identified
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
In newly published work, Hutch researchers show that skin stem cells in mice respond to what ought to have been a cancer-causing mutation by opting to differentiate, or specialize, instead of renewing themselves. Because differentiated skin cells eventually slough off, the strategy appears to allow skin to jettison dangerous mutations without disrupting its function.
Standard Myeloma Treatment Shows Itself as an Immunotherapy
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
New research suggests that doctors may have had an incorrect understanding of how a standard treatment for an incurable blood cancer works to prolong lives. The therapy, based around high doses of chemotherapy or radiation, looks like it may actually be an immunotherapy — that is, a treatment that stimulates the patients’ own immune systems to help fight their cancers.
Minimally-Invasive Surgery Linked with Worse Survival for Women with Cervical Cancer Versus Open Hysterectomy
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
When comparing standard-of-care surgical options for women with early-stage cervical cancer, two studies led by researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center discovered that minimally-invasive radical hysterectomy is associated with higher recurrence rates and worse overall survival, compared to abdominal radical hysterectomy.When Melanoma Spreads to Brain, Patients with BRAF, MEK Mutations Can Find Novel Treatment
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
In partnership with Spirita Oncology, LLC, Hani Babiker, MD, and the Early Phase Clinical Trials Program have opened a clinical trial for patients with brain metastases from BRAF- or MEK-mutated melanoma. Participants will receive an investigational MEK inhibitor called E6201, a "targeted" drug.
Rural Residents at Much Higher Larynx Cancer Risk
Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple Health
According to a new study, individuals living in rural areas are at greater risk of developing laryngeal cancer compared to those living in urban areas, though overall survival did not differ significantly between the two groups. Miriam N. Lango, MD, FACS, led the study.Targeting Rhabdomyosarcoma, a Rare Cancer with Few Treatment Options
The University of Arizona Cancer Center
The most comprehensive assessment of rhabdomyosarcoma drug targets was published. Justina McEvoy, PhD, a first author, joined the study when she was a postdoctoral fellow at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and continued to contribute after joining the the University of Arizona Cancer Center in 2014.
Cold Therapy Offers Promising Prevention Against Taxane-Induced Dermatologic Events
GW Cancer Center
Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) have found that cooling therapies such as cold caps, scalp cooling systems, frozen gloves, and frozen socks may offer the best protection against the adverse effects of taxane-based chemotherapy. Adam Friedman, MD, is senior author on the study.
Spread of Deadly Eye Cancer Halted in Cells, Animals
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins University
By comparing genetic sequences in the eye tumors of children whose cancers spread with tumors that didn’t, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report new evidence that a domino effect in cells is responsible for the cancer spreading. Their experiments suggest that blocking part of the chain of events—which they successfully accomplished in zebra fish and human cells—stops the growth and spread of the eye tumor cells.
Link Identified Between DNA-Protein Binding, Cancer Onset
Stanford Cancer Institute
Researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and their collaborators at other institutions have identified a link between how proteins bind to our DNA and how cancer develops. This finding may allow researchers to predict cancer pathways and long-term patient outcomes.
Unique Research Models Immune Responses in Cellular Immunotherapies
VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center
In the Cellular Immunotherapy and Transplantation Program at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center, scientists are pursuing a cross-collaborative effort that could potentially change the way cellular immunotherapies such as stem-cell transplantation and CAR T-cell therapies are performed. This grassroots research is funded primarily through VCU Massey pilot grants, and it is culminating in a first-of-its-kind body of work that provides a detailed, quantitative view of how the immune system responds to cellular therapies.
As Vaping Increased in Popularity, Use of Cigarettes Declined
Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center
A comprehensive analysis examining the relationship between vaping and smoking among youth and young adults finds that cigarette smoking dramatically decreased between 2013 and 2017, just as e-cigarette use became more popular.
Fecal Transplant Effective Against Immunotherapy-Induced Colitis
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
For the first time, gut bacteria transplanted from healthy donors was used to successfully treat patients suffering from colitis caused by immune checkpoint inhibitors. A study from MD Anderson Cancer Center, led by Yinghong Wang, MD, PhD, suggests fecal microbiota transplantation is worth investigating in clinical trials to address this common immunotherapy side effect.
A Genetic Driver of Deadly Prostate Cancer Identified
Cedars-Sinai Cancer
A new study has identified a novel molecular driver of lethal prostate cancer, along with a molecule that could be used to attack it. The findings were made in laboratory mice. Researchers analyzed genetic and molecular data from cancer patients in a large database. They found evidence of elevated activity of the molecule Onecut2 in tumors of patients whose prostate cancer resisted hormone therapy.How Melanoma Evades Targeted Therapies
Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Jefferson
A commonly used targeted therapy for metastatic melanomas works by attacking melanomas with mutations in the BRAF gene that make them susceptible to RAF-inhibiting drugs. However, many cancers quickly become resistant to the treatment. Now researchers at Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health have discovered how one of the mechanisms of that resistance works, a finding that could lead to designing more effective combination therapies.New 'SLICE' Tool Can Massively Expand Immune System's Cancer-Fighting Repertoire
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Francisco researchers have devised a CRISPR-based system called SLICE, which will allow scientists to rapidly assess the function of each and every gene in “primary” immune cells — those drawn directly from patients. The new method provides researchers with a powerful tool that will guide their decision-making when determining how best to engineer immune cells to fight cancer and a host of other diseases.Targeting MC1R in Metastatic Melanoma
University of Colorado Cancer Center
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study describes a genetic change common to 80 percent of human melanomas, the most deadly form of skin cancer, and also describes a molecule that seeks out cells marked by this genetic change.Ultrasound Ovarian Cancer Screening Improves Survival
UK Markey Cancer Center
A new University of Kentucky study shows that annual ultrasound screening of at-risk, asymptomatic women increases the survival rates of women with type I and type II epithelial ovarian cancer. The results come from the UK Markey Cancer Center’s Ovarian Cancer Screening Program, a 30-year study initiated in 1987 by gynecologic oncologist John van Nagell, Jr., MD, and the UK College of Medicine.Researchers ID 'Achilles Heel' of Drug-Resistant Tumors
UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
UC San Francisco scientists have figured out why some lung cancers become drug-resistant after initially responding to targeted therapies. In the process, they devised a new two-pronged approach that yields an effective treatment for these cancers in the laboratory and holds tremendous promise for the future of precision medicine, they said. Sourav Bandyopadhyay, PhD, is senior author of the new study.Will Tarloxotinib Finally Break the HER2 Barrier in Lung Cancer?
University of Colorado Cancer Center
A University of Colorado Cancer Center study shows the promise of an innovative new strategy against HER2-driven lung cancers (with EGFR involvement, which is also a well-known driver of lung cancer). Tarloxotinib, a potent HER2/EGFR inhibitor, is unique in that the drug only becomes active in low-oxygen conditions, such as those commonly found in tumor tissue.New Checkpoint Inhibitor Shows Promise in Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Trial
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center
By combining the experimental anti-cancer antibody known as 5F9 (Hu5F9-G4) with the established anti-cancer antibody rituximab, researchers managing a small phase-1b clinical trial were able to induce a positive response in 11 out of 22 people with relapsed/refractory non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.Stephenson Cancer Center Leads Ovarian Cancer Study
Stephenson Cancer Center, University of Oklahoma
Kathleen Moore, MD, a physician-scientist at Stephenson Cancer Center at OU Medicine, co-directed an international clinical trial that yielded findings considered unprecedented in the field of gynecological cancer. The research is groundbreaking because it showed that a targeted cancer therapy helped a subset of women with ovarian cancer live three years longer without a cancer recurrence than those who did not receive the therapy.Genomic Study Discovers 40 New Genetic Variants Associated with Colorectal Cancer
Fred Hutch Cancer Center
The most comprehensive genome-wide association study, or GWAS, of colorectal cancer risk to date, has discovered 40 new genetic variants and validated 55 previously identified variants that signal an increased risk of colon cancer. The study, led by a team of investigators at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, also has identified the first rare protective variant for sporadic colorectal cancer.Developing Patient-Centered Palliative Care From Diagnosis to End of Life
Livestrong Cancer Institutes, The University of Texas at Austin, Dell Medical School
In December, The University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School will launch an innovative cancer care model called the CaLM (cancer life re-imagined) Clinic as part of its new cancer center, the Livestrong Cancer Institutes. The goal of the Livestrong Cancer Institutes and the CaLM Clinic is to provide a holistic approach to caring for patients with cancer from their initial cancer diagnosis and treatment throughout survivorship, including palliative and supportive care.Polish University Partnership
Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center
Roswell Park has formed an academic cooperation agreement with the Jagiellonian University in Kraków, Poland. The collaboration will see the two centers exchanging staff, students, and scientific resources to jointly undertake basic, translational, and clinical research to develop cancer therapies.
Human Images From the World's First Total-Body Medical Scanner Unveiled
UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center
EXPLORER, the world’s first medical imaging scanner that can capture a 3-D picture of the whole human body at once, has produced its first scans. The brainchild of UC Davis scientists Simon Cherry, PhD, and Ramsey Badawi, PhD, EXPLORER is a combined positron emission tomography and x-ray computed tomography scanner that can image the entire body at the same time. Because the machine captures radiation far more efficiently than other scanners, EXPLORER can produce an image in as little as one second and, over time, produce movies that can track specially tagged drugs as they move around the entire body.
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Meeting Announcements
11th Annual AACI CRI Meeting
July 9, 2019
The CRI annual meeting creates opportunities for peer-to-peer networking and collaboration among clinical trials office staff at AACI's member cancer centers.
2019 AACI/CCAF Annual Meeting
October 20, 2019
The CME-accredited annual meeting of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI) and the Cancer Center Administrators’ Forum (CCAF) provides an opportunity to network with and learn from peers at AACI cancer centers. The meeting will cover topics of both scientific and operational value, providing attendees with practical solutions.