TCI NOVEL THERAPEUTICS PROGRAM
|
|
Key to advancing optimal cancer care—the overarching mission of The Tisch Cancer Institute (TCI)—is the pursuit of novel therapies based on scientific investigation that lead to the most effective care for the best outcomes with minimal adverse events.
The
Novel Therapeutics Program
at TCI, a crucial component for advancing cancer treatment under the leadership of medical director
Matthew Galsky, MD
, Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Urology, facilitates early phase clinical trials to maximize the development of cutting-edge therapies. With an emphasis on first-in-human and biomarker focused proof-of- concept studies, the program promotes the translation of scientific discoveries from TCI laboratories to the clinic setting, so that the latest drugs and technologies that may favorably impact patient outcomes can be offered. Sometimes new drugs are piloted. Other times drugs may be repurposed, combined in novel fashions, or administered in ways that are hypothesized to be more effective, such as injection directly into tumors. In all cases, safety is paramount, and patients are carefully selected based on rigorous eligibility requirements.
The program is especially important as a vehicle for moving the explosion of cancer immunotherapy research to clinical applications. It also serves as a hub for precision medicine cancer trials by fostering integration of oncology, genomics, computational biology, pathology, interventional radiology, and diagnostic radiology.
A major goal of the program is to provide an expedient “one stop shop” for patients and physicians seeking new therapeutic approaches, such that patients can be rapidly triaged to the most appropriate clinical trial. Lisa Gaynes, CCRP, who joined TCI this past summer as Executive Director of Clinical Research Administration, is integrally involved in efforts to both improve and expand the infrastructure to support a robust portfolio of phase 1 trials that will help solidify TCI’s position as a driver of innovative cancer care.
|
|
RECRUITMENT
Edward M. Wolin, MD
Director, Center for Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumors
|
Edward M. Wolin, MD
,
is joining TCI on March 26, 2018, as Director of the Center for Carcinoid and Neuroendocrine Tumors. An internationally-renowned authority on these tumors, known as NETs, Dr. Wolin will lead Mount Sinai’s well-established program that was founded by former director
Richard P. Warner,
MD
,
Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology, and that has been led most recently by
Michelle Kang Kim, MD, PhD,
Associate Professor of Medicine, Gastroenterology.
An early pioneer in NETs research and treatment, Dr. Warner’s interest was piqued in 1954 as a GI fellow at Mount Sinai. He went on to devote his life’s work to investigating these rare tumors, creating a multi-disciplinary approach to treatment, and training other physicians. Dr. Warner and Dr. Wolin developed a strong collegial relationship, with Dr. Warner in New York and Dr. Warner in California. Patients across the country benefited from their close collaboration.
Dr. Wolin’s research features clinical trials aimed at developing the most effective treatments such as immunotherapy and targeted biologic agents, as well as new imaging and diagnostic procedures. We expect that his busy practice will contribute to substantial growth of our unique center, making it one of the largest in the world.
Dr. Kim presided over a “passing of the gavel” ceremony, held on January 5, at which the transfer of leadership was formally recognized. Dr. Kim will continue her vital work with the center as associate director.
A future issue of
TCI Connections
will include a link to Mount Sinai’s official press release.
|
|
TCI Medical Student Research Fellowship
|
TCI is launching a
summer research fellowship program
,
intended for first year medical students who have not yet had extensive research experience. The fellowship provides support for original cancer research under the tutelage of a faculty mentor that will ideally lead to a scholarly research year between the student’s third and fourth years. Interested candidates can apply through the
Medical Student Research Office
. Application deadline: March 15.
|
|
Medical Education Leadership
|
Adriana K. Malone, MD
, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Medical Education, has been chosen as one of 12 participants in the 2018-2019
Education Scholars Program
(ESP) through the
American Society of Clinical Oncology
(ASCO). The year-long program imparts expertise in the design of education activities and leadership skills aimed at enhancing the ASCO learning portfolio and overall medical education.
Dr. Malone received her MD from State University of New York at Buffalo. Following a residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Hematology and Medical Oncology at Mount Sinai, she joined the bone marrow transplant faculty in 2007.
Dr. Malone has been actively involved in the medical education of students, residents, and fellows, including direct teaching as well as curriculum and program development. She is currently the director of the Hematology and Medical Oncology fellowship program, having previously served as associate director from 2009 to 2013. Dr. Malone also directs the bone marrow transplant fellowship
|
|
Medical Honor Society Recognition
|
|
American Cancer Society Award
|
|
 |
Dr. Hoshida is Associate Professor of Medicine in the Division of Liver Diseases and the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology.
His laboratory
employs multidisciplinary, translational approaches to chronic liver diseases including liver cirrhosis and cancer, with particular emphasis on genomics, biostatistics, bioinformatics, clinical diagnostics, and chemical biology.
Dr. Hoshida earned his MD from the University of Tsukuba and PhD from the University of Tokyo, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard before joining Mount Sinai in 2012
.
|
|
|
|
Congratulations to
Susan Boolbol, MD
,
Associate Professor of Surgery and Chief of Breast Surgery at Mount Sinai Beth Israel, who was honored with the
American Cancer Society’s 2017 Mother of the Year award
.
The
annual luncheon
, at which the award was presented, was created in 1995 to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of mothers, their community service, and contributions to cancer control, and to raise funds for breast cancer research.
Dr. Boolbol heads the Appel-Venet Breast Service, located at West 15th Street in Chelsea. She is involved in a
multi-center clinical trial to evaluate the efficacy of cryoablation
without lumpectomy and its impact on local and distant recurrence of early stage breast cancer. “This is the freezing of cancers instead of operating and removing them,” said Dr. Boolbol. The estimated completion date for the study is July 2021.
Dr. Boolbol received her MD from George Washington University. She completed a residency in general surgery at New York Hospital Cornell University Medical Center and a fellowship in surgery at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
|
|
|
|
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES
To maximize collaborative interactions for this program, National Institutes of Health extramural scientists will join forces with investigators in the NCI Center for Cancer Research and/or the NIA Intramural Research Programs.
It is anticipated that up to seven grants will be awarded at $150,000 per year for two years, with funds shared equally by the intramural and extramural investigators to cover direct costs.
The application deadline is June 8, 2018. For additional information, contact Dr. Waxman, Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Oncological Sciences, at
Samuel.waxman@mssm.edu
or Lyris Skinner at
lyris.skinner@mssm.edu
, 212-241-6771.
|
|
|
|
The next submission date for grant funding from the
Elsa U. Pardee Foundation
is
April 30
. Elsa died at age 59 from breast cancer. The foundation, established through her bequest, supports research directed toward identifying new treatments and cures for cancer.
|
|
DAMON RUNYON CANCER RESEARCH GRANTS
|
|
Research Innovation Award
The foundation’s mission is to provide the best young scientists with funding for innovative cancer research. The innovation award in particular is designed for creative thinkers with “high-risk/high-reward” ideas that have the potential to significant impact cancer prevention, diagnosis, and treatment. The award includes two years of funding at $150,000 per year, with an opportunity for two additional years, for a total of $600,000.
Dr. Lujambio is an Assistant Professor of Oncological Sciences and Medicine, Division of Liver Diseases. She earned her PhD from the Spanish National Cancer Center and completed postdoctoral fellowships at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
|
|
Clinical Investigator Award
Joshua Brody, MD
, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, has funding from the
Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation
through the
Clinical Investigator Award
program for “Flt3L-primed 'in situ' vaccination for low-grade lymphoma - Phase I/II study of intratumoral injection of rhuFlt3L and poly-ICLC with low-dose radiotherapy
[
NCT01976585
]
.” Dr. Brody’s research, under the mentorship of
Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD
, and
Miriam Merad, MD, PhD
, is aimed at training the patient’s immune system to recognize and eliminate tumors throughout the body.
The goal of the clinical investigator award program is to “increase the number of physicians capable of moving seamlessly between the laboratory and the patient’s bedside in search of breakthrough treatments.” The award includes $450,000 over three years.
Dr. Brody earned his MD from State University of New York Stony Brook School of Medicine. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at Yale University Health Services and a fellowship in Medical Oncology at Stanford University School of Medicine.
|
|
Benjamin Greenbaum, PhD
, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Pathology, and Oncological Sciences, is leading one of seven multi-disciplinary teams that has received grant funding to investigate immune system response to cancers.
Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C) is awarding a total of $11 million
to the seven teams, with support coming from Microsoft, the Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research, and the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer. Each team will have the opportunity to work collaboratively with Microsoft’s machine learning experts to discover key aspects of the interaction between cancer and the immune system that can lead to the development of new treatments. Dr. Greenbaum’s team, partnering with numerous collaborators, including
Nina Bhardwaj, MD, PhD
, has already identified an initial set of high-quality neoantigens, or protein tags, on cancer cells that are recognized by the immune system, and created the
first mathematical model that can predict how a cancer patient will benefit from certain immunotherapies
.
Their continued investigation will focus on understanding what makes a high-quality neoantigen and how the microbiome influences how the immune system recognizes it, with the goal of developing a method for creating vaccines to treat pancreatic cancers
.
|
|
|
J
ulio Aguirre-Ghiso, PhD,
Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, Otolaryngology, and Oncological Sciences, is collaborating with a team from Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center at Thomas Jefferson University, under the leadership of
Andrew Aplin, PhD
,
to study uveal melanoma, an aggressive form of eye cancer. With $1 million in funding over two years from the
Dr. Ralph and Marian Falk Medical Research Trust
, they will investigate the factors that direct metastasized cancer cells to remain dormant and those that cause the cancer to awaken. They will also examine the effect of mutations associated with disease initiation and strategies to fight uveal cancers that are actively growing in the liver.
|
|
|
|
The Taub Foundation Grant Program for Myelodysplastic Syndromes
(MDS) has provided funding to
Lewis Silverman, MD
, for two collaborative projects aimed at improving treatment options for patients with MDS. One is focused on the impact of treatment for MDS on the response and control of clonal switching and the relationship of the MDS clones to hematopoietic function in patients. The other aims to identify a distinct immune signature between patients with low risk, high risk, and progressive MDS, and to assess the impact of hypomethylating agents and immunotherapy on the bone marrow immune system in the context of MDS. Dr. Silverman is Associate Professor of Medicine, Hematology and Medical Oncology, and Assistant Professor of Oncological Sciences.
|
|
|
|
FEBRUARY IS NATIONAL CANCER PREVENTION MONTH
RELATED TCI EVENTS:
Breast Education and Screening
February 15, 1 pm
Greenhope Services for Women, East Harlem
Learn About Screening, Risk Factors, Early Detection
February 22, 1 to 3 pm
Guggenheim Pavilion
and mortality and improving the quality of life for patients.
|
|
RECENT "IN THE NEWS" STORIES
|
|
Do you have news for the next issue of
TCI Connections
?
Remember to share
breaking news
and
high impact news
that might be appropriate for media coverage with Marlene Naanes in the Press Office. This usually includes pending FDA drug/device approvals, studies/trial results being published in high-impact journals, and patient stories. The more lead time you can give Marlene, the better—four weeks or when a paper is accepted by the journal is necessary. Embargoes will always be honored and news will only be released with your approval. Please also remember to send ASCO abstracts when they are approved.
|
|
TCI Connections
is a monthly publication for the Tisch Cancer Institute Community
Ramon Parsons, MD, PhD, TCI Director
Co-editors: Janet Aronson and Rhaisili Rosario
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
