Andrew T. Chan, MD, MPH (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘08-‘13) of Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, working with a multi-institutional team, analyzed data from two long-term studies involving nearly 128,000 participants. The researchers found that individuals whose colons have high levels of a specific gene, 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH), dramatically reduce their chances of developing colorectal cancer by taking aspirin. In contrast, aspirin provides no benefit to individuals whose colons show low levels of 15-PGDH.

Madhav Dhodapkar, MD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘02-‘07), Yale Cancer Center, New Haven, reported positive results from a Phase 1 clinical trial using a cancer vaccine called CDX-1401, which activates the patient’s immune system against cancers that express the tumor marker NY-ESO-1. In 45 patients with advanced malignancies (melanoma or non-small cell lung cancer), thirteen patients experienced stabilization of disease and two patients had tumor regression.

Feng Zhang, PhD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ‘12-‘14), of the Broad Institute, Cambridge, was named the 2014 recipient of its Alan T. Waterman Award from the National Science Foundation (NSF). This award is NSF’s highest honor that recognizes an outstanding researcher under the age of 35 and funds his or her research in any field of science or engineering.

Sean Bendall, PhD (Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Scientist ‘14-‘16, Damon Runyon Fellow ‘09-‘12), of Stanford University, Stanford, and colleagues, reported the development of a new technology that can simultaneously detect as many as 100 clinically important proteins in breast tumor cells-conventional methods can pinpoint only two to four at the same time. This technology, called multiplexed ion beam imaging (MIBI), will enable scientists to provide new insights into cancer cell development that will be valuable for basic research, drug discovery and clinical diagnostics.

Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘04-‘06) of the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, and colleagues,  reported that FDA-approved anti-psychotic drugs possess tumor-killing activity against the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma.

Dmitriy Zamarin, MD, PhD (Dr. Bart A. Kamen Fellow ‘13-‘15) in the laboratory of Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘03-‘08) at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, reported the clinical efficacy of a combined approach using checkpoint blockade, a strategy that harnesses the immune response to treat cancers, and oncolytic virotherapy, an investigational intervention that uses viruses to destroy tumors.

The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) named two Damon Runyon alumni as 2014 recipients of its prestigious awards. Elaine V.

Renier J. Brentjens, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon-Lilly Clinical Investigator ‘06-‘11) and colleagues at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, reported the success of immunotherapy treatment in adults with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). This is the largest clinical study conducted thus far; it showed that 88 percent of patients achieved complete remissions after being treated with their own T immune cells, which had been genetically modified to target and attack the cancer cells.

William Y. Kim, MD (Damon Runyon-Merck Clinical Investigator ‘09-‘14) of University of North Carolina Lineberger Cancer Center, Chapel Hill, and colleagues, reported the results of a comprehensive genetic analysis of 262 invasive bladder cancer tumors. The researchers found that the disease shares genetic similarities with two forms of breast cancer, basal-like and luminal. They hope that the identification of these subtypes will lead to improved diagnosis as well as effective targeted therapies for bladder cancer.

Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘11-‘14) of Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, and colleagues, reported that a common inexpensive anti-fungal drug, called itraconazole, may be useful in treating basal cell carcinoma (the most common form of skin cancer). The drug was tested in a Phase II clinical trial with 29 patients who had a total of 101 tumors. Within a month, the size and spread of tumors had decreased in most patients. The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.