New York, NY -- The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation named 5 new Damon Runyon Clinical Investigators at its May 2007 Clinical Investigator Award Committee review. The recipients of this prestigious, three-year award are outstanding early career physician-scientists conducting patient-oriented cancer research at major research centers under the mentorship of the nation’s leading scientists and clinicians. Each will receive $450,000 to support the development of his or her cancer research program. The Clinical Investigator Award program is specifically intended to help address the worrisome shortage of physicians capable of translating scientific discovery into new breakthroughs for cancer patients. In partnerships with founding sponsor Eli Lilly and Company, and with Siemens Medical Solutions, Novartis and Genentech, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has committed more than $30 million to support the careers of 39 physician-scientists across the United States since 2000.
The 2007 awardees are Colleen Delaney, MD, from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and the University of Washington; Douglas K. Graham, MD, PhD, from the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center; Juan Carlos Ramos, MD, from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Sylvester Cancer Center; Joel H. Rubenstein, MD, from the University of Michigan; and Catherine J. Wu, MD, from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.
Dr. Colleen Delaney and mentors Dr. Irwin Berstein and Dr. Fred Appelbaum focus on improving on hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. The use of umbilical cord blood for transplantation is an attractive alternative for cancer patients who cannot identify a suitable adult donor such as minority patients or patients of mixed ethnicity. However, umbilical cord blood has fewer stem cells, decreasing the likelihood of a successful transplant. Dr. Delaney has developed novel methods for increasing the concentration of stem cells in cord blood. Her mouse studies and early patient trials show encouraging results and she plans to move this technique into larger clinical trials.
Dr. Douglas Graham investigates new treatments for childhood leukemias and lymphomas. Current therapies for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common pediatric cancer, are effective but have severe short and long term side effects. More targeted and less toxic therapies are needed. Dr. Graham has identified the Mer tyrosine kinase as a critical mediator of leukemogenesis and has developed two new drugs that block Mer action. Under the mentorship of Dr. James DeGregori and Dr. S. Gail Eckhardt, Dr. Graham plans to test the activity of these new compounds in mouse models of ALL and move these promising new agents into the clinic for the treatment of this deadly childhood cancer.
Dr. Juan Carlos Ramos focuses on adult T-cell leukemia/lymphoma (ATLL), a deadly blood cancer that afflicts some of the most underserved cancer patients. ATLL is caused by the human T-cell leukemia virus and a subset of ATLL patients respond to therapy with interferon, commonly used in the treatment of a number of cancers. Little is known about how or why interferon kills cancer cells. Under the mentorship of Dr. William Harrington, Jr. and Dr. Glen Barber, Dr. Ramos works to clarify the precise mechanisms of interferon therapy in ATLL and identify the specific molecular markers associated with response and prognosis. Ultimately, his studies will provide a framework to develop tests that distinguish patients who will benefit from interferon therapy from those who are unlikely to respond.
Dr. Joel Rubenstein brings basic research to the bedside to address a growing health crisis in the United States - how obesity contributes to cancer. Using novel epidemiological analyses, he will investigate the association between lower levels of circulating adipokines, obesity and the presence of Barrett’s esophagus. Dr. Rubenstein holds joint appointments at the University of Michigan Medical School and the Ann Arbor Veterans Administration Medical Center. Under the mentorship of Dr. Philip Schoenfeld at the University of Michigan and Dr. John Inadomi at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Rubenstein plans to develop strategies for reducing deaths from esophageal cancer.
Dr. Catherine Wu is developing a new treatment schema for chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). Current treatments for CML are effective for a short time, but patients ultimately relapse and die of their disease. Under the mentorship of Dr. Jerome Ritz, Dr. Wu studies how the immune system can be enlisted in the treatment of cancer. Specifically, she is designing a tumor-specific immunotherapy with minimal side effects that will target the leukemia stem cells and ultimately lead to a non-toxic therapy to cure CML.
DAMON RUNYON CANCER RESEARCH FOUNDATION
During the 61 years since it’s founding, the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation has gained worldwide prominence in cancer research by identifying outstanding young scientists and physician-scientists and providing them with financial support for their research. Each of the award programs is extremely competitive, with less than 10% of applications funded. There are 11 Nobel Prize winning scientists in the Damon Runyon alumni community and numerous Damon Runyon Scientists have gone on to leadership positions in science and medicine. Currently, over 130 Damon Runyon Scientists are working at leading cancer research institutions in the United States.