How Two Donor-Funded Studies Aim to Improve Outcomes for Lung Cancer
Two promising donor-funded studies, playing off a simple but powerful idea that we can starve lung cancer of what it needs to grow, are underway thanks to the incredible support of this community. These studies are bringing hope to patients faced with an aggressive disease. For the 226,650 people in the U.S. diagnosed with lung cancer each year, only 28% live past five years. While that survival rate is up from 15% in the mid-90s, the reality remains that lung cancer is the number one cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. Even the best treatments for lung cancer, like immunotherapy, can eventually stop working.
“Cancer cells have adapted in order to hide from the immune system or neutralize its effect. Cancer immunotherapy aims to use treatments, either directly or indirectly, to make immune cells able to recognize and kill cancer cells more effectively.”
In recent years, lung cancer research has extended its focus from eliminating lung cancer to preventing treatment resistance.
Two Lung Cancer Studies, Funded by Donor Dollars
Two studies aimed at extending the lives of patients with lung cancer are underway thanks to the generosity of our donors. These studies are being led by Roswell Park investigators, Drs. Grace Dy, MD, Director of Translational Research for Thoracic Medicine, and Andrei Gudkov, PhD, DSci, Senior Vice President of Research Technology and Innovation and Chair of the Department of Cell Stress Biology.
One study focuses on CIMAvax, a promising immunotherapy treatment developed by immunologists in Cuba. Thanks to a historic partnership with Cuba’s Centro de Inmunología Molecular (CIM), Roswell Park is the only center in the nation offering clinical trials of CIMAvax.
The groundbreaking vaccine works by blocking the ability of cancer cells to rapidly grow, ultimately slowing cancer progression. It is targeting against one of the key lung cancer driving pathways, which is activated by a protein called epidermal growth factor (EGF). While past cancer research has focused on the EGF receptor, Cubans immunologists focused on the depletion of EGF itself that is critical for the unconstrained growth of lung cells. Over the last decade, researchers at Roswell Park, in partnership with immunologists at CIM, proved that vaccination with CIMAvax is well tolerated and develops enough antibodies to block EGF activity.
“This vaccine does not cure cancer, but it significantly reduces the likelihood of resistance development. It works by blocking the cancer’s ability to grow in the first place. And importantly, it does this in a way that is safer than many existing therapies.
Now, research has shifted to studying the use of CIMAvax in combination with other cutting-edge lung cancer treatments that recently entered the oncology market for even greater impact.
A second lung cancer study being led by Drs. Dy and Gudkov shares a similar focus of slowing cancer progression, though it uses a different approach. Researchers are looking at the hidden “viral” elements in our DNA that are frequently activated in malignant cells helping cancer to evolve and acquire treatment resistance. Certain HIV drugs have shown to suppress the activity of these elements. A clinical trial at Roswell Park is investigating the effect of those drug in patients with advanced small cell lung cancer – the most aggressive among lung cancer malignancies.
Research with a Goal that’s Changing Everything
In both studies, the goal is simple: Keep pushing the needle to help people with lung cancer live even longer. And the most exciting part?
“These are not ideas that will take decades to test. These are solutions that can be evaluated in clinical trials within a few years, with clear and measurable outcomes,” Dr. Gudkov says.
This means that the next great breakthrough for lung cancer treatment could be right around the corner, and it’s all thanks to the generous support of donors like you who have dared to imagine what’s possible.
“Philanthropic funding allows us to pursue bold ideas much faster than with a traditional funding path. Many of the advances we’re talking about today were only possible because donors made that first investment."