improve cancer diagnosis and therapies
School of Medicine researchers have received an $11.5 million grant from the National Cancer Institute to improve risk assessment, measures for diagnosis and prognosis, and therapies for patients with two types of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma and melanoma.
Basal and squamous cell carcinomas are the most common skin cancers diagnosed in the United States, and melanoma is the most devastating type of skin cancer with little effective therapy available once it has spread beyond the primary site.
The Specialized Programs of Research Excellence (SPORE) in Skin Cancer grant to Yale will support multidisciplinary research that extends from the laboratory bench to treatments for cancer patients. Ruth Halaban, senior research scientist in the Department of Dermatology and Yale Comprehensive Cancer Center member, is principal investigator of the multifaceted project.
The Yale SPORE studies will assess environmental and genetic factors in early onset of basal cell carcinoma. The results will help establish national guidelines on modifying behavior and on prevention as well as identification of new drug targets. Another expected outcome of the studies is development of an efficient system to assess a patient's likelihood of responding to therapy. Patients will be selected for specific therapy based on characteristics of their cancer cells.
Another expected translational application is the development of blood or tissue tests for patients undergoing treatment, which will monitor the impact of the drug so clinicians can better decide whether or not to continue with treatment. The studies will also introduce novel immunological therapies that break tumor immune-tolerance and boost patient's immune response to eradicate cancer cells.
"The series of studies in the SPORE collectively represent a striking illustration of how ideas and results generated by solid basic science translate into preclinical and clinical investigation," said Halaban. "The team of researchers spans basic science and clinical departments around the University. The outcomes will be a reflection of the wide range of expertise involved in this project and we hope this will lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for patients."
The four major translational projects include "Epidemiology and Genetics of Early Onset Basal Cell Carcinoma," "Predictive and Therapeutic Utilities of Epigenetic Changes in Chromatin in Melanomas," "Enhancement of Anti-Tumor Immunity by Inhibition of TGF-ß Signaling in Patients with Metastatic Melanoma," and "Serological Profiling of Melanoma Patients as a Diagnostic Tool." There are also four developmental research projects that provide support to skin cancer-related pilot projects and encourage new multidisciplinary collaborative research efforts in skin cancer.
In addition to the research projects, SPORE includes a career development program directed by Dr. Robert Tigelaar, professor of dermatology and immunobiology. The first two faculty members mentored under this program are Annette Molinaro, assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, and Dr. Michael Girardi, associate professor of dermatology.
The SPORE includes investigators in the Departments of Dermatology, Internal Medicine/Oncology, Pathology, Genetics, Immunobiology, Laboratory Medicine, Epidemiology and Public Health, and Surgery. Their basic science and clinical expertise ranges from non-melanoma skin cancers and melanoma to molecular biology, genome-wide analysis, immunology, oncology, cancer prevention, population biology and population studies. Other team members are experts in bioinformatics, biostatistics and artificial intelligence.
Halaban's co-principal investigators on the Yale SPORE are Dr. Mario Sznol and Dr. Robert Tigelaar. Lead investigators on projects and cores are: Dr. Allen Bale, Richard Flavell, Dr. Harriet Kluger, Dr. Michael Krauthammer, Susan Mayne, Dr. Jennifer McNiff, Annette Molinaro, Dr. David Rimm and Dr. Sherman Weissman.
T H I S
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Medical School receives $57.3 million NIH grant
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