Dana-Farber Cancer Institute

When Shelley Schaffer isn't at work using her three science degrees as a nurse practitioner in our Occupational Health Department, she's exercising a different part of her brain pursuing a new creative passion: quilting! 🧵 🪡 Learn more in our latest #offtheclock

Congratulations to Dana-Farber's Gordon Freeman, PhD, and Harvard Medical School's Arlene Sharpe, PhD, recipients of the 2024 Hamburg Award for Advances in Biomedical Research and Clinical Medicine in recognition of their groundbreaking research that enabled the development of immunotherapies for cancer.

Last week we celebrated the 25th anniversary of our pioneering Adult and Pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Councils (PFACs). These incredibly important volunteer-led groups, comprised of past and present patients and their caregivers, provide valuable input on so many aspects of care at Dana-Farber, improving the patient/family experience for those who come after them. We honor and appreciate the steadfast commitment of PFAC members, past and present, who courageously share their personal experiences and support our mission to provide expert, compassionate and equitable care.

Can exercise help reduce side effects and improve outcomes for patients in cancer treatment? At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, our scientists are researching the answers to this question and more as part of their holistic, patient-first approach to cancer care. Join us for a conversation and live Q&A with Dana-Farber’s Christina Dieli-Conwright, PhD, MPH, FACSM, CSCS. She will share her exciting research on the benefits of exercise, and how prescriptive exercise can improve cancer outcomes in individuals from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds diagnosed with cancer, from adolescents and young adults to older adults. https://bit.ly/4eZmKKI

A team of Dana-Farber investigators discovered that a subset of myeloid and lymphoid leukemias depend on a molecular complex called PI3Kgamma for survival. The study provides both mechanistic and preclinical evidence supporting the rapid initiation of clinical trials for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to test an existing medicine that inhibits the complex, called eganelisib, both alone and in combination with the most used AML chemotherapy, cytarabine. The study was published in Nature. (More: https://lnkd.in/eVU_wAJi) "Given what we've observed, we can move very quickly to take these medicines, which appear to be safe and well tolerated, to patients with AML," says principal investigator Andrew Lane, MD, PhD, a clinician-scientist in the Adult Leukemia Program at Dana-Farber. "We are planning clinical trials to start hopefully within the next year." Treatment for AML has advanced in the last decade, but most patients ultimately relapse after treatment. Therapies that target AML-related mutations have provided options for subsets of patients, though the cancer eventually evolves to evade the therapy. The Dana-Farber team took a different approach to searching for therapeutic targets. Rather than focusing on mutations, first author Qingyu Luo, MD, PhD, a research fellow in Lane's lab, used genome-wide CRISPR interference to search for genes that AML cells rely on to grow. He found a promising hit. A subset of leukemia cells relied on a gene called PI3KR5 to survive. That gene produces an important portion of the PI3Kgamma complex. This hit was attractive in part because the PI3Kgamma complex had been studied before, though not in AML. In addition, a medicine already existed to inhibit it. This drug, eganelisib, has been tested in trials for certain solid tumors to enhance cancer immunotherapy. What Luo and Lane had found, however, was a completely different mechanism of action in which the drug might work directly on leukemia cells to stop their growth. To validate this hypothesis, the team treated animal models harboring patient-derived leukemia xenografts with eganelisib. They found that the leukemia xenografts predicted to be highly dependent on PI3Kgamma shrank, and the animal models survived longer when treated with eganelisib. Looking at The Cancer Genome Atlas Data (TCGA), the team found that patients with AML predicted to be sensitive to eganelisib don't do as well in terms of survival on existing therapies compared to those with negative biomarkers. This finding suggests that this patient group, which can be identified by high levels of PI3KR5 expression, has a need for new medicines and could potentially benefit from treatment with eganelisib. "This is a drug that is ready to be tested in patients with AML," says Lane. "It's already been used in clinical trials for many patients with solid tumors."

Today, Dr. Filipa Lynce, director of the Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) Center at Dana-Farber, joined Governor Maura Healey, Sue Asch, IBC survivor and president of IBC New England, and other partners to recognize Inflammatory Breast Cancer Awareness Day. Special thanks to bill sponsor, Rep. Sean Garballey, and other members of the Legislature for their efforts in designating this day to bring greater awareness and support to the IBC community. Together, we’re making strides in research, treatment, and advocacy. To learn more about our unique approach to treating IBC visit: https://bit.ly/3YaAATu #IBCAwareness

At Dana-Farber, our clinical assistants embody our mission to provide compassionate, comprehensive care while continuously striving for professional growth. Nishara Benson, with more than 18 years of service, recently advanced to a clinical assistant manager position. Her commitment to oncology and passion for education drive her to empower both patients and her team. “You can make a difference in every patient’s day,” she notes. Jada Reid, inspired by her family's experience with breast cancer, transitioned from pursuing an art degree to becoming a full-time clinical assistant at Dana-Farber. “It’s remarkable how everything aligned,” she shares, emphasizing the support she witnessed during her family's treatment. Ariane Dasilva, now a lead clinical assistant, is known for her willingness to help. Dasilva believes in forming strong connections with patients. “In oncology, you really get to know your patients; they become family,” she shares. Her commitment to patient care is matched by her pursuit of professional growth through Dana-Farber's tuition reimbursement program, as she aims to further her education in radiology. Shanna Campbell, a patient care assistant in our inpatient hospital, brings years of experience in palliative care. She has become a trusted resource for new graduates, guiding them through challenging patient interactions. “It’s an honor to be there for my patients,” she says, emphasizing the importance of gratitude in her work. Her mentorship helps equip newcomers with the skills to navigate difficult conversations, ensuring they feel supported in their roles. #medicalassistantsday #clinicalassistantsday

If you've had a history of sunburns, how can you reduce your risk of cancer? Elizabeth Buchbinder, MD senior physician at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, emphasizes the importance of regularly using sunscreen, wearing UV-protective clothing, and seeking shade to reduce the risk of skin cancer. #cancerprevention #cancerscreening #oncology #doctor #skincare #melanomaprevention #health

Congratulations to DanaFarber’s David Pellman, MD and Matthew Vander Heiden, MD, PhD who were elected to the 2024 class of the National Academy of Medicine.

When Antonio Giordano, MD, PhD, arrived at Dana-Farber in 2020, the Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation (CCTI) had just been formed. He’d come from another major cancer center to be the CCTI breast cancer liaison, a breast cancer expert running phase 1 studies of novel agents for patients. A trial was being considered for a selective CDK4 inhibitor. Giordano, who had run a lab that studied the role of CDK4 in breast cancer, knew it could be an important drug for patients, so he supported opening the trial here. “When you open a phase 1 studying a new molecule, it’s a little bit like a bet,” says Giordano. “You really don’t know anything about that drug in humans.” Today, that trial is leaping from phase 1 to a phase 3 trial designed to gather evidence that could support a U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval. Giordano, who has several patients with metastatic breast cancer who are still on the drug after a year of treatment, will be leading the trial. “Early drug development is a chance for patients to receive benefit and new hope from novel drugs,” says Giordano. Giordano earned his medical and doctoral training in Italy, at the University of Naples Federico II, which has a very strong breast cancer program. When Giordano was attending two decades ago, there weren’t many treatments available for breast cancer patients. More early-stage drug development was needed, but it also is demanding. “The clinical trial infrastructure for phase 1 trials needs to be really robust and involves a lot of people,” says Giordano. He was able to work on several phase 2 and 3 trials, but never phase 1. When it came time to do postdoctoral training, he went first to MD Anderson and then to the Medical University of South Carolina, which had a very strong phase 1 program. Giordano was able to run and support phase 1 trials for breast cancer there. In addition to this clinical research, Giordano also had a laboratory. It was through his laboratory experience and interaction with other basic scientists that he examined the role of CDK4 inhibition in preclinical models of breast cancer. The knowledge he gained from his lab gave him the confidence to support the phase 1 CDK4 inhibitor study so soon after he joined Dana-Farber. “I knew the biology behind it, and it helps to have experience with the preclinical models,” says Giordano. When Giordano joined Dana-Farber and the CCTI, he worked under the mentorship of Geoffrey Shapiro, MD, PhD, senior vice president of Developmental Therapeutics. “He’s one of the most experienced phase 1 physicians in the U.S.,” says Giordano. “Being mentored by him has been really important for me to have better sense of these challenging studies.” A key differentiator for Dana-Farber’s phase 1 program is that each disease area has an expert liaison. “It’s really unique and for the patient, it’s a big advantage,” says Giordano. More: https://lnkd.in/dDeUdCgY