Inflammatory Breast Cancer Grant Helps Fund Four Potential Novel Therapeutic Agents
DALLAS – October 15, 2009 – Since receiving the first American Airlines Susan G. Komen for the Cure® Promise Grant one year ago, The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center has made substantial progress fighting inflammatory breast cancer (IBC), an aggressive form of the disease.
Four new classes of drugs already have been identified as potentially effective against IBC cells and targeted therapies using these drugs are being developed. The first of these will be ready for clinical trials early next year.
“Recent evidence suggests that IBC cells exhibit characteristics of cancer stem cells and are very resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. Drugs that target these cells have been found to improve survival of patients with lymphomas and leukemias and are showing potential for treatment of solid tumors like IBC,” said Fredika Robertson, Ph.D., professor of experimental therapeutics at M. D. Anderson and co-principal investigator of the Promise Grant.
New technologies now available to Robertson and her colleagues -- including deep sequencing, identification of microRNAs and non-coding RNAs, whole transcriptome analysis, and glycan arrays -- are providing an understanding about the specific alterations that occur in IBC cells. From this, new strategies targeting these changes can be developed using new classes of drugs.
The laboratory work for this project is taking place in the Morgan Welch Inflammatory Breast Cancer Research Program and Clinic directed by co-principal investigator, Massimo Cristofanilli, M.D., associate professor of breast medical oncology and director of the Welch Clinic. Critical tissue and blood samples used by the scientists are provided by IBC patients. These samples are the basis for the translational research that is key to understanding this form of the disease better and for identifying IBC therapies and biomarkers.
“The collaboration between patients, physicians and laboratory scientists has created a one-of-a-kind environment for robust team science in inflammatory breast cancer. The American Airlines Susan G. Komen for the Cure Promise Grant has enabled us to assemble the best minds to tackle this aggressive disease,” said Cristofanilli.
American’s annual Celebrity Golf and Tennis event, plus its Miles for the Cure™ program – soon to launch its second year – are funding the grant. American Airlines has pledged $8 million over eight years to fund inflammatory breast cancer research at M. D. Anderson.
In just one year, American Airlines raised more than $1 million toward that funding goal through its Miles for the Cure, for which members of American’s AAdvantage® travel rewards program receive miles when they donate to Komen, and its Celebrity Golf and Tennis tournament, which marked its 15th year in 2009.
“It is truly remarkable to see the advancements that Komen and M. D. Anderson are making in the fight against IBC,” said Roger Frizzell, Vice President – Corporate Communications and Advertising for American Airlines. “We are so thankful to our employees and customers at American that have rallied for this cause to help provide the funding to make this research possible.”
American, whose partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure began more than 20 years ago, was the first corporate sponsor to fund a groundbreaking Promise Grant in 2008. Komen Promise Grants are multi-million dollar, multi-year grants that allow scientists in different subspecialties – including investigators with expertise in genomics, proteomics and development of new therapeutic platforms such as aptamers – to collaborate and find better ways to test diagnostic procedures as well as new therapies in clinical trials. The 2008 grant has allowed researchers, clinicians, advocates and caregivers at M. D. Anderson to work together on novel approaches to treating the disease.
“As we’ve gained more understanding of breast cancer, Komen is now focused on outcomes and collaboration. These large Promise Grants are intended to tackle the biggest issues still remaining in breast cancer, with multi-disciplinary teams – doctors, scientists, caregivers and advocates – working together to develop and implement effective treatments. We’re very encouraged by the extraordinary progress M. D. Anderson Promise Grant researchers have made in a very short time, and grateful for American Airlines and its customers for providing this life-saving funding,” said Hala Moddelmog, Komen’s president and CEO.
IBC affects only 1 to 5 percent of women with breast cancer. It is extremely aggressive. The five-year survival rate is only 40 percent, less than half the rate for other breast cancers. Because it typically does not look like other breast cancers, women often are not diagnosed with IBC until it has spread to other organs. More baffling, the disease affects a disproportionate number of younger, premenopausal women who are typically not considered at risk for breast cancer. To learn more about IBC or the Miles for the Cure program, visit www.komen.org, www.mdanderson.org or www.aa.com/komen.
About The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston ranks as one of the world's most respected centers focused on cancer patient care, research, education and prevention. M. D. Anderson is one of only 40 Comprehensive Cancer Centers designated by the National Cancer Institute. For six of the past nine years, M. D. Anderson has ranked No. 1 in cancer care in “America's Best Hospitals,” a survey published annually in U.S. News and World Report.
