ICRF, CITY OF HOPE VIRTUAL SYMPOSIUM
DRAWS GLOBAL ATTENDANCE
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The Fourth Annual Symposium for the Jacki & Bruce Barron Cancer Research Scholars’ Program, a partnership between ICRF and City of Hope, was held virtually for the first time on February 16, with more than 100 people from around the globe in attendance. This collaborative research forum, generously spearheaded by The Harvey L. Miller Family Foundation, with support from The Norman and Sadie Lee Foundation and Jacki & Bruce Barron, brings together world-renowned scientists from distinguished institutions throughout Israel with counterparts in the U.S. at City of Hope.
Working together, the investigators funded by this initiative are conducting innovative research into more effective prevention, diagnosis and treatment strategies for patients with cancer. This year's annual Symposium provided an opportunity for each team of co-investigators to share knowledge and present an update on their diverse research projects; some focusing on a specific type of cancer — including leukemia, breast cancer, pancreatic cancer and lung cancer — and others with the potential to impact multiple cancers. Many of the scientists remarked that this collaboration has also fostered personal friendships that would not have happened otherwise.
Harvey Miller, the visionary behind this program, said in his closing remarks,
“I need to give a lot of credit to all the researchers for continuing their work in the face of this pandemic. It is apparent that you are all focused on the ultimate goal, the cures for cancer and its eradication from humanity. Your dedication will lead to your success.”
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SCIENTIST SPOTLIGHT:
EREZ HASNIS, MD, PhD
An interview with Dr. Erez Hasnis, Rambam Health Care Campus, recipient of the prestigious ICRF-Israel Ministry of Science and Technology Gesher Award for Israeli scientists returning to Israel
ICRF Project Title: Role of RNF 125 gene in delaying the development of pancreatic cancer
Q: Why did you decide to pursue this specific research?
A: When I began my internal medicine specialization, I recognized fairly quickly that unlike other common diseases, such as heart disease, inflammatory diseases and infections, cancer has so many unanswered questions, especially pancreatic cancer. When I was pursuing a post-doctorate fellowship at the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute in La Jolla, the researchers were focusing on the role of RNF 125 in delaying melanoma and found some data that suggested it was also important in pancreatic cancer. And so I began my journey!
What excites you in your work?
The discovery. Even of simple things. Everything you do or investigate is new and no one has done it before you.
How is your research expected to contribute in the fight against cancer?
In recent years, research has provided insights into the biological mechanisms that pancreatic cells employ to overtake normal pancreatic tissue in early stages of the disease. This allows the cancer to be aggressive, resistant to treatment, and capable of spreading to other sites. I have been able to identify one of these mechanisms, and it is an exit point for me to understand where it is possible to stop the process and reduce the aggression of the growth.
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GALLBLADDER AND BILE DUCT CANCER MONTH |
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Gallbladder cancer and bile duct cancer are relatively rare forms of cancer. The gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ in the abdomen, below the liver. It collects and stores bile—a fluid made by the liver to aid with digestion of fats. The bile ducts are thin tube-like vessels that carry bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine.
- Biliary (relating to bile or bile duct) tract cancer is comprised of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (IHCC, within the liver), extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (EHCC, cancer cells in the ducts outside the liver), or gallbladder cancer (GBCA, within the gallbladder).
- Bile duct cancers are a rare set of malignancies and are most often present at locally advanced or metastatic stages because most people display few, if any, recognizable symptoms at early stages.
- The peak incidence of the biliary tract cancers occurs in the people in their 70s, with a slightly higher male predilection.
- In the U.S., an estimated 6,300 new IHCC cases were diagnosed in 2019, while 12,360 new EHCC or GBCA were diagnosed in 2019.
- In the U.S., Japan, Australia, and many European countries, IHCC and EHCC incidence rates are steadily increasing.
- Risk factors include congenital biliary duct cysts, cholangitis (inflammation of the bile duct), gallstones, biliary cirrhosis, alcoholic liver disease, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, Type 2 diabetes, obesity, chronic hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis C virus infection, HIV infection, smoking, chronic pancreatitis.
- Symptoms range from abdominal pain to weight loss to early satiety to obstructive jaundice. Other patients may be asymptomatic.
- Depending on the stage of the cancer, surgery, chemotherapy, targeted therapy, radiation or a combination of these may be used as possible treatment options
Sources: American Association for Cancer Research and Dr. Jason Sicklick, surgical oncologist, and Co-Chair of Panel B of the ICRF Scientific Review Panel (SRP).
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This month, our ongoing " ICRF Presents: Brilliant Minds" webinar series explored the challenge of treating cancer during pregnancy with Dr. Irit Ben-Aharon, Director of Oncology at Rambam Health Care Campus and an ICRF Project Grant Recipient. Dr. Ben-Aharon was joined by a former patient, who spoke about her journey navigating these challenges and the benefit of these treatment decisions several years later from the perspective of a young survivor.
Speaking with moderator Dr. Nancy Maizels, Dr. Ben-Aharon discussed the vital role that ICRF funding has played in advancing her work investigating how chemotherapy damages blood vessels, which can lead to vascular disease and fertility problems in the future. Her current ICRF-funded research focuses on the role of vascular toxicity in the setting of chemotherapy during pregnancy and its impact on the placenta and fetus.
The clinician-scientist is hopeful her work will be of special benefit to younger cancer survivors, like her former patient. “As the incidence of cancer in younger individuals is increasing, survivors with very long life expectancy are emerging as a group with significant challenges related to treatment,” she said.
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Wednesday, March, 10, 2021
4:00 pm ET / 3:00 pm CT
Please save the date to join us next month for a conversation during Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with Professor Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu of Tel Aviv University's School of Psychological Sciences and Sagol School of Neuroscience.
Dr. Ben-Eliyahu's research focuses on the impact of stress, inflammatory responses and physiological trauma on immunity and on progression of cancer metastasis. His recent work has yielded a promising treatment to reduce the risk of metastases after surgery in colorectal patients, which is now being tested in a large-scale clinical study by his research group and other groups around the world.
Additional details and speakers will be announced shortly on our website.
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THE LASTING LEGACY OF YOUR PLANNED GIVING |
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With a planned gift to the Israel Cancer Research Fund, you can leave a philanthropic legacy that will help those touched by cancer – now and for years to come. Whether you would like to put your donation to work today or in the future, there are a variety of opportunities for making a legacy commitment to ICRF. Please visit our website to learn how you can create a lasting impact on the future of cancer research. |
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An article in The Baltimore Sun by oncologist Dr. Ethan Dmitrovsky, president of Leidos Biomedical Research and Director of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research, discusses how the successful model of global cooperation to combat the coronavirus needs to be replicated in cancer research. Read the full article.
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ICRF TORONTO PARTNERS WITH TECHNION CANADA
Technion Canada and ICRF Toronto are partnering on March 9 at 12 pm for a webinar on, “Lemons to Lemonade: New Approaches to Personalized Medicine in Oncology,” with Professor Yuval Shaked of the Department of Cell Biology and Cancer Science at the Technion’s Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, and head of the Rappaport Technion Integrated Cancer Center (RTICC). His research focuses on tumor cell biology and cancer therapy with the goal of identifying ways to personalize cancer treatments. Professor Shaked was the recipient of a two-year ICRF Project Grant from 2018-2020.
In addition, more than 1,800 tuned in to watch “ Unplugged,” an ICRF Toronto interactive virtual concert featuring American musician, Mike Delguidice. The event raised over CA$250,000. Please click here to view.
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FUNDRAISE
FOR ICRF ON FACEBOOK
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Celebrate your birthday or honor a loved one by creating your own Facebook fundraiser for ICRF.
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SUPPORT ICRF
WHILE YOU SHOP ONLINE
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Use the new Amazon Smile App
(for both iOS and android)
to generate donations for ICRF
when you shop via Amazon Smile.
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The Answer to Cancer is Research. |
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Israel Cancer Research Fund's mission is to support the best and brightest scientists conducting groundbreaking cancer research at all of the leading institutions in Israel. To date, ICRF has competitively-awarded over $78 million in funding for over 2,500 grants, making ICRF the largest nongovernmental funder of cancer research in Israel. Learn more at www.icrfonline.org.
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