The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) and Israel Cancer Research Fund have partnered to award and co-fund a Clinic and Laboratory Integration Program (CLIP) Grant to support the promising immunotherapy research of Yifat Merbl, PhD, of the Weizmann Institute of Science. The CLIP grant, amounting to $200,000 over two years, was established by CRI to support investigators who are studying critical topics at the intersection of laboratory and clinical research. This collaboration builds on another partnership that supported immunotherapy research conducted in Israel—The Immunotherapy Promise—between CRI, the leading funder of immunotherapy research internationally, and ICRF.

Lucio Frydman, PhD, of the Weizmann Institute of Science, is investigating techniques for understanding, diagnosing and assessing treatment for pancreatic cancer.  

As a renowned expert in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), can you briefly describe the challenges in early detection of pancreatic cancer?   

My work focuses on pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), a highly aggressive form of pancreatic cancer and a leading cause of cancer-related mortality. It is currently the third most common cause of cancer-related deaths, second only to colon and  lung cancer in the U.S. Seven percent of cancer deaths are due to PDAC, and with a five-year survival of 9 percent, it is among the deadliest of cancers. This is largely due to difficulties in its early diagnosis and the dearth of screening tests, compared to lung, colorectal, breast and prostate cancers. In fact, PDAC diagnosis comes too late for most patients, and even with its resection survival is little more than a year. 

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Amit Tirosh, MD, now in the second year of an ICRF Clinical Research Career Development Award at Chaim Sheba Medical Center, is focusing on a hereditary syndrome called von Hippel-Lindau (or VHL). Patients with VHL have a higher risk of developing pancreatic cancer, compared with the general population. Using tumor samples taken from patients with VHL, he found a specific compound that can potentially drive tumor development and believes that it can be blocked using specific drugs. He will continue to analyze the data derived from tumor samples using the most advanced genomic techniques available today, in order to gain additional insights on the molecular mechanisms that cause pancreatic tumors to develop, with the ultimate goal of testing potential drugs to reverse tumor progression.

Tomer Cooks, PhD, a new recipient of an ICRF Project Grant at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, is investigating the role of exosomes (nanoparticles produced by pancreatic cancer cells) in reprogramming the surrounding microenvironment to create favorable conditions for cancer cells to invade and metastasize. His lab specifically focuses on cancer cells with a mutated p53 gene, the most frequently altered gene in human cancers. Exosomes released by cells that contain the mutant p53 gene have the potential to 'educate' neighboring cells to promote cancer. Finding ways to stop this process could become instrumental in the development of clinical approaches for pancreatic cancer and other tumors.

Oren Parnas, PhD, of Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is now in his third and final year of the ICRF Barbara S. Goodman Endowed Research Career Development Award in Pancreatic Cancer. Pancreatic cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, after it has already spread to other organs; but, it actually develops over many years, starting from small changes that form pre-malignant lesions, eventually giving rise to the tumor. The Parnas lab is examining the role of two transcription factors (proteins involved in the process of converting, or transcribing, DNA into RNA) and how they change the behavior of normal cells to induce cancerous transformation. Their ultimate goal is to be able to detect secreted proteins that are regulated by these transcription factors in the blood of pancreatic cancer patients before the disease has spread. By shedding light on the basic processes that support pancreatic cancer development, their work has the potential to reveal new biomarkers for early detection of pancreatic cancer.

In case you missed it, view our Brilliant Minds webinar "Novel Treatments and Diagnostics for Pancreatic Cancer" featuring Professor Parnas.

Dubi Fishel Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research Announces 2022 Campaign 

The Dubi Fishel Fund for Pancreatic Cancer Research was established in 2020 to honor the memory of Chicago ICRF Board Member Dubi Fishel, who lost his battle with cancer on Yom Kippur of that year. 

Dubi’s final wish was to share his journey with pancreatic cancer and generate support for ICRF’s cutting-edge cancer research. Please join us in helping to find treatments and cures for this devastating cancer. For more information, please contact sandy.rosen@icrfonline.org.

The deadline is Thursday, January 5, 2023@ 11:59PM EST

ICRF Project Grantee Ravid Straussman, MD, PhD of the Weizmann Institute of Science discusses new research revealing that tumors may contain millions of microbes, including both bacteria and fungi. Some microbes not only attach to tumors but may help them grow. They may “cloak the tumor" from the immune system, neutralize drugs, or help tumors spread though the body. 

Ninety percent of advanced-stage melanomas cause metastases in the brain. Ronit Satchi-Fainaro, PhD, an ICRF Research Professorship grantee, and Sabina Pozzi, a PhD student, discovered a treatment, when applied immediately after surgery, that prevents metastasis from entering the brain. The researchers were able to delay the spread of the metastases by up to 80 percent.

Read more in Newsweek 

Join ICRF in funding the future of cancer research this Giving Tuesday, November 29, 2022! This year we are raising money towards funding a new Research Career Development Award (RCDA) grant, which is awarded to promising early career scientists who have recently established their own laboratories and are on their way to becoming outstanding independent investigators. 

The Connecticut Tower of Hope Gala was held in October in Stamford, raising $250,000 to fund groundbreaking cancer research. The event was a tribute to the “Late Show with David Letterman” show announcer Alan Kalter, z”l , whose wife, Peggy Kalter, accepted the Humanitarian Award on his behalf. Award-winning actor and comedian Richard Kind entertained the guests as master of ceremonies and David Letterman orchestra leader Paul Shaffer performed an impromptu rendition of the theme song from Exodus. A group of community experts, Nicole Boxer, Genetics Counselor, Dr. Fran Ginsburg, Gynecologist and Reproductive Endocrinologist, Dr. Shara Israel, Internist, and Robyn Grosshandler, cancer survivor and advocate, led a stimulating panel discussion on “Mitigating Cancer Risks.”

New York Gala Raises Close to $800,000 to Support Israel's World-Class Scientists

New York supporters of ICRF gathered together in late October at the Tower of Hope Gala, for a night of song, science and hope. The evening’s three awardees were Leadership Honoree Rob Densen, Founder & CEO of Tiller LLC and ICRF International Vice Chair and President Emeritus; Inspiration Honoree Arnold M. Baskies, MD, Surgical Oncologist, Former Chairman of the Board of the American Cancer Society and ICRF International Vice President; and Partnership Honoree Ambassador Asaf Zamir, Consul General of Israel in New York. The honorees spoke with passion about their personal journeys with cancer and their unflagging support of ICRF’s mission to support groundbreaking cancer research in

Israel. Michelle Makori, Editor- in-Chief and Lead Anchor, KITCO News, served as the gala host. Other special guests included Rabbi Stuart Gershon, Cantor Azi Schwartz, and Rabbi Charles Savenor.

Simply visit icrfonline.org/doublethedonation to find out if yours is one of the many employers that participate in these programs.