ICRF Newsletter
March 2021 View as Webpage
MARCH IS COLORECTAL CANCER MONTH:
ICRF SCIENTISTS TARGETING COLORECTAL CANCER
Meet the ICRF-supported scientists currently conducting research related to colorectal cancer, in addition to Professor Shamgar Ben Eliyahu of Tel Aviv University, who was featured in this month’s “ICRF Presents: Brilliant Minds” webinar (see below).
Michal Baniyash, PhD, an ICRF Research Professorship grantee at Hebrew University, is studying how uncontrolled inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract can develop into colorectal cancer (CRC). She has found that an increase in harmful intestinal bacteria can cause chronic inflammation and prevent an immune system response. Using a mouse model of CRC, her lab demonstrated that treatment with a cocktail of antibiotics decreased the harmful bacterial strains, decreased inflammation, helped the immune system to function and intestinal tissue to recover, all leading to tumor regression. Her team is currently gathering data to try to identify a combination of immune and microbiome markers that may predict CRC development.
Sivia Barnoy, PhD, an ICRF Project Grant recipient at TeAviv University, is using cascade genetic screening, a process of identifying multi-generational blood relatives of people diagnosed with hereditary conditions, to identify people who are mutation carriers for hereditary breast and ovarian cancers and Lynch syndrome, the most common cause of hereditary colorectal cancer. She intends to add the Israeli results to the International Cascade Consortium Initiative with the ultimate goal of helping to optimize healthcare systems worldwide in preventing, managing and treating both healthy mutation carriers and cancer patients, and to improve quality and coordination of care, as well as early detection, survival, and overall quality of life.
Yehudit Bergman, PhD, another ICRF Research Professorship grantee at Hebrew University, is studying the epigenetic regulation of intestinal inflammation and cancer. Epigenetics is the study of how your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Unlike genetic changes, epigenetic changes are potentially reversible. In a recently published manuscript, the Bergman lab demonstrated that intestinal microbiota exposed to acute inflammation resulted in profound shifts in epigenetics and gene expression, leading to colitis and colon cancer-associated diseases.
Yonatan Stelzer, PhD, an ICRF Research Career Development Award recipient at the Weizmann Institute of Science, is also taking an epigenetic approach to colorectal cancer. Using a newly-developed mouse model, his lab is studying how an epigenetic mutation in the IGF2 gene within the small intestine may lead to colon cancer. Since epigenetic changes are, in principle, reversible, this study, and Dr. Bergman’s work above, may ultimately uncover new ways to fight and treat cancer.
COLORECTAL CANCER STATS
  • Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer (excluding skin cancers) diagnosed in both men and women in the United States. It is most often found in people 50 years and older.
  • The American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates 149,500 cases of colorectal cancer will be diagnosed in 2021. About 52,980 people will die from the disease this year.
  • The rate of people being diagnosed with colorectal cancer has dropped since the mid-1980s, due to increased screening and early treatment. However, since the incidence of colon cancer has been on the rise among people younger than 55, the ACS now recommends people at average risk to begin screening at 45. 
  • Some of the risk factors that may increase the chance of developing colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer: diet (red meats and processed meats), weight (obesity), sedentary lifestyle, smoking, heavy alcohol use, history of inflammatory bowel disease, family history of colorectal cancer or polyps, and Lynch syndrome (a common hereditary colorectal cancer syndrome).
  • Treatment options include: local treatment (surgery, ablation and embolization, radiation therapy), systemic treatments (drugs, including chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy). Depending on the stage of the cancer and other factors, different types of treatment may be combined at the same time or administered consecutively.
  • In Israel, early stage diagnosis of colorectal cancer nearly doubled from 2000 to 2018, and the rate of those diagnosed with metastatic colorectal cancer dropped from 39.1 percent in 2000 to 9 percent in 2018 due to a national early detection program as well as an increase in awareness. In 2018, 3,098 new cases of invasive colon cancer were diagnosed, and 1,223 Israelis died, making it the second most prevalent malignant disease in Israel. According to the Israel Cancer Association, colorectal cancer incidence rates in Israel are slightly higher than the international average, while mortality rates are relatively low, falling within the international average.   
ICRF ISRAEL CHAIR, TAMIR GILAT, REFLECTS ON HIS TEN-YEAR JOURNEY WITH CANCER

ICRF Israel Chairman Tamir Gilat recently marked his ten-year journey with metastatic kidney and pancreatic cancer. In an opinion piece in The Jerusalem Post, Gilat, a businessman, lawyer and former goalkeeper for the Maccabi Tel Aviv soccer team, speaks candidly about his "tango with death" and the importance of supporting the “great cancer researchers of Israel.” Gilat was also the subject of a TEDx talk.

ICRF Chief Development Officer Caitlin Shmidheiser sat down with Gilat to talk about his dedication to ICRF.
COLORECTAL CANCER DISCOVERIES:
FROM BENCH TO BEDSIDE
Our "ICRF Presents: Brilliant Minds" webinar series honored Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month with a moving patient perspective from survivor Rich Klein and update on groundbreaking research to prevent metastatic risk from the lab of ICRF-funded researcher Professor Shamgar Ben-Eliyahu at Tel Aviv University's Neuroimmunology Research Unit.

Klein was joined by his physician, Dr. Jason Sicklick, a surgical oncologist at UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center and ICRF Scientific Review Panel B Co-Chair, for a conversation on his decade long battle with a mutation of a rare form of colorectal cancer called gastrointestinal stromal tumors (GISTs).

Speaking with Dr. Nancy Maizels, Professor Ben-Eliyahu discussed his research on the impact of stress, inflammatory responses, and physiological trauma on immunity and on the progression of cancer metastasis. Ben-Eliyahu is a world-recognized leader in the peri-operative treatment of cancer patients and in Psycho-Neuro-Immunology (PNI), which studies the interactions between the central nervous system (CNS), endocrine system, and immune system.

Funded in part by an ICRF Project Grant, his recent work has yielded several clinical approaches to prevent post-operative metastatic disease, which are now being tested clinically by his group and other research groups around the world.
WATCH & SHARE RECORDING:
Our webinar series will resume later this year.
Please check our website for details.
A JOURNEY OF HOPE
Join us on Tuesday, May 4, 8 pm ET | 7 pm CT for A Journey of Hope, a live virtual interactive conversation with Jason Rosenthal and Paris Rosenthal.

Jason and Paris are the team behind the #1 New York Times bestselling book, Dear Boy. Jason's memoir, My Wife Said You May Want to Marry Me, is an inspiring personal account of life, love, loss and new beginnings. Paris is the co-author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Dear Girl, a collaboration with her late mother, Amy Krouse Rosenthal. She also wrote Dear Baby, Dear Teacher, and Project 1,2,3.

To register, click here.
ICRF CELEBRATES WOMEN SCIENTISTS

In honor of Women’s History Month, ICRF celebrates two of its funded scientists who have made important contributions this year in the fight against the COVID 19 virus.

Yafit Gilboa, PhD and Mor Nahum, PhD, of the Hebrew University, are ICRF grantees under The Brause Family Initiative for Quality of Life. Their work is aimed at developing and testing a treatment for cancer survivors experiencing cancer-related cognitive impairment that will be delivered remotely using online software.
Yafit Gilboa (l) and Mor Nahum
In response to the pandemic, their work now includes screening for geriatric depression using a smart mobile app, and measuring the resilience of health professionals in the Israel Defense Forces over time.
WOMEN'S ADVISORY COUNCIL HOSTS WINE TASTING TO SUPPORT RESEARCH

More than 40 guests joined the ICRF Women’s Advisory Council this month to sip and support groundbreaking cancer research with an intimate wine tasting at home. Guided by Certified Sommelier Donald Moffat of Zachy’s Wine & Liquor, the tasting highlighted several varieties of wines from the Mediterranean region, with a focus on Israel’s eclectic wine sector. The evening raised $5,000 in support of ICRF’s mission.
THE LASTING LEGACY OF YOUR PLANNED GIVING
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.
CHAPTER UPDATE
ICRF TORONTO PRESENTS 19TH ANNUAL WOMEN OF ACTION CELEBRATION

ICRF Toronto is gearing up for its 19th Annual Women of Action Virtual Celebration, scheduled for April 18 at 11 am ET. Sponsored by The Gerald Sheff Shanitha Kachan Charitable Foundation, the much anticipated event will feature four honorees who will each receive special awards: Diane Francis, Carole Tanenbaum Women of Action Business Award; Sylvia Mantella, Ronda Green Women of Action Inspirational Award; Dr. Kelly Metcalfe, Wendy Lack Women of Action Scientific Award; and Laurie Sheff, Myra York Women of Action Community Award. Highlights include a conversation with Joan Lunden, longest running female host of Good Morning America and author of, Why Did I Come Into This Room? and special performances by Lily Librach, Canadian singer and musical theater performer. To register, please click here.
MARCH NEWS ROUNDUP
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The Answer to Cancer is Research.

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.