March 17, 2025:
We are thrilled to reintroduce Across the Consortium, a monthly article showcasing the latest news and events from our member institutions. In this edition, we proudly add our newest member, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, which serves as the cancer program for UW Medicine—the University of Washington’s health system—joining our consortium of now 16 institutions.
University of Illinois Cancer Center
University of Illinois Cancer Center Deputy Director VK Gadi, MD, PhD, was featured in the digital media outlet Oncology News Central, commenting on the study “Musician’s Experience After Breast Cancer Treatment: Defining Musical Toxicity and its Frequency,” published in JCO Oncology Practice.
Cancer Center at Illinois
Michael Mulligan, a PhD student in the lab of Cancer Center at Illinois (CCIL) Deputy Director Paul Hergenrother, PhD, recently discovered that a small molecule called ErSO-TFPy has the ability to drastically reduce the size of large breast tumors in mice. Even more impressive, this occurs after only a single dose of ErSO-TFPy. If translated to human cancer patients, such a discovery could dramatically improve breast cancer treatment.
Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center
Indiana’s first mobile lung screening program, which includes a 40-foot truck with a CT scanner, is bringing life-saving lung screenings directly to Hoosiers across the state. The program will offer a convenient and accessible way to detect lung cancer early, when it is
most treatable.
University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center
Researchers at University of Iowa Health Care, MIT, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, are creating a unique approach to protect healthy tissue during radiation therapy. The protection comes from tardigrades, microscopic creatures with an extraordinary ability to withstand extreme conditions, including radiation levels 2,000 to 3,000 times higher than humans can tolerate. This radioprotective effect is due in part to a damage suppressor (Dsup) protein that is unique to tardigrades. The Dsup protein binds to and protects DNA from strand breaks caused by radiation.
University of Maryland Marlene and Stewart Greenebaum Comprehensive Cancer Center
Dr. Taofeek Owonikoko, MD, PhD, UMGCCC’s Executive Director, spoke with WMAR-2 News about UMGCCC’s dedication to research and innovation in academic medicine, as well as its nationally ranked expert cancer care.
University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center
Andrea Franson, MD, MS, received an $800,000 “A” Award grant from Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer to translate an approach developed at Rogel Cancer Center into a phase 1 clinical trial for children with high-grade glioma.
Michigan State University
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most aggressive and deadly forms of cancer. The five-year survival rate is just 13%. On average, patients survive for only nine months after diagnosis and roughly 66,000 people are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. Now, researchers from Henry Ford Health and MSU are coming together to share their knowledge and expertise with the aim of changing this somber prognosis.
Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. This month, the Masonic Cancer Center had the opportunity to sit down with Emil Lou, MD, PhD, FACP, an MCC researcher and medical oncologist at the University of Minnesota, and Kim Newcomer, a 16-year stage IV rectal cancer survivor and passionate advocate from the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, for a discussion about all things colorectal cancer, covering everything from screening to survivorship.
Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (University of Nebraska)
A recent clinical trial conducted by researchers at the UNMC Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center tested a possible treatment option for patients with a severe, treatment-resistant form of chronic graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Graft-versus-host disease, or GVHD, is a late-onset complication that can follow a blood or bone marrow transplant. The disease, also known as “sclerotic GVHD,” leads to skin hardening and joint problems, significantly impacting patients’ quality of life.
Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
A new professorship honoring the late Ann Lurie, a transformative donor in the Northwestern community and beyond, will support Hidayatullah G. Munshi, MD, ’02 GME, who in September was appointed chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute
While the human papillomavirus (HPV) is most associated with cervical cancer risk and women, a new survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) shows that the majority of people are unaware that the virus is actually more common among men than women and is associated with rising rates of other cancers that directly impact men.
Penn State Cancer Institute
Chandrika Behura, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at Penn State College of Medicine, is one of the physician-scientists whose research on pediatric cancer is supported by Four Diamonds. In October, she opened a phase I clinical trial for pediatric patients with solid tumors, which account for nearly 60% of pediatric cancers. This clinical trial is the culmination of 13 years of research at Penn State. In the following Q&A, Behura shared her journey from lab-based discoveries to patient care.
Purdue University Center for Cancer Research
The research team led by Sandro Matosevic, PhD, has developed patent-pending antibody-based immunotherapies called natural killer cell engagers to treat glioblastoma. With support from Purdue Innovates, Purdue University continues to push the boundaries of cancer treatment.
Rutgers Cancer Institute Of New Jersey
Rutgers Cancer Institute and RWJBarnabas experts Coral Omene, MD, PhD, and Mariam Eskander, MD, MPH, address best practices for boosting the enrollment of underserved populations in cancer clinical trials on cancernetwork.com.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (University of Washington)
Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center have discovered an overlooked mechanism driving aggressive breast and brain tumors involving genes so ancient — more than 2 billion years old — that they fly under the radar of standard genetic sequencing methods.
University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center
Zhubin Gahvari, MD, is among the UW Health | Carbone Cancer Center researchers examining how to make CAR T-cell and T-cell Receptor therapies, which involve use of modified white blood cells, be an effective treatment against the most common cancer types.
About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow. Since its founding, the Big Ten CRC has activated nearly 40 clinical trials across a wide range of cancer types, more than 1,000 participants have enrolled in Big Ten CRC studies, and more than 500 researchers have joined Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Groups.
About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 18 Big Ten institutions provide direct financial support for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.
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