Sept. 3, 2019:

The Ohio State University has appointed Peter Shields, MD, to serve as the university’s representative on the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Steering Committee.

Dr. Shields, a thoracic medical oncologist and deputy director of The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), oversees the scientific research programs and research infrastructure of the OSUCCC-James, which includes more than 340 cancer researchers and their teams from 11 of Ohio State’s 15 colleges. His research focus and interests are in how cancer forms and how to prevent it, with an emphasis on developing tests to identify people who are at greatest risk of cancer. Read More

Aug. 19, 2019:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium recently appointed 11 investigators to serve as Big Ten CRC Clinical Trial Working Group (CTWG) co-chairs in their respective specialties. Their leadership supports the valuable collaboration and mentorship that takes place within each working group in support of Big Ten CRC studies, through initial review and approval of study concepts, protocol review, feedback throughout the life of a study, and publication authorship. It is also a forum where investigators can engage and share research concepts and flesh out ideas to shape protocols for future clinical trials.

Typically, co-chairs serve two-year terms that are renewable for one more term. They are responsible for identifying topics, developing agendas, and facilitating meetings and teleconferences for their working group. Together, these investigators leverage the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities, as well as share resources to accelerate cancer research and new treatments.

The new co-chairs are: Read More

Aug. 16, 2019:

A new Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium study will test the efficacy and safety of combining abemaciclib and pembrolizumab in patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal adenocarcinoma, who are still fighting their cancers after prior treatment. The single arm, phase II study will be led by the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center in Madison, Wis.

Current treatment for patients with unresectable or metastatic gastric, gastroesophageal junction, or esophageal adenocarcinoma involves chemotherapy in earlier lines, but despite aggressive treatments, survival remains poor. New combination strategies are being tested to determine whether patient outcomes can improve.

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Aug. 16, 2019:

A clinical trial conducted by the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) geared to adult patients with advanced Stage IV non-squamous non-small lung cancer will test how participants respond to a combined treatment therapy and how long the cancer can be controlled before it returns. The Big Ten CRC will also check toxicity levels in tissue and blood markers.

The multicenter, single-arm, phase II clinical trial, BTCRC-LUN17-139, led by Nasser H. Hanna, MD, at Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, will build on the foundation of chemotherapy and immunotherapy, and add antiangiogenic therapy, which is intended to block the formation of new blood vessels, to stop the growth of tumors.

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Aug. 16, 2019:

Indiana University researchers are leading a new Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium study that will test consolidation immunotherapy in unresectable Stage III non-small cell lung cancer.

The standard treatment for this setting is concurrent chemoradiation. Prior studies have tested the addition of consolidation chemotherapy, targeted therapies, and antiangiogenic therapies. Yet there remains an unmet need.

“We are still looking for ways to move the bar,” said Greg Durm, MD, of the IU Simon Cancer Center and sponsor-investigator of the study.

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July 20, 2019:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights some of the outdoor events that support cancer research. Meanwhile, researchers indoors are making progress with new treatments that show improvements in survival for certain cancers while working toward a better understanding of cancers with low survival rates.

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July 10, 2019:

Nasser Hanna, MD, a thoracic oncology specialist at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, has been appointed to the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) Steering Committee.

As the representative for Indiana University, Dr. Hanna will work with the Steering Committee to shape research priorities for the Big Ten CRC.

“I’m honored and excited and looking forward to getting started,” Dr. Hanna said. “I’ve enjoyed my work with the Big Ten CRC and our member institutions. I’d like to continue to build on the efforts to reduce timelines for opening studies, increase accruals, increase engagement, and enhance opportunities for mentorship of junior faculty.”

Dr. Hanna previously served as chairman of Hoosier Cancer Research Network (HCRN), the administrative headquarters of the Big Ten CRC. He has been a member of the Big Ten CRC since it was founded in 2013. He is a member of the HCRN and Big Ten CRC Thoracic Clinical Trial Working Groups. Read More

July 1, 2019:

Investigator Spotlight:

Imagine having surgery to remove a tumor, and by the time you’ve recovered from the operation, your oncologist has determined a specific drug regimen that is targeted to treat your cancer.

“If you get diagnosed with a bacterial infection, we take a culture, grow the bacteria in the lab, and treat the cultures with antibiotics,” said Dustin Deming, MD, a gastrointestinal oncologist and researcher with the UW Carbone Cancer Center. “This helps us learn what antibiotic will best treat an infection. Why can’t we do the same thing for cancer?”

Shifting “trial and error” treatment approaches from patients to cell cultures could spare patients time and unnecessary side effects while providing a personalized form of treatment.

The challenge to this approach has traditionally been the difficulty of growing cancer cells in the lab, but research in Deming’s lab, which focuses on gastrointestinal cancers, is overcoming this limitation. Read More

June 24, 2019:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) focuses on immunotherapy treatments which are quickly growing to be successful treatments for cancer. There is also growing research on specific cancers and how they affect different populations based on several demographics.

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June 1, 2019:

Investigator Spotlight:

Robert Kratzke, MD, University of Minnesota

Research interests:

I am a medical oncologist with a particular interest in lung cancer and mesothelioma. In my laboratory we are currently looking at the use of viruses for cancer therapy. In particular, the vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) interests us as it preferentially infects cancer cells without causing disease in humans. We have shown that injecting the virus at one tumor will rapidly lead to infection in other tumor sites throughout the body. Also, the infection of the cancer cells not only kills malignant cells, it elicits an immune response that helps attack surrounding cancer cells without harming normal cells. Finally, this enhanced immune response makes the infected cancer cells more vulnerable to treatment with the modern immunotherapies such as pembroluzimab or nivolumab. In collaboration with Dr. Manish Patel we are currently running clinical studies at the UMMC using VSV. Read More