Stand Up To Cancer Announces Recently Funded Teams Focusing on Lung Cancer Disparities and KRAS Mutant Cancers - Stand Up To Cancer

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Posted May 25, 2022

Stand Up To Cancer Announces Recently Funded Teams Focusing on Lung Cancer Disparities and KRAS Mutant Cancers

LOS ANGELES May 25, 2022 – Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) today announced two new teams, the SU2C Lung Cancer Health Equity Research Team with support from Bristol Myers Squibb and “SU2C Catalyst® with support from Mirati Therapeutics.” Both teams build on important work being done by unique SU2C research programs focused on improving cancer health equity and bringing new and innovative therapies to patients faster.

“SU2C is committed to supporting the cutting-edge research efforts of talented investigators. We are excited to announce these two new teams as they investigate ways to improve cancer outcomes in unique ways,” said Russell Chew, president and CEO of Stand Up To Cancer. “As we continue to build upon our research portfolio, funding teams that are focused on health equity and improving therapies in a clinical setting is critical to saving more lives.”

The recently funded teams are:

  • The SU2C Lung Cancer Health Equity Research Team – The team is supported by Bristol Myers Squibb and will investigate the biological determinants of poor lung cancer outcomes and lung cancer disparities within Black communities in the southeastern region of the United States. Robert A. Winn, MD, director of the Massey Cancer Center at Virginia Commonwealth University, will serve as the team’s leader and Marvella Ford, PhD, director of Community Engagement at the Hollings Cancer Center at Medical University of South Carolina will be the team’s co-leader. The team will establish the Southeastern Consortium for Lung Cancer Health Equity to facilitate scientific collaborations among investigators at three National Cancer Institute-designated cancer centers. Despite recent progress in treating lung cancer, the disease remains the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the U.S. and represents nearly 25% of all cancer deaths. Mortality rates are higher than the national average in the southeastern region of the U.S. and are particularly high in rural communities and among Black men. Black men are about 15% more likely to develop lung cancer than white men.
  • SU2C Catalyst® Team with support from Mirati Therapeutics – The team is supported by Mirati Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ: MRTX), a clinical-stage targeted oncology company. This team’s research will develop new approaches to treat patients with KRAS-mutant cancers, which is the most commonly mutated oncogene in human cancer. Ryan Corcoran, MD, PhD, director of the Gastrointestinal Cancer Center Program and the scientific director of the Termeer Center for Targeted Therapy at the Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, will serve as the team’s leader and Scott Kopetz, MD, PhD, deputy chair of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center will serve as the team’s co-leader. The KRAS gene makes a protein involved in cellular growth and proliferation. In KRAS-mutant cancers, the protein is continually activated, which can cause cancers to grow and spread. KRAS proteins were once considered undruggable, but recent research advances have resulted in the identification and development of investigational drugs against cancers that have specific KRAS mutations. The team’s research will explore with adagrasib, Mirati’s investigational, highly selective, and potent oral small-molecule inhibitor of KRASG12Cwhy some patients do not respond to KRAS inhibitors and develop new treatment strategies to increase the number of patients who could benefit from this promising investigational therapy.

To learn more about SU2C’s Health Equity Initiative, which aims to increase diversity in cancer clinical trials, initiate advocacy group collaborations and awareness campaigns, and fund research to improve cancer outcomes and screening rates in medically underserved communities, visit StandUpToCancer.org/HealthEquity.

To learn more about the SU2C Catalyst program, which encourages collaborative research between academics and companies to shorten the time it takes to get new treatments to patients, visit StandUpToCancer.org/Catalyst.

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Media Contact:

Jade Waddy
Stand Up To Cancer
jwaddy@su2c.org

About Stand Up To Cancer

Stand Up To Cancer® (SU2C) raises funds to accelerate the pace of research to get new therapies to patients quickly and save lives now. SU2C, a division of the Entertainment Industry Foundation, a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, was established in 2008 by media and entertainment leaders who utilize these communities’ resources to engage the public in supporting a new, collaborative model of cancer research, to increase awareness about cancer prevention, and to highlight progress being made in the fight against the disease. As of January 2022, more than 2,000 scientists representing more than 210 institutions are involved in SU2C-funded research projects.

Under the direction of our Scientific Advisory Committee, led by Nobel laureate Phillip A. Sharp, PhD, SU2C conducts rigorous competitive review processes to identify the best research proposals to recommend for funding, oversee grants administration, and ensure collaboration across research programs.

Current members of the SU2C Founders and Advisors Committee (FAC) include Katie Couric, Sherry Lansing, Kathleen Lobb, Lisa Paulsen, Rusty Robertson, Sue Schwartz, Pamela Oas Williams, and Ellen Ziffren. The late Laura Ziskin and the late Noreen Fraser are also co-founders. Russell Chew serves as SU2C’s president and CEO.

For more information, visit StandUpToCancer.orgInstagramTikTokTwitter,
Facebook, and YouTube.

 

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