Turning Fact into Fiction™
June, 2013


Dear Friends,
Thank you!

 

Your generosity and commitment to the work of DeGregorio Family Foundation continues to inspire me. Since our founding, the DeGregorio Family Foundation (DFF) has raised more than $2 million to fight stomach and esophageal cancer, awarding nearly $1.15 million in research grants to a variety of institutions including Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and, most recently, Case Western Reserve University. The research that you are funding is producing some remarkable results!

 

Over the past year, many DeGregorio funded researchers have had their research outcomes published in some of the most highly respected publications in the field of cancer research including Annals of Surgical Oncology and Journal of Nature Genetics. New research papers are being published and disseminated to others in the field, encouraging supplementary and complimentary research.

 

DFF continues to fund an early onset gastric cancer registry at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) that already boasts nearly 1,000 participants. The registry collects DNA and family histories to better understand the various types of stomach cancer.

 

Much, much more needs to be done to develop new, effective treatments. DFF is working hard to win the battle to cure stomach and esophageal cancer, and we have accomplished a great deal in the short span of our existence - and we couldn't have done it without you!

 

I hope that you'll enjoy reading the news and updates in this newsletter. We look forward to keeping you up-to-date on the work that is being done by the researchers we support and our busy team of Board members and volunteers.

 

Sincerely,

Lynn DeGregorio

DeGregorio Family Foundation


2013 DeGregorio Grant Awarded. 

The DeGregorio Family Foundation announced in February 2013 that Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine had been selected as the recipient of a $220,000 grant to support studies aimed at identifying and developing more effective treatments for gastric and esophageal malignancies.

 

The grant focuses on interleukin-33 (IL-33), a mediator that causes inflammation. That inflammation in turn may be involved in the early events leading to development of gastrointestinal cancers, including gastric cancer.

 

"We are grateful to the DeGregorio Family Foundation for having chosen to support our project this year and for bringing attention to upper GI malignancies," said Theresa Pizarro, PhD, Associate Professor of Pathology and Medicine, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and the study's principal investigator. "Using a multi-disciplinary approach, we are hopeful that this research will allow us to study novel pathways that will uncover the potential sequence of events that occur from inflammation in the stomach to gastric cancer, and to generate more specific and targeted treatment modalities for this devastating disease, for which there is currently no cure. The funding received from DeGregorio Family Foundation is critical for this mission and to further expand our research program in this important area of investigation."

 

Li Li, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Family Medicine, Epidemiology & Biostatistics and associate director for Prevention Research, Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, Case Western Reserve University, is the co-investigator. Wei Xin, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pathology, is also collaborating on the research.

 

DeGregorio Family Foundation will keep you up-to-date on this grant-funded research and will share links to published results from this research or any of our other grant-funded projects on our website: www.degregorio.org


Party for a GREAT Cause!
Thursday, October 3rd, 2013

 

On the evening of Thursday, October 3rd, 2013 at 6:00 PM, DeGregorio Family Foundation will be holding our annual "An Evening on The Floor" at the New York Stock Exchange, a fabulous evening of food, friends and fundraising held on the trading floor at this historic location - all to benefit the work and mission of The DeGregorio Family Foundation.

 

We are excited to be EXPANDING our fantastic silent auction and raffle - more chances to bid on auction items from Tiffany jewelry to golf at some of the nation's best courses and a raffle basket that last year included Broadway tickets, NY Rangers tickets, a flight of French wines, Brooks Brothers gift certificate and other goodies!

 

The DeGregorio Family Foundation for Gastric and Esophageal Cancer seeks to promote and facilitate education and collaborative research on the causes, early diagnosis, and treatment of gastric and esophageal cancer. Our goal is to turn the fact that these cancers are the second-largest cause of cancer deaths worldwide into fiction - look for all the details on this event on our website: www.degregorio.org.


GO TEAM DeGREGORIO!  
On Sunday, November 3, 2013 Team DeGregorio will be taking over the streets of New York City as part of the ING New York City Marathon! You can support Team DeGregorio without putting on your running shoes (or without even getting off the couch!) - just visit our website, www.degregorio.org, and click on the ING New York Marathon logo on the home page! Pick a runner to support - or just make a donation to the foundation in support of those who are running. 
 
The training will be challenging for Team DeGregorio members - but as difficult as it will be, it won't be anything like what people who are diagnosed with stomach or esophageal cancer face every day. Your contribution to support Team DeGregorio supports research into these deadly diseases - and helps lead the way to effective treatments and, one day, a cure.
 

Social media tools are great ways to increase awareness about the DeGregorio Family Foundation and the work that you are helping to support. Sharing a link to an article on our website, "liking" us on Facebook, or sending a "tweet" of support for Team DeGregorio helps to spread the word about the important research that we are funding! 

 


INTERVIEW WITH DR. MANISH SHAH
CHAIR - DEGREGORIO FAMILY FOUNDATION SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY BOARD

Dr. Manish Shah has served as the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for the DeGregorio Family Foundation for Gastric and Esophageal Cancers since our founding in 2007. He graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1991 with a Bachelor's of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering, and from Harvard Medical School/MIT Health Sciences and Technology program in 1996, graduating magna cum laude, with a Medical Doctorate degree. He completed his Internal Medicine Residency training at Duke University Medical Center in 1999, and his Medical Oncology Fellowship at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 2001, also serving as Chief Oncology Fellow. He is the recipient of several awards including the American Society of Clinical Oncology Young Investigator and Career Development Awards. He is currently the Director of Gastrointestinal Oncology within the Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology and the Center for Advanced Digestive Care at Weill Cornell Medical College / New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr. Shah is a national and international thought leader in drug development and the treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies.

 

For this issue of the DFF Newsletter, Dr. Shah was asked to talk about the latest advances in research, drug development, and what he sees on the horizon of stomach and esophageal cancer treatment and cures.

 

QUESTION: Dr. Shah how would you describe the climate for research into gastrointestinal cancers?

 

ANSWER: "This is such an exciting time - for me and for all of my colleagues in this field - because the pace of research and development of new drugs has increased so significantly. Two years ago Herceptin was approved for use by patients with some kinds of stomach cancer and that seems to have opened the door to many other new drugs being approved. Another drug, Ramucirumab, which blocks the binding of vascular endothelial growth factor showed good results with solid tumors in patients with breast cancer and is now completed a successful clinical trial for stomach cancer patients, and could be available soon.

Other drugs target different parts of cancer cells. Targeted drugs that are FDA-approved for other types of cancer are now being studied against stomach cancer, including TDM-1 and sorafenib, among others. Most of the research in this area is looking at combining targeted agents with chemotherapy or with each other."

 

QUESTION: That is good news about new drugs being studied. What about other research?

ANSWER: "Scientists are doing more genetic sequencing and more research into causes of stomach cancer - like H pylori (especially the cagA strains) which is present in about 50% of cases. If we can figure out how to prevent H pylori specifically in those at the highest risk for developing cancer, we could have great impact on treating or curing the disease. The research done by Dr. Adam Bass, which was funded in part by DeGregorio Family Foundation, is helping us identify which part of a genome changes and results in the development of esophageal cancer. The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) is specifically studying gastric cancer now as well. The more cancer genomes that we can study, the better our understanding of the development of cancer and specific drivers of malignancy, and the more we can target our research."

 

QUESTION: Is there anything else that you'd like to share about the scientific landscape?

 

ANSWER: "I think that DeGregorio Family Foundation is funding the leading edge of research in gastro-esophageal malignancies. The Scientific Advisory Board works diligently to identify grant proposals which will push the field forward and produce results that will inform more work. It is critical to remember that everything that we learn from our studies is important - even if it rules out a cause or a course of treatment."

STAY CONNECTED