May is National Cancer Research Month, an initiative of the American Association for Cancer Research to highlight the importance of lifesaving research to the millions of people around the world affected by cancer. Today, more than 18 million Americans are cancer survivors, a testament to the power of cancer research to advance new, more effective treatments.
Through innovative cancer research, the UF Health Cancer Center is pioneering new treatments that benefit both humans and our pets. Researchers are using data science to determine the most effective treatments for patients, and they’re making cancer treatments safer and more comfortable. The work doesn’t stop there: Researchers are also addressing issues that cancer survivors face. Below, learn more about how research in these areas is making a meaningful difference for those affected by cancer.
Comparative oncology: Pioneering new cancer treatments
Man’s best friend is often a cancer researcher’s best friend. Studying naturally occurring cancers in client-owned dogs has provided UF Health Cancer Center researchers with pivotal insights into both canine and human cancers. These insights have translated into several clinical trials testing novel cancer treatments.
Rowan Milner, B.V.Sc., Ph.D., a professor of small animal oncology in the UF College of Veterinary Medicine, has been collaborating with UF Health Cancer Center researchers to develop therapeutics for osteosarcoma, brain tumors and other cancers.
More than a decade ago, Milner and his team developed a vaccine to treat canine melanoma, a rapidly progressive disease. The vaccine contains a particular antigen that provokes the desired anti-cancer immune response. About 75% of dogs have a sustained prolonged survival with the vaccine, which works in tandem with chemotherapy, said Milner, director for clinical and translational research at the college.
His team has since applied this technology to clinical trials for osteosarcoma and splenic hemangiosarcoma. Because the immune responses and some cancers in dogs and humans are somewhat similar, what’s good for a dog with cancer may also one day be good for humans.
One of Milner’s collaborators is Elias Sayour, M.D., Ph.D., a UF Health pediatric oncologist and co-leader of the Cancer Center’s Immuno-Oncology and Microbiome research program. He recently pioneered an mRNA cancer vaccine using mRNA technology and lipid nanoparticles, working closely with Sheila Carrera-Justiz, D.V.M., a veterinary neurologist at the UF College of Veterinary Medicine.
In a first-ever human clinical trial of four adult patients, the mRNA cancer vaccine quickly reprogrammed the immune system to attack glioblastoma, the most aggressive and lethal brain tumor. The results mirrored those in 10 pet dog patients suffering from naturally occurring brain tumors whose owners approved of their participation, as they had no other treatment options, as well as results from preclinical mouse models. The breakthrough is now being tested in a Phase 1 pediatric clinical trial for brain cancer.
Sayour’s discovery was able to overcome what was previously a major challenge in immunotherapy: “cold” tumors, meaning they have very few immune cells and a silenced immune response. The new vaccine quickly shifted the tumors to “hot,” indicating an active immune response.
“We were able to activate the early part of the immune system very rapidly against these cancers, and that’s critical to unlock the later effects of the immune response,” Sayour said.
The technology behind the discovery has now been applied to other types of cancers. UF Health pediatric oncologist John Ligon, M.D., recently launched a clinical trial to test an mRNA lipid nanoparticle designed to reprogram the immune system in two pediatric cancers: recurrent high-grade glioma, a brain tumor, and recurrent osteosarcoma, a bone cancer.
Using data science to determine the most effective treatments
Inside every one of the roughly 40 trillion cells of a person’s body is a copy of the 3 billion base pairs making up their genome. This wealth of genetic information simultaneously governs a person’s response to disease and makes it difficult to identify the specific factors driving how diseases form, progress and respond to treatment.
UF Health Cancer Center member Kiley Graim, Ph.D., an assistant professor in the Department of Computer & Information Science & Engineering, tackles these challenges. Her lab develops computational and artificial intelligence tools that integrate these and other large-scale omics data to identify how human cancers start, spread and respond to treatment.
In previous studies, her lab has demonstrated how the addition of unrelated public data garnered huge performance gains in its models and others.
Graim’s current focus is integrating evolutionary information into an all inclusive-cancer analysis to leverage millions of years of evolution across species. An upcoming data compendium of mammalian RNA sequencing data includes over 100,000 cancer samples from 240 species.
“This compendium enables us to understand how evolutionary changes impact cancer outcomes, narrowing down the potential genomic drivers of human cancers,” Graim said. “Our research facilitates learning the biological basis of these deadly diseases, deduces novel treatments and identifies early-stage risk factors for the early treatment of invasive human diseases.”
One example of genetic complexity is the impact of human ancestry on gene expression. Most genomic datasets severely underrepresent non-European populations. The result is a classic AI challenge: distribution shifts in the data. Genomic training datasets mostly represent a small slice of healthy human diversity. As a result, AI models overfit that data. The Graim lab recently developed a method called PhyloFrame, which adjusts for ancestral bias in genomic data.
By using data from the population genomics database gnomAD, PhyloFrame integrates massive databases of healthy human genomes with the smaller datasets specific to diseases used to train precision medicine models. The models it creates are better equipped to handle diverse genetic backgrounds. For example, it can predict the differences between subtypes of diseases like breast cancer and suggest the best treatment for each patient, regardless of patient ancestry. READ MORE.
Paving the way for safer cancer treatments
UF Health Cancer Center researchers are working to personalize treatments for diseases like multiple myeloma and leukemia by creating genetic scores and identifying biomarkers that can guide clinical decision-making.
Recently, a team led by UF Health Cancer Center member Yan Gong, Ph.D., conducted metabolomic profiling of patients with multiple myeloma to understand biomarkers that would predict heart complications. Multiple myeloma is a blood cancer that’s estimated to affect about 36,000 people this year.
The research team identified a bile acid as a potential biomarker for cardiovascular adverse events. Next, they created a score to group patients based on their risk.
The score outperformed models with clinical predictors alone, according to the study published in the journal Clinical and Translational Science. The score could help health care professionals identify patients with multiple myeloma who are at an increased risk of heart complications before they get anti-cancer drugs. By identifying these patients in advance, preventive measures can be put in place to protect the heart, helping ensure a healthier future for patients with cancer.
Gong is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and Translational Research and the Center for Pharmacogenomics and Precision Medicine in the UF College of Pharmacy who co-leads the Cancer Center’s Cardio-Oncology Working Group. The multidisciplinary research team involved researchers in pharmacogenomics and precision medicine, pathology and biostatistics from UF, Moffitt Cancer Center, University of Pennsylvania, St. Francis Medical Center and Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Other UF Health Cancer Center researchers are working to make existing treatments safer. Electron beam therapy, a key treatment for cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, often requires prolonged, uncomfortable positioning that prompts some patients to discontinue treatment. A UF Health Cancer Center invention aims to ease the experience.
UF Department of Radiation Oncology clinical associate professor Kate Hitchcock, M.D., Ph.D., and a team of biomedical engineers secured a provisional patent for a groundbreaking device that addresses the challenges of total skin electron beam therapy.
“Total skin electron beam therapy has a unique ability to deliver radiation to the skin’s surface, penetrating only a half-inch into the body,” Hitchcock said. “This makes it ideal for mycosis fungoides, a type of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma characterized by widespread, painful, and itchy lesions.”
Because mycosis fungoides accounts for approximately 70% of all cutaneous T-cell lymphomas, Hitchcock and her “Beta-Rev” team were particularly thrilled to succeed in creating a more comfortable five-treatment experience for the patient. The device allows patients to stand on a rotating platform, ensuring uniform coverage. In addition, its casters and a telescopic frame can fold for easy transport. READ MORE.
Supporting cancer survivors
The aftermath of cancer can bring numerous physical, emotional, financial and other challenges. Through a variety of interventions and studies, UF Health Cancer Center researchers are working to improve the healing process for the estimated 18 million cancer survivors living in the United States.
Lakeshia Cousin, Ph.D., APRN, AGPCNP-BC, assistant director for community outreach and engagement at the UF Health Cancer Center, is researching the healing power of gratitude. She’s interested in whether practicing gratitude can influence the body on a cellular level, potentially aiding in the healing process and changing health behaviors.
Cousin recently conducted a pilot study with a small group of Black breast cancer survivors. Participants either journaled, practiced mindfulness or took walks, and they had blood drawn before and after these short interventions. The study yielded promising results.
“There was a small but noticeable difference in lower inflammatory biomarkers and other indicators,” Cousin said. “It’s promising, but we need more data.”
The theory is that gratitude helps reduce stress, which in turn lowers the body’s inflammatory response. Cousin hopes her research will shed light on the potential for gratitude to promote not just emotional well-being but also tangible health benefits. READ MORE.
