Cedars-Sinai Cancer Experts Present New Findings at AACR 2024
Investigators Available to Comment on Study Results, New Therapies and Leading-Edge Research During American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting
Cedars-Sinai Cancer investigators attending the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting April 5-10 in San Diego are available to comment on scientific advances being presented throughout the conference. Hot topics include new cancer biomarkers, diagnostic tests, new research platforms, therapeutic targets, and combatting medication resistance.
“Our investigators are focused on translational work that brings the promise of precision medicine and targeted treatments to the diverse community of patients we serve,” said Dan Theodorescu, MD, PhD, director of Cedars-Sinai Cancer and the PHASE ONE Distinguished Chair. “This annual gathering is an opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the country and beyond, to share findings and discuss new questions we are pursuing.”
Cedars-Sinai investigators will be presenting on the following topics:
The role of metals in tumors: Joshua Levy, PhD, director of Digital Pathology Research at Cedars-Sinai, can discuss a web-based application he and co-investigators created that will assist with research into the accumulation of metals—which play a role in tumor growth, migration and metastasis—within cancerous tumors. He also can comment on a colorectal cancer analysis that included metals, cellular structure and genetic information that could help improve screening and prediction of patient outcomes.
Head and neck cancers and rare tumors: Hematology oncologist Justin Moyers, MD, will present a study evaluating therapeutic targets for antibody drug conjugates in head and neck cancers. Antibody drug conjugates specifically target cancer cells but spare healthy tissue. Moyers also can discuss a study exploring methods to predict patient response to immune checkpoint therapy in patients with rare tumors.
Lung cancer preclinical study: Neil Bhowmick, PhD, research scientist at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, is the senior author of a preclinical study exploring ways to combat resistance to osimertinib, a medication that blocks growth and division in cancer cells, in patients with certain non-small-cell lung cancers. Investigators identified a combination therapy that reduced tumor expansion in laboratory studies.
Understanding prostate cancer metastasis: Dolores Di Vizio, MD, PhD, co-leader of the Cancer Biology Program at Cedars-Sinai Cancer, can discuss a new investigation into mechanisms that could influence metastatic progression in prostate cancer, which will be presented by Taylon Silva, PhD, a post-doctoral fellow on her team. The findings provide insights into the role of the large oncosomes in prostate cancer progression.
Diagnosing bladder cancer and liver fibrosis: Sunao Tanaka, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher in the Furuya Lab at Cedars-Sinai, will present research on new diagnostic tests for bladder cancer, upper tract uroepithelial carcinoma and liver fibrosis.
New biomarker for metastatic breast cancer: Cynthia Jinno, PhD, another investigator with the Furuya Lab, will present an analysis of genes that could be part of a “liquid biopsy” blood test for early detection of breast cancer metastasis. The study identified 14 genes that could be part of such a test.
Contact: Christina Elston can help schedule interviews, and can be reached at christina.elston@cshs.org or 626-298-0702.