The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma and improving patient outcomes, has announced an $850,000 investment in mesothelioma research. The organization is awarding three $250,000 research grants and an additional $100,000 grant, nearly tripling the funding it provided last year.
Mesothelioma Research Funding Nearly Triples
The $850,000 commitment represents an unprecedented increase in mesothelioma research funding and reflects the urgent need for new treatments. Mesothelioma receives just a fraction of the research funding that other, more common, cancers receive. “This infusion of financial support will result in higher impact studies driving research into mesothelioma pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies to improve patient outcomes,” said Cara Haymaker, PhD, Chair of the Foundation’s Scientific Advisory Board.
The three $250,000 mesothelioma research grants target distinct biological vulnerabilities in the disease’s tumors:
- At Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Dr. David Kwiatkowski will test whether combining two classes of drugs that individually show promise can stop tumor growth in the approximately one in five patients who have both MTAP gene loss and overactive TEAD pathway activity.
- At University College London, Professor Sam Janes’ research will use CRISPR screening technology to individually switch off more than 18,000 genes in mesothelioma cells to identify which gene changes make cancer cells more sensitive or resistant to chemotherapy and immunotherapy.
- At Mayo Clinic, Dr. Munemasa Mori will explore a new mesothelioma treatment strategy called differentiation therapy designed to restore a signal that appears blocked in mesothelioma tumors by proteins called Gremlin 1 and BAMBI. This approach targets a cellular vulnerability specific to mesothelioma that existing treatments do not address.
Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Expands Beyond New York with $100,000 Foundation Investment
The Foundation’s additional $100,000 grant supports the expansion of the ICARuS II clinical trial led by Drs. Georgios Karagkounis, Garrett Nash, and Michael Offin at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to centers beyond New York City. The trial addresses whether intraperitoneal chemotherapy delivered directly into the abdominal space after cytoreductive surgery provides better results than standard intravenous chemotherapy. The trial has already enrolled 9 of its target of 60 patients. It will also create genetic maps of patients’ tumors to help identify why peritoneal mesothelioma resists treatment and what new targeted therapies might overcome that resistance.
For mesothelioma patients and families, this record research investment facilitates rapid innovative scientific inquiry toward better treatments. If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma and you need more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
