“Potential new therapy for aggressive prostate cancer”
Lead Investigator: Michael M. Shen, PhD
Co-Investigator: Donald Landry, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine
Prostate cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer, such as neuroendocrine prostate cancer, still lack effective treatments. Michael M. Shen, PhD aims to develop an innovative category of small molecules that target NSD2, an enzyme that is up-regulated in neuroendocrine prostate cancer.
"Optimizing cell therapy for solid tumors”
Lead Investigator: Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD
Cell-based immunotherapy is a personalized treatment that kills cancer by using the patient’s own immune cells. The development has been revolutionary for certain blood cancers, but progress has stalled in solid tumors, which make up 90% of all cancer diagnoses. Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD, believes this is because the immune cells are specialized for a one-at-a-time killing approach that is easily overwhelmed and suppressed in solid tumors. He plans to find an irreversible small molecule that can turn a patient’s immune cells into “grenades” that engage in multi-directional killing of solid tumor cells.
“Advancing a first-in-human glioblastoma drug”
Lead Investigator: Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD
Co-Investigators: Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD, Professor of Neurological Surgery; Brent Stockwell, PhD, Professor of Biological Sciences; Peter A. Sims, PhD, Associate Professor of Systems Biology; Osama Al Dalahmah, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor, with a median survival of just 15 months. Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD, Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD and Brent Stockwell, PhD will test the ability of a newly developed drug delivery device to deliver a novel compound that can kill tumor cells by a mechanism of cell death called ferroptosis. The team will perform safety studies in preparation for a future clinical trial.
"First targeted therapy approach for cancer cachexia"
Lead Investigator: Swarnali Acharyya, PhD
Co-Investigator: Henry M. Colecraft, professor of physiology and cellular biophysics, and pharmacology
Nearly 80% of patients with advanced cancer experience a debilitating, irreversible muscle-wasting syndrome known as cachexia. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies to reduce or prevent cachexia. The laboratory of Swarnali Acharyya, PhD has previously identified a protein called Zip14 that plays a role in the development of cachexia. Based on these findings, Dr. Acharyya will explore the use of anti-Zip14 monoclonal antibodies as a potential treatment for cachexia.
"Optimizing Cell Therapy For Solid Tumors”
Lead Investigator:
Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD
Cell-based immunotherapy is a personalized treatment that kills cancer by using the patient’s own immune cells. The development has been revolutionary for certain blood cancers, but progress has stalled in solid tumors, which make up 90% of all cancer diagnoses. Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD, believes this is because the immune cells are specialized for a one-at-a-time killing approach that is easily overwhelmed and suppressed in solid tumors. He plans to find an irreversible small molecule that can turn a patient’s immune cells into “grenades” that engage in multi-directional killing of solid tumor cells.
“Potential New Therapy For Aggressive Prostate Cancer”
Lead Investigator: Michael M. Shen, PhD Co-Investigator: Donald Landry, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine
Prostate cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer, such as neuroendocrine prostate cancer, still lack effective treatments. Michael M. Shen, PhD aims to develop an innovative category of small molecules that target NSD2, an enzyme that is up-regulated in neuroendocrine prostate cancer.
“Advancing A First-In-Human Glioblastoma Drug” Lead Investigator: Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD Co-Investigators: Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD, Professor of Neurological Surgery; Brent Stockwell, PhD, Professor of Biological Sciences; Peter A. Sims, PhD, Associate Professor of Systems Biology; Osama Al Dalahmah, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor, with a median survival of just 15 months. Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD, Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD and Brent Stockwell, PhD will test the ability of a newly developed drug delivery device to deliver a novel compound that can kill tumor cells by a mechanism of cell death called ferroptosis. The team will perform safety studies in preparation for a future clinical trial.
"First Targeted Therapy Approach For Cancer Cachexia"
Lead Investigator:
Swarnali Acharyya, PhD
Co-Investigator:
Henry M. Colecraft, Professor Of Physiology And Cellular Biophysics, And Pharmacology
Nearly 80% of patients with advanced cancer experience a debilitating, irreversible muscle-wasting syndrome known as cachexia. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies to reduce or prevent cachexia. The laboratory of Swarnali Acharyya, PhD has previously identified a protein called Zip14 that plays a role in the development of cachexia. Based on these findings, Dr. Acharyya will explore the use of anti-Zip14 monoclonal antibodies as a potential treatment for cachexia.
Bridging the Gap in New Cancer Therapies
The new Irving Cancer Drug Discovery Program helps with the crucial transition of cancer research discoveries from the lab to the clinic
The road from a scientific discovery in the lab to a new drug or diagnostic in the clinic is challenging. While universities and academic medical centers have long been the pioneers in scientific discoveries, they rely on industry partners for the major infrastructure and funding needed for drug development.
Pharmaceutical companies and other corporations, however, have shifted focus away from early-stage projects, leaving a widening gap where discoveries with the potential to save lives do not have the support and resources needed to cross the “Valley of Death.”
A new initiative at the HICCC aims to bridge this gap by helping faculty accelerate their scientific discoveries into new approaches to better diagnose and treat cancer. The Irving Cancer Drug Discovery Program (ICDDP), helmed by Tannishtha Reya, PhD, a leading translational scientist specializing in novel cancer therapeutics, debuted in February 2023. This innovative incubator program provides Columbia faculty with critical infrastructure and support, including grant funding, project management and counsel with industry experts, and resources for key steps in the drug/device development pipeline.
“The ICDDP benefits from the extraordinary discoveries that are made at Columbia University and from strong partnerships forged with industry leaders. Collectively, this provides the foundation for developing technologies that can be transformative,” says Dr. Reya. “Additionally, the fact that we are embedded in a uniquely diverse community with a high cancer burden provides an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of patients in our own backyard.”
In June, four Columbia University faculty members were selected as winners of the inaugural 2023 ICDDP Award, which provides much-needed funding and support in the early stages of translational cancer research. Each awardee receives a $400,000 grant over two years to fund the project. Importantly, the selection process includes an external advisory board experienced in drug development and commercialization and is coupled with project advisors who work directly with each team to maximize the likelihood of success in moving a discovery to a new treatment.
“It’s remarkable what the ICDDP has already accomplished in such a short period of time by bringing together a great collection of experts with orthogonal perspectives and funding very exciting translational projects,” says Colin Foster, former CEO of Bayer North America and member of the ICDDP advisory board. “The work being done here could create a model for more effectively moving findings out of the lab and into the clinic.”
Tannishtha Reya, PhD, director of the Irving Cancer Drug Discovery Program
for solid tumors”
Lead Investigator:
Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD
Lead Investigator:
Michael M. Shen, PhD
Co-Investigator:
Donald Landry, MD, PhD, professor of medicine
“Advancing a first-in-human glioblastoma drug”
Lead Investigator:
Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD
"First targeted therapy approach for cancer cachexia"
Lead Investigator:
Swarnali Acharyya, PhD
"Optimizing cell therapy for solid tumors”
Lead Investigator: Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD
Cell-based immunotherapy is a personalized treatment that kills cancer by using the patient’s own immune cells. The development has been revolutionary for certain blood cancers, but progress has stalled in solid tumors, which make up 90% of all cancer diagnoses. Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD believes this is because the immune cells are specialized for a one-at-a-time killing approach that is easily overwhelmed and suppressed in solid tumors. He plans to find an irreversible small molecule that can turn a patient’s immune cells into “grenades” that engage in multi-directional killing of solid tumor cells.
"First targeted therapy approach for cancer cachexia"
Lead Investigator: Swarnali Acharyya, PhD
Co-Investigator: Henry M. Colecraft, professor of physiology and cellular biophysics, and pharmacology
Nearly 80% of patients with advanced cancer experience a debilitating, irreversible muscle wasting syndrome known as cachexia. Currently, there are no FDA-approved therapies to reduce or prevent cachexia. The laboratory of Swarnali Acharyya, PhD has previously identified a protein called Zip14 that plays a role in the development of cachexia. Based on these findings, Dr. Acharyya will explore the use of anti-Zip14 monoclonal antibodies as a potential treatment for cachexia.
“Potential new therapy for aggressive prostate cancer”
Lead Investigator: Michael M. Shen, PhD
Co-Investigator: Donald Landry, MD, PhD, Professor of Medicine
Prostate cancer represents the second leading cause of cancer death in American men. Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer, such as neuroendocrine prostate cancer, still lack effective treatments. Michael M. Shen, PhD aims to develop an innovative category of small molecules that target NSD2, an enzyme that is up-regulated in neuroendocrine prostate cancer.
"Optimizing cell therapy for solid tumors”
Lead Investigator: Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD
Cell-based immunotherapy is a personalized treatment that kills cancer by using the patient’s own immune cells. The development has been revolutionary for certain blood cancers, but progress has stalled in solid tumors, which make up 90% of all cancer diagnoses. Jordan S. Orange, MD, PhD believes this is because the immune cells are specialized for a one-at-a-time killing approach that is easily overwhelmed and suppressed in solid tumors. He plans to find an irreversible small molecule that can turn a patient’s immune cells into “grenades” that engage in multi-directional killing of solid tumor cells.
“Advancing a first-in-human glioblastoma drug”
Lead Investigator: Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD
Co-Investigators: Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD, Professor of Neurological Surgery; Brent Stockwell, PhD, Professor of Biological Sciences; Peter A. Sims, PhD, Associate Professor of Systems Biology; Osama Al Dalahmah, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology and Cell Biology
Glioblastoma is the most common malignant primary brain tumor, with a median survival of just 15 months. Peter D. Canoll, MD, PhD, Jeffrey N. Bruce, MD and Brent Stockwell, PhD will test the ability of a newly developed drug delivery device to deliver a novel compound that can kill tumor cells by a mechanism of cell death called ferroptosis. The team will perform safety studies in preparation for a future clinical trial.
“The Ernest E. Just Scholars Program is an opportunity to build mutually beneficial relationships. The most innovative research comes when scientists from all backgrounds are represented and have a voice.”
—Anil K. Rustgi, MD
Interim Executive Vice President and Dean of the Faculties of
Health Sciences and Medicine, Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Director, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center
BRIDGING THE GAP IN NEW CANCER THERAPIES
The new Irving Cancer Drug Discovery Program helps with the crucial transition of cancer research discoveries from the lab to the clinic
