October 6, 2003

BIRMINGHAM, AL — UAB’s Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a five-year, $4.5 million Pancreatic Cancer SPORE P20 (Specialized Program of Research Excellence) grant in a major initiative to reduce the dismal outcomes of pancreatic cancer.

SPORE grants are highly competitive awards from the National Cancer Institute. They are designed to move laboratory findings quickly and safely into clinical use, with the ultimate goal being more effective treatments that lead to improved outcomes and survival. Of 15 cancer centers applying for planning awards this year, only UAB, M.D. Anderson and Mayo Clinic were successful. They will apply for further expansion of funding in 2006. Johns Hopkins University and the University of Nebraska were previously awarded pancreatic cancer SPORE grants.

UAB’s cancer center has been highly successful in applying for SPORE awards. Others received are for ovarian, breast and brain tumor research. The only other institutions having as many as four SPORE awards are Johns Hopkins and M.D. Anderson.

“Pancreatic cancer has a dismal history of funding despite being one of the deadliest malignant diseases,” said Dr. Selwyn Vickers, the surgeon who will direct the program. “We are gratified that more emphasis is now coming to a disease that is the fourth leading cause of cancer death in the United States while ranking only ninth in incidence. In 2003, an estimated 30,000 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease. Notably, it has a 95 percent mortality rate.”

Comprehensive Cancer Center Director Albert F. LoBuglio said, “We significantly increased our resources in this area in order to compete successfully for the pancreatic SPORE. Dr. Vickers has had a long-standing interest in this disease and is committed to developing new treatments for it.”

Vickers, professor and chief of gastrointestinal surgery, was among a handful of scientists invited to an NCI panel a few years ago to set forth the rationale for the agency’s new focus on pancreatic cancer. “There are no effective treatments for this disease if not found in its early stage. There are no screenings and no symptoms, and, consequently, very little hope to be given to patients,” he said. “We determined that only by directing greater funding into very focused research effort will we find ways to change the situation.”

He said, “We intend to maximize our bench-to-bedside research and clinical efforts through a coordinated multidisciplinary approach that will allow patients access to state-of-the-art therapy, from surgery to chemo- and radiotherapy.”

The program will begin with two major projects focusing on understanding genetic abnormalities that may contribute to the disease, and a novel treatment strategy.

One project will focus on a genetic defect called TGF-beta/Smad4, believed to contribute to the growth and spread of the cancer. Developing inhibitors for this defect will likely allow for more effective treatment, say project co-leaders, Drs. Xu Cao and Wasif Saif.

The second project will use monoclonal antibody technology to target “death receptors” found on the surface of cancer cells. The hypothesis is that the antibodies, alone or in combination with chemotherapy and radiation, will provide patients with a heightened response to treatment. Drs. Donald J. Buchsbaum and LoBuglio are co- project leaders. Buchsbaum also is co-director of the SPORE.

In addition, three pilot projects will be selected for development during the initial two years of funding.

The SPORE also will fund the following supportive cores:

• Vickers will direct the administrative and biostatistics core.
  
  
• Drs. William E. Grizzle and Nirag C. Jhala will direct the Tissue and Immunopathology Core.
  
  
• Drs. C. Mel Wilcox and Mohamad A. Eloubeidi will direct the Clinical Core, which will evaluate all patients through the UAB Pancreaticobiliary Center.

The SPORE also will support the development and imaging of animal models under the direction of Drs. Danny Welch and Kurt Zinn.