This month’s newsletter continues to share the research that our Fifth District AHEPA Family Cancer Research Foundation, with your donations, support. At our Celebration last November, we issued research grants to three research teams. Two of the teams and their work were highlighted in our recent newsletters [https://fifthdistrictahepa-crf.org/news/]. The third research team we are highlighting this month is lead by Dr. David C. Lyden, M.D., Ph.D. Dr. Lyden and his research are well known, and the AHEPA Family Cancer Research Foundation is proud to support his groundbreaking research in cancer detection. Dr. David Lyden is an authority on the mechanisms by which cancer metastasizes throughout the body, particularly through the establishment of blood vessels that tumors need to grow and spread. He is the Stavros S. Niarchos Chair and runs a laboratory studying the biology of medulloblastoma and high-grade gliomas. His lab is working to understand how cells in the environment around a tumor foster tumor growth. In addition to research, Dr. Lyden teaches fellows, residents, medical students, graduate students, and MD/PhD students in the Tri-Institutional MD/PhD Program, which includes The Rockefeller University, and has been recognized with several awards. His work has been published in major scientific journals such as Nature, Cell, and Science, and he is the lead editor of a major textbook called Cancer Metastasis: Biologic Basis and Therapeutics, the first textbook dedicated to research on metastasis and the treatment of metastatic disease. Dr. Lyden also serves on the board of the Tumor Microenvironment Steering Committee and the Metastasis Steering Committee of the American Association of Cancer Research.
Dr. Lyden and his team were awarded a grant at our November 2023 celebration. The research supported by this grant seeks to improve early detection and treatment of some cancers, like gliomas (brain tumors), pancreatic cancer, and triple-negative breast cancer, which don’t attract many immune cells and are tough for the immune system to fight. To improve treatments, Dr. Lyden and his team are seeking to change the environment around these tumors so the immune system can better recognize and attack them. Early in their research, the team discovered a promising new treatment using tiny particles called extracellular vesicles (EVs) from activated T cells (ATEVs). These particles are loaded with DNA and can help make immune-resistant cancer cells more visible to the immune system. When they tested ATEVs in mice with gliomas, they were able to target the tumors and slow their growth significantly. The goal now is to confirm how well ATEVs work and find ways to make them even more effective. This could lead to new treatments for cancers that don’t respond well to current immune therapies.
The 5th District AHEPA Family Cancer Research Foundation has a long and proud history of supporting researchers like Dr. David C. Lyden and his team. It is with your support that we make steady progress to cure this disease. As our grandparents would say, “Φασόuλι φασόuλι, γεμίζει το σακούλι” (“Bean by bean, the bag fills.”).
We will continue to be update you on the work of our grantees until we meet again on November 9th, our next Celebration! Make your reservations today!