Closing in on Cancer

One of two American men and one of three American women will be diagnosed with some type of cancer during their lifetimes. The disease wreaks physical and psychological suffering, and undermines patients’ abilities to enjoy productive and happy lives. Even treatment can cause severe and often debilitating side effects – and ultimately, too many patients lose their battles.

Fortunately, advancements in medical science have given millions of cancer patients the gifts of longer life, greater comfort, and, in some cases, a cure. The University of Chicago’s many breakthroughs in the fight against this disease have anchored it as a global leader in cancer care and research. Chicago specialists are attacking on two fronts: by detecting cancer as early as possible, and by treating it in ways that spare healthy tissue and prolong life.

To sustain and even accelerate work on behalf of cancer patients worldwide, the University of Chicago aims to provide its topflight faculty with the best possible resources, recruit additional leaders, and develop technologically advanced facilities to support its research.

Led by Michelle LeBeau, M.D., director of the University’s Cancer Research Center, today’s Chicago team is fusing a wealth of biological knowledge with newer breakthroughs in genetics. They are pioneering the future of cancer research to discover cancer’s causes, detect it at treatable stages, and target it with new, more powerful therapies that are actually safer for patients.

For example, Chicago researcher Ralph Weichshelbaum recently invented a revolutionary new way to harness the power of a cancer-killing enzyme naturally produced in the body. This enzyme, TNF, can be lethal in doses that act broadly throughout a person’s system. But when Weischelbaum connects TNF with a radiation-activated gene and delivers this potent combination directly to a tumor, radiation prompts TNF production within the tumor only – and the body’s healthy tissue remains unharmed. This patented approach has shown tremendous promise in treating breast and pancreatic tumors, and trials are underway to test its effectiveness against esophageal, rectal, and head and neck cancer.

Of course, cancer treatments are best employed at the earliest possible stages of the disease – that’s why early detection is critical to patient survival. Breast cancer is a prime example. Although public health efforts have led to more mammograms, the general radiologists who interpret breast images lack formal training opportunities in the United States. Physician researchers Gillian Newstead and Robert Schmidt are developing an intensive training program at the University of Chicago to improve radiologists’ skills in reading mammography, ultrasound, and MRI images. Chicago’s expertise in advanced imaging and computer-assisted diagnosis makes this unique training program possible.

For more than a decade, the University’s Cancer Risk Clinic, led by founder Olufunmilayo Olopade, M.D., has advanced prevention and early detection through genetic risk assessment. Genetic testing can help determine if individuals have a hereditary predisposition to cancer.

Olopade has assembled a team of physicians, social scientists, and molecular geneticists to explore the effects of genetics as well as social and environmental factors on breast, gastrointestinal, and ovarian cancer. She has learned, for example, that black women may harbor more cancer-promoting genes, and tend to develop breast cancer earlier than their white counterparts as well as die from it more frequently. Olopade and her colleagues are now pursuing the largely unexplored territory of how environmental or social stresses, particularly in American urban settings, affect genetic alterations in patients’ tumors. She studies both Nigerian and African-American women, who share similar genetic profiles but live in different environments.

The University of Chicago’s cancer investigators receive nearly one-third of all peer-review funding awarded to the Biological Sciences Division and Hospitals – a clear measure of the depth and breadth of the institution’s cancer research enterprise. Timely and critical philanthropic investments will generate unparalleled opportunities for continued progress in patient care, and the eradication of cancer as a life-threatening disease.

• Named professorships reward Chicago’s best faculty, providing endowed funding that enables senior faculty to focus their talents on teaching, sustaining research efforts, and providing exceptional care for patients.

• New faculty will extend and enhance efforts to pursue innovation in emerging areas of cancer research, including population science, bioinformatics, and metastasis.

• Modern, safe, and efficient facilities will sustain advanced research, increase productivity, and help Chicago attract new leaders. The institution’s master plan includes a new building for clinical research set to open in 2007, as well as technological upgrades to the school’s “core facilities” or shared research space.

For more information about cancer research, the Cancer Risk Clinic, or supporting the University of Chicago’s cancer programs, please contact Stephanie Dahl at (773) 834-4726.

Read more about how to make a contribution to the Spark Discovery, Illuminate Life campaign and to make a gift online.