NEW
YORK, May 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --The DeGregorio
Family Foundation with support from the Esophageal Cancer Awareness
Association has awarded $100,000
to Dr. Anthony Capobianco, PhD,
Professor at The DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery and
the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of
Medicine. The Grant is named in memory of Michael F. Price, the noted value investor and
philanthropist, who was an early supporter of the
Foundation.
Dr. Capobianco's research is dedicated to targeting cancer stem
cell populations by dual inhibition of the Notch and Wnt pathways
in upper GI cancers with novel experimental drugs being developed
by StemSynergy Therapeutics. This funding is in
addition to $75,000 awarded in 2023
and could increase, depending on results.
The primary cause of death from cancer is due to resistance to
standard therapy and metastasis. It is widely accepted that
these properties of cancer are driven by distinct populations of
cells termed cancer stem cells (CSCs). Through Dr.
Capobianco's research he has identified two cell components that
are critical to the maintenance of these CSCs: Wnt and Notch
developmental signaling pathways.
"My research funded in part by the Foundation has demonstrated
that we can eliminate these two populations using pathway-specific
inhibitors – two drugs, NADI-351, SSTC3. Ablation of both
populations had a dramatic increase in efficacy," said Dr.
Capobianco. "To further advance these results and to provide a
model for future clinical protocol, we added a standard of care
chemotherapeutic Docetaxel. Addition of this drug to the protocol
appeared to work with the Notch and WNT inhibitors to improve the
durability of the treatment."
The current funding is to better understand the two drugs in
combination with chemotherapy in patient-derived xenograft mouse
models. These preclinical studies will lay the foundation for
future clinical trials.
Said Dr. Capobianco, "The grant from the DeGregorio Family
Foundation has been very instrumental in providing the discovery
research to find new cures for gastroesophageal cancer."
In 2020, gastric and esophageal cancers combined killed over 1.3
million people worldwide. Patients continue to face poor
prognoses following gastric and esophageal cancer diagnoses due to
their chemo-resistant behavior and ability to metastasize.
The DeGregorio Family Foundation, founded in 2006 after a 10th
member of the DeGregorio family died of stomach cancer, has raised
more than $10 million to fund
innovative research focused on curing gastroesophageal cancer.
"We are honored to continue to support this research to test
destroying the cancer stem cell population in upper GI with novel
experimental drugs," concluded Lynn
DeGregorio, President and Founder.
The DeGregorio Family Foundation funds innovative research
focused on curing gastric and esophageal cancers—click here to
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SOURCE DeGregorio Family Foundation