National Cancer Research Month was introduced by The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) to highlight the importance of lifesaving research for the millions of people worldwide affected by cancer. This year’s theme is ‘United by Cancer Research: One Mission. One Voice.’ In honor of our researchers, physicians, and patients and their families, we aim to raise awareness and emphasize the importance and impact of cancer research being conducted at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. While there are many groundbreaking research initiatives underway by Yale Cancer Center researchers, we’re choosing to highlight some that may not seem conventional at first glance. These collaborators have paired up across disciplines to advance cancer research.
Bioadhesives for Cancer Treatment
Michael Girardi, MD, FAAD, Evans Professor of Dermatology, and W. Mark Saltzman, PhD, Goizueta Foundation Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and professor of cellular and molecular physiology and of chemical engineering, had only minimal contact prior to coming together to discuss strategies for nonsurgical treatment for skin cancers using bioadhesive drug carriers (BDCs). Dr. Girardi, a dermatologist, and Dr. Saltzman, a biomedical engineer, are both members of Yale Cancer Center.
Dr. Saltzman is an expert in nanobiotechnology who designs biocompatible polymers that deliver chemotherapy via nanoparticles small enough to penetrate a cell. Through his research he had discovered that they could make particles stick to tissues. His lab called them bioadhesive drug carriers (BDCs) and he sensed that they might be valuable, but didn’t know in what way. It was suggested that since the particles would stick to tissues, which included skin, maybe there were dermatological applications. Dr. Saltzman took the idea to Dr. Girardi.
“That first meeting was a big spark,” remembers Girardi, “this incredibly powerful brainstorming where we could understand each other’s worlds and then start to build a whole series of possibilities.”
They discovered that BDCs could stick to tissues and effectively deliver chemotherapy directly to skin cancer cells. Their collaborative approach and combined expertise, motivated by personal connections to skin cancer, led to promising results in preclinical models and opened new possibilities for treating various cancers. They are currently looking at wider applications including collaborating with surgical oncologists to develop a way to use BDCs to treat metastatic melanoma, ovarian cancer, and other malignancies.
A Shared Interest in Tumor Metabolites and RNA in Colon Cancer
Another unlikely, but successful team, is Sajid Khan, MD, FACS, FSSO, associate professor of surgery (oncology) and Caroline Johnson, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology (environmental health sciences). Dr. Khan, a surgical oncologist, and Dr. Johnson, an analytical chemist, have collaborated on several studies investigating colorectal cancer. Their unlikely pairing stems from a shared interest in the relationship between tumor metabolites and RNA expression in colon cancer, and the influence of clinical and biologic variables, such as sex, on these factors.
Their most recent collaborative study looked at how adding the nutrient asparagine affects colorectal cancer in males and females. Asparagine is a nonessential amino acid that can both promote and inhibit tumor growth and distant metastasis. They discovered that asparagine supplementation has opposite effects in male and female mice with advanced stages of colorectal cancer. While female mice saw increased estradiol (a hormone) levels and suppressed tumor growth, male mice experienced augmented tumor growth and decreased estradiol secretion. This important finding highlights the intricate relationship between asparagine metabolism and sex-specific cancer progression, emphasizing the need for personalized treatment strategies based on biological sex.
This is the duo’s third NIH-funded grant as co-principal investigators, all of which have employed a team science approach, emphasizing the importance of collaborative, interdisciplinary research in tackling complex health challenges.
Revealing Lung Cancer Metrics by Asking the Right Questions
Daniel Boffa, MD, professor of surgery (thoracic), division chief of thoracic surgery, and Maureen Canavan, PhD, MPH, associate research scientist (general medicine), have collaborated on several studies investigating lung cancer. Although their fields differ, they have a shared interest in finding ways to improve quality metrics for cancer care. These metrics vary and include the effectiveness and safety of treatment and patient experience.
“It is the art and responsibility of researchers to tell the truest truth,” says Boffa. “If you ask the same question in different ways, you may get different answers. Our partnership with Maureen has been critical to making sure we ask the right question in the right and best ways to interpret our results.”
One of their more recent collaborative studies looked at the exclusion of patients with prior cancers in clinical trials. Using the National Cancer Database and examining real-world outcomes of two practice-changing trial regimens for stage III and IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), they found the innovative treatment approach to be more effective, regardless of a patient’s prior cancer history.
They have also teamed up on studies looking at the effect sociodemographic status has on outcomes for stage IV NSCLC. They found that although the survival of patients with stage IV NSCLC has improved considerably over the past decade, expected survival and the pace of improvement differed across sociodemographic groups. Together, they are hoping to conduct further studies to understand this outcome variability in order to enhance the effectiveness and equity of NSCLC treatments.
These seemingly unlikely collaborations demonstrate the profound impact of multidisciplinary research in advancing cancer treatment and care at Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center. By bringing together experts from diverse fields, it paves the way for more effective, equitable, and personalized cancer treatments, ultimately improving outcomes for patients worldwide.