UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center: Spring 2021

Pathways TO DISCOVERY

AT T H E FO R E F R O NT O F C A N CE R CARE AND DIS COVE RY

Nothing Will Stop Us: The National Commitment to Eradicate Cancer FEATURE STORIES 1 T HE NATIONAL CANCER ACT TURNS 50 5 C ANCER MOONSHOT ℠ INITIATIVES LED BY VISIONARY MEMBERS OF THE COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER 9 S TEM CELL TRANSPLANT TEAM LOOKS INWARD TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL OUTCOMES SPRING 2021

Pathways TO DISCOVERY

AT THE FOR E FRONT OF CANCER CARE AND DISCOVERY

Spring 2021 E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R

Jane Kollmer SENIOR SCIENCE WRITER

Tiha M. Long, PhD E D I TO R I A L A DV I S O R S

Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD Kathleen Goss, PhD DESIGN

Pivot Design, Inc. PRINTING

G Thomas Partners LLC

Pathways to Discovery is a publication of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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From the Director This year marks an important milestone for cancer research because it has been 50 years since the National Cancer Act passed. In 1971, President Nixon signed the legislation, launching a national effort to find cancer cures through research.

The science that has been developed over these past five decades has been truly remarkable. Cancer rates are steadily declining thanks to new treatments and public health measures. But our work is far from over.

Bold initiatives like the Cancer Moonshot are fueling discoveries that will take us to the next level.

In this issue, we describe how our researchers are involved in some of these forward-thinking projects. As demonstrated by the rapid development of a COVID-19 vaccine, large-scale investment in research and public support make it possible to advance quickly.

This year is also a major milestone in the history of this cancer center. I am happy to address readers for the first time as the new director for the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In February 2021, Dr. Michelle Le Beau ended her 17-year tenure as director. Her many contributions include helping the center attain “Comprehensive” status in 2007. Her legacy is being continued with the Dr. Michelle Le Beau Aspiring Scientists Fund, which provides support for training the next generation of cancer researchers.

As for me, I look forward to working with physicians, scientists and faculty leadership to accomplish ambitious goals for the center. Truly, the sky is the limit for advancing cancer care, research, training, and community outreach and engagement at the University of Chicago.

Enjoy the issue,

© 2021 The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center.

All rights reserved.

Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD AbbVie Foundation Director, University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center

50 The National Cancer Act Turns

By Jane Kollmer

The year was 1971. The Walt Disney World theme park opened. NASA’s Apollo 14 took the third successful manned trip to the moon. Intel released the world’s first micro­ processor. And cancer was a leading cause of death in the United States.

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Cases of cancer were on the rise, and most Americans considered the disease a major health concern. Science offered a way to cope with cancer through the development of new treatment and prevention methods. However, despite some advances in the biomedical sciences that provided leads, there was no coordinated effort to study the disease. Then, a single piece of legislation promised to change the course of cancer research and care.

The National Cancer Act, signed into law by President Richard Nixon in 1971, greatly bolstered the nation’s capacity to address cancer and its many challenges. This broad legislation gave new authority to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and provided the infrastructure and mechanisms needed for a large-scale, world-class cancer research enterprise. It also represented a national commitment to what President Nixon described as the “war on cancer.”

The National Cancer Act allowed the NCI to establish networks of cancer centers, clinical trials, data collection systems and advanced research.

Among numerous other accomplishments, the National Cancer Act established NCI’s Cancer Centers Program.

Within these centers, multidisciplinary teams deliver leading-edge treatments, breakthrough research, clinical trials and state-of-the-art treatment facilities to all Americans, including many underserved communities. Not surprisingly, studies show patients treated at NCI-designated cancer centers have higher survival and recovery rates overall.

Every year, approximately 250,000 people receive their cancer diagnosis at an NCI center and even more receive treatment at one. But what makes these centers all the more remarkable are the thousands of patients enrolled in potentially life-saving clinical trials that have originated within

The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center: Storied History, Focus on the Future For more than 50 years, the University of Chicago has been a leader in cancer research.

The following timeline includes a few examples of important discoveries.

1939 Charles B. Huggins, MD, demonstrated that prostate cancers are dependent on hormones, work that earned him the Nobel Prize in 1966 and transformed prostate and breast cancer research and treatment.

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1943 Leon O. Jacobson, MD, studied the effects of nitrogen mustard as an anticancer agent in leukemia patients, laying the foundation for widespread use of chemotherapy to treat cancer.

What started in 1971 as a network of 15 cancer care centers has now grown to 71 NCI-designated centers in 36 states and the District of Columbia. the network, all led by collaborative teams of scientists, researchers and clinicians. Clinical trials are essential to developing new and more effective treatments for cancer. What started in 1971 as a network of 15 cancer care centers has now grown to 71 NCI-designated centers in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The University of Chicago has been home to an NCI-designated cancer center since 1973. Today, the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center is one of only two such centers in the state of Illinois.

1972

2001

Janet Rowley, MD, identified the first chromosomal translocation in leukemia, the t(9;22) or Philadelphia chromosome, leading to the recognition of the genetic basis of cancer.

1973

James Vardiman, MD, co-led the development of the World Health Organization classification of leukemias and lymphomas, which became the international diagnostic system.

1990

John Ultmann, MD, our founding Cancer Center director and leading National Cancer Act proponent, led international efforts to stage subtypes of lymphoma, which led to the development of more effective, less toxic therapies.

Michelle Le Beau, PhD, with Dr. Rowley, mapped the first chromosome translocation using fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), which became a standard diagnostic tool for blood cancers.

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The National Cancer Act has had a remarkable and long-lasting impact on the approaches to prevent, diagnose, study, treat and cure cancer. The proof is the steady decline of overall cancer death rates each year and the approximately 17 million cancer survivors alive in the U.S. today.

The 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act presents the opportunity to commemorate all of the exciting developments in cancer that have happened up to this point. The NCI and others across the cancer community are spreading the word with a campaign dubbed “Nothing Will Stop Us.” Besides commemorating the signing of the National Cancer Act, the campaign will tell the stories of the changemakers and trailblazers who are behind the scientific advances enabled by the 1971 act—including many who were from the University of Chicago.

In addition, because cancer is still not defeated and many challenges remain, “Nothing Will Stop Us” points to the promise of what’s to come.

Every year, approximately 250,000 people receive their cancer diagnosis at an NCI center and even more receive treatment at one.

2009

2019

Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, discovered that most breast cancers in women of African ancestry are the aggressive triple-negative subtype, and she began to identify genetic variants contributing to this disparity.

2004 Mark Ratain, MD, discovered genetic variants that predict which cancer patients are likely to experience severe side effects from the drug irinotecan and helped launch the field of pharmacogenomics.

QuantX TM, developed by Maryellen Giger, PhD, a worldrenowned pioneer in computeraided diagnosis (CAD), is the first FDA-cleared AI-driven technology to assist radiologists in the diagnosis of breast cancer.

2015 Thomas Gajewski, MD, PhD, showed that the T cell-inflamed tumor microenvironment is a biomarker of response to immunotherapy. In 2018, he demonstrated the role gut microbiota play in immunotherapy response.

For the full list of discoveries, see uchicagomedicine.org/cancer/about-us/legacy.

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Cancer Moonshot Initiatives

℠

led by visionary members of the Comprehensive Cancer Center

By Tiha Long, PhD

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The Cancer Moonshot is an ambitious plan stemming from the 21st Century Cures Act passed in 2016 by the United States Congress. It is an investment of funding over seven years to the National Cancer Institute (NCI) that aims to bring rapid advancement to cancer research with the goals of novel therapeutic discovery, building strong inter­ institutional collaboration and improving data sharing. The longterm goals of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative are to improve the detection, diagnosis, treatment and quality of life for patients with cancer.

The Cancer Moonshot funding has supported University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center physicians and scientists in several ongoing multi-institutional and national projects.

NATIONAL GENOMIC DATA COMMONS FOR CANCER RESEARCHERS LAUNCHED AT UCHICAGO The Genomic Data Commons (GDC) was established at the University of Chicago on June 6, 2016, as a part of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

The GDC is a state-of-the-art comprehensive data system that is contributing to research by allowing large amounts of cancer data to be imported, standardized and analyzed.

The GDC was designed and developed by Robert Grossman, PhD, Frederick H. Rawsom Distinguished Service Professor from the Center for Translational Data Intensive Science, with contributions from the Bioinformatics Core of the Center for Research Informatics. The GDC merges massive amounts of genetic data with critical clinical data from multiple sources onto a consolidated platform.

The GDC contains data from NCI-supported programs, including The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET), which is focused on childhood cancer.

The GDC has improved access to data and analysis tools, enhancing meaningful collaborations and data usage which have contributed markedly to the Cancer Moonshot goals of improving prevention and diagnosis of cancer and making more treatments available to more patients.

Furthermore, the University of Chicago belongs to an interinstitutional network that received funding of $8.8 million in 2019 from the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research as a part of the NCI Cancer Moonshot Initiative to create and operate the Center for Cancer Data Harmonization (CCDH).

The NCI Genomic Data Commons is a comprehensive computational platform to harmonize and share cancer genomics data and analytical tools.

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The CCDH is focused on standardization of data from various sources in order to allow researchers to submit, retrieve and analyze various types of data, including genomics, proteomics, clinical information and even images. Samuel Volchenboum, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics, leads the com­ munity development working group. This group communicates with and connects users in order to collect and assess feedback and improve models, tools and services.

Now, five years after the launch of the Moonshot Initiative, the GDC is one of the largest and most widely used resources in cancer genomics.

ACCELERATING COLORECTAL CANCER SCREENING AND FOLLOW-UP THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION SCIENCE Established by the NCI and funded by the Cancer Moonshot, the ACCSIS (Accelerating Colorectal Cancer Screening and Follow-up through Implementation Science) Program has been awarded nearly $6 million over five years for multilevel interventions that increase rates of colorectal cancer screening, follow-up, referral to care and best practices for scaled-up interventions to reduce the burden of colorectal cancer throughout the community.

ACCSIS-Chicago is one of three programs nationwide and is led by Karen Kim, MD, professor of medicine and vice provost for research, and Blase Polite, MD, professor of medicine. Their goals are to substantially improve colorectal cancer screening and follow-up rates in all populations, including a focus on underserved populations where screening rates remain low, as well as to provide a vigorous knowledge base for the field of implementation science.

Because doctors cannot be solely responsible for screening, ACCSIS-Chicago has partnered with front-end staff, nurses, medical assistants and nurse practitioners to create health-systemlevel interventions to improve screening rates and embed these changes through each partici­ pating health system and clinic. The program is studying how each intervention works alone and synergistically to optimize the impact on patient screening outcomes.

The organization is leveraging study data to improve care across the community. Kim con­ tinued, “We are partnering with health centers that disproportionately serve underserved populations, so I am confident we are addressing health equity and cancer disparities through our partnership approach.”

Screening and early detection of colorectal cancer are critical. “Unlike most other cancers, colorectal cancer often begins as a precancerous polyp, which can transform into cancer over time,” said Kim. “Therefore, screening provides us with an amazing opportunity to remove these precancerous polyps before they become cancer.”

Most importantly, we know that we can prevent most colon cancer through screening and, if we do find a colorectal cancer in the early stages, 90% can be cured.

“

“

Kim added,

ACCSIS-Chicago has developed critical collaborations with federally qualified health center partners to address gaps in colorectal cancer screening across multiple levels: patients, health systems, policymakers and the community. They are using an implementation science approach to make sure barriers along the screening process are identified and addressed.

Colonoscopies are critical for the screening and detection of colorectal cancer, the third most common cancer.

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Andrea King, PhD, with Mary Baim, who benefited from King’s Courage to Quit smoking cessation program.

Nicotine replacement and other approved therapies can double or triple the odds of being successful at quitting smoking.

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“

The UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center was one of 22 cancer centers selected to lead the initiative. Started in 2019, the No Smoker Left Behind program offers a variety of evidencebased treatment options for tobacco cessation, including individual or group-based counseling and nicotine replacement therapy.

Andrea King, PhD, professor of psychiatry and behavior neuroscience at the University of Chicago Medicine and co-director of the program The program utilizes a cloud-based telehealth system to assess smoking and provide treatment options over a six-month period. The offerings are delivered via automated telephone calls and emails. Cancer patients can select what best fits their needs (or they can choose to opt out of the program).

About half of the responding patients have selected a stop-smoking service, including medications, virtual groups, a text messaging program or telephone counseling through the Illinois Tobacco Quitline.

NO SMOKER LEFT BEHIND: A PROGRAM TO MAXIMIZE SUPPORT FOR CANCER PATIENTS WHO SMOKE Patients who quit smoking after a cancer diagnosis recover faster, experience fewer side effects and reduce their risk of being diagnosed with a second cancer. But making this important lifestyle change on their own is difficult. With this in mind, the NCI and its Cancer Moonshot Initiative have dedicated resources to help selected cancer centers develop comprehensive smoking cessation programs.

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Since its inception, the program has grown significantly, treating patients with lung or head and neck cancers in the first year and then expanding to include patients across all cancer types in May 2020.

These Cancer Moonshot projects span the areas of data science, cancer diagnosis and prevention and survivorship, addressing critical challenges to reducing cancer and improving care. Results from the projects will be leveraged across decades to come to fulfill the mission of the Cancer Moonshot.

STEM CELL TRANSPLANT TEAM LOOKS INWARD TO IMPROVE SURVIVAL OUTCOMES

BY JANE KOLLMER

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A STRATEGY FOR SUCCESS

H

ematopoietic stem cell transplants are used for many cancers and blood diseases once considered incurable.

For some types of blood diseases, a stem cell transplant is the standard of care; for others, it is only considered if other treatments have been unsuccessful.

Things were off to a great start because of UChicago Medicine’s strengths in research, innovative clinical trials and renowned physicians.

UChicago Medicine is also home to The David and Etta Jonas Center for Cellular Therapy, where scientists are developing the next breakthroughs in cellular therapy.

Although thousands of people who have cancer and other diseases have been cured with stem cell transplantation, there are risks associated with the treatment, and complications are common. The most serious concerns are disease relapse and graft-versus-host disease.

Bishop, as director of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Program, rallied his team and together they began a journey to deliver “the absolute best clinical care.”

Patients must be followed closely after the transplant to address these complications as they arise. Clinicians and data analysts meticulously document complications following transplant and patient long-term survival. These data inform clinicians on how best to treat patients over time and can be an indication of how individual programs are doing.

The data are also collected by the Center for International Bone and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), an organization dedicated to improving survival, treatment and quality of life for transplant patients. Every year, the group issues a report with the outcomes data from all 172 transplant programs across the United States, including UChicago Medicine.

UChicago Medicine’s most current outcomes data reflect the results of work initiated by the hematopoietic stem cell transplantation team several years ago.

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In 2015, newly arrived hematopoietic stem cell transplant and cellular therapy expert Michael Bishop, MD, professor of medicine, viewed the CIBMTR rankings as a tremendous opportunity to establish UChicago Medicine as one of the premier stem cell transplant programs both nationally and internationally.

PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY SPRING 2021

Led by Bishop and Assistant Director of Clinical Operations Mylove Mortel, MSPH, RN, OCN, the team scrutinized every aspect of the program to find areas that needed improvement, down to the way data was being entered. They established a standard for how patients would be assessed, treated and followed up every single time.

According to Bishop, consistency in care is what leads to improved outcomes.

The David and Etta Jonas Center for Cellular Therapy

THE PAYOFF While the adult and pediatric stem cell transplant programs have shown gradual, consistent improvement over the years, it wasn’t until the 2020 CIBMTR annual report that the results were indisputable: UChicago Medicine had the best one-year outcomes in Chicago and the highest survival rates relative to their predicted outcomes. The pediatric program at Comer Children’s Hospital also ranked highly, with actual survival numbers surpassing predicted outcomes.

“The CIBMTR rankings are an objective measurement that reflects how dedicated our clinical staff is,” said James LaBelle, MD, PhD, associate professor of pediatrics and director of the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Program at UChicago Medicine Comer Children’s Hospital. “We expect the number of children we can help to grow even more because of our recent partnership with the Chicagoland Children’s Health Alliance.”

The CIBMTR report results now serve as a benchmark for future goals. Bishop is excited for what the future holds for survival rates as the field of cellular therapy moves forward.

He said, “We will continuously challenge the status quo by leveraging the fantastic science that is occurring at UChicago Medicine to bring patients the newest and most novel treatment options.”

UCHICAGO MEDICINE HAD THE BEST ONE-YEAR OUTCOMES IN CHICAGO AND THE HIGHEST SURVIVAL RATES RELATIVE TO THEIR PREDICTED OUTCOMES. 2020 CIBMTR ANNUAL REPORT

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Research

Meet the Expert Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD ABBVIE FOUNDATION DIRECTOR, UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO MEDICINE COMPREHENSIVE CANCER CENTER

Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, is a gynecologic oncologist who specializes in the treatment of ovarian cancer. As a nationally recognized expert in immunotherapy and vaccine therapy for cancer, his research focuses on understanding the mechanisms of immune recognition and tolerance in ovarian cancer and translating these findings to immunotherapy clinical trials. In addition to his role as director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center, he is Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Dean for Oncology of UChicago’s Biological Sciences Division.

How did you get interested in studying cancer and treating cancer patients?

My interest in studying cancer developed while in medical school. During one of my rotations, I was touched by the impact of cancer diagnosis and treatment on patients and their families.

At that early stage of my career, I got the sense that cancer is a difficult and challenging disease to tackle and would require multidisciplinary collaborative teams, as well as bold “out-ofthe-box” approaches, in order to make any significant impact.

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What is the impact of your research?

My research has been focused on mechanisms of immune recognition in ovarian cancer and the translation of our laboratory observations to the clinic. This has resulted in the development of immunotherapy strategies for prolonging remission rates and improving outcomes for ovarian cancer patients.

What is your vision for the Comprehensive Cancer Center?

My vision is for the UChicago Medicine

Research

Comprehensive Cancer Center to be a globally acclaimed center of excellence in transdisciplinary cancer research and compassionate patient care, and to be a world leader in the rapid translation of high-impact scientific discoveries to leading-edge approaches for cancer prevention, treatment and survivorship.

What is your favorite way to relax?

Traveling, spending time with loved ones and watching movies.

What is the most exciting part of your job?

It’s most exciting when patients participating in some of our investigator-initiated clinical trials achieve prolonged remission or sometimes cure of their disease.

Who inspires you?

The patients that participate in our clinical trials, my late parents, my late mentor Dr. Lloyd Old and my wife, Ayo. What are you most looking forward to about living and working in Chicago?

I am looking forward to the vibrancy of the city of Chicago, the architecture and the famous deepdish pizza. I am also looking forward to working with the exceptional team of faculty and staff at the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the UChicago community at large.

“My vision is for the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center to be a globally acclaimed center of excellence in transdisciplinary cancer research and compassionate patient care.”

Research Highlights Targeting a non-functional gene variant of BRCA1 shows antitumor potential University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center investigators have identified that targeting a non-protein coding gene variant of BRCA1 in breast cancer cells can potentiate cancer cell death. A team of researchers led by Olufunmilayo Olopade, MD, Walter L. Palmer Distinguished Service Professor of Medicine and Human Genetics, and director of the Center for Clinical Cancer Genetics and Global Health, has shown that the expression of BRCA1 variant BRCA1P1 is relatively higher in breast cancer cells than normal cells. Depletion of BRCA1P1 from cancer cells triggered a non-specific immune defense mechanism which increased the susceptibility to cell death in breast cancer cells. Elucidation of the process at the molecular level in a humanized mouse model showed that loss of BRCA1P1 stimulated the secretion of signaling molecules, known as cytokines, and the expression of antiviral genes, mediating tumor cell death. The results suggest that the increased cell death following BRCA1P1 depletion is restricted to the cancer cells without affecting the normal breast cells. These findings may have implications in the development of cancer immunotherapies in the future.

Han et al., Cancer Res, online ahead of print, 2021

Solution structure of the BRCA1/BARD1 RINGdomain heterodimer

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Research

Research Highlights (continued) Shaping the gut microbiota may improve radiotherapy-mediated antitumor immune response The gut microbiota has a strong influence on the host immune system and may alter responses to cancer radiotherapy, a critical treatment for about half of all cancer patients. Investigators at the Comprehensive Cancer Center, led by Ralph Weichselbaum, MD, Daniel K. Ludwig Distinguished Service Professor and Chair of Radiation and Cellular Oncology, set out to determine the impact of the microbiota on how radiotherapy affects the antitumor immune response. The team modulated the bacterial makeup of the microbiota in mice and then measured the antitumor immune response to radiation treatment. They found that wiping out a major class of bacteria, referred to as gram-positive, led to enhanced responses to radiation therapy in mice. This effect was mediated by a decline in the levels of butyrate, a metabolite produced by these bacteria. The team discovered that butyrate interfered with the activation of immune cells, called cytotoxic T cells, that are known to attack tumors following radiotherapy. The researchers envision that this finding will help in the development of strategies to improve patient responses to radiotherapy.

Yang et al., J Exp Med 218(3):e20201915, 2021

Microbiota and radiotherapy

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Gastro-esophageal adenocarcinoma is a rare type of cancer of the esophagus.

Personalized treatment strategy for gastro-esophageal adenocarcinoma Genetic heterogeneity in cancerous tumors within an individual can preclude an effective targeting strategy for personalized cancer treatment. To overcome this limitation, oncologist Daniel Catenacci, MD, director of the gastrointestinal oncology program and associate professor of medicine, and Hedy Kindler, MD, professor of medicine, developed a novel clinical approach titled Personalized ANtibodies for GastroEsophageal Adenocarcinoma, or PANGEA. After determining the genetic biomarker profile of a patient’s metastatic tumor through biopsy, an algorithm developed by the researchers identified an optimal therapy for those specific biomarkers.

The patients were assigned to one of eight groups, with six monoclonal antibody treatment options to complement optimized chemotherapy sequences.

The regimen was altered if a particular treatment proved ineffective toward preventing tumor progression or when the tumor cells became resistant to a particular approach. Using this personalized program, there was an increase in the survival of patients from 50% to 66% one year after their initial diagnosis, with an improvement in survival time from less than 12 months to 15.7 months across all patients. The PANGEA study aimed to optimize treatment for individuals, leading to better outcomes for all patients.

Catenacci et al., Cancer Discovery 11(2):308-25, 2021

Research

Clinical Trials As an NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a lead site for the National Clinical Trials Network, we provide national leadership in conducting clinical trials, which lead to the development of new and better treatments. With more than 300 open cancer trials available, we enroll nearly 1,000 patients each year. For a full listing, visit uchicagomedicine.org/cancer/research/clinical-trials

Trial to Evaluate the Safety and Efficacy of Concurrent or Sequential Ipilimumab, Nivolumab, and Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy in Patients with Stage IV Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer, IRB 17-0547, investigator-initiated trial led by Steven Chmura, MD, associate professor of radiation and cellular oncology

Induction Chemotherapy Followed by Risk and Response-Stratified Treatment for Locoregional HPV-Associated Oropharyngeal Cancer, IRB 20-0713, investigator-initiated trial led by Rita Nanda, MD, associate professor of medicine

Enzalutamide plus the Glucocorticoid Receptor Antagonist CORT-125134 (Relacorilant) for Patients with Refractory Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer, IRB 18-0152, investigator-initiated trial led by Russell Szmulewitz, MD, associate professor of medicine

Safety Study of Whole Pelvic Hypofractionated Radiotherapy in Women with Endometrial Cancer, IRB 20-1390, investigator-initiated trial led by Christina Son, MD, assistant professor of radiation and cellular oncology

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News

TOUGHER THAN CANCER. As one of only two NCI-designated comprehensive cancer centers in Illinois, UChicago Medicine’s Comprehensive Cancer Center brings breakthrough treatments and more than 300 therapeutic clinical trials to patients as quickly as possible.

Schedule an in-person visit or video appointment today.

Blood and platelet donations needed

1-855-702-8222 UChicagoMedicine.org/ FightCancer

In general, someone needs blood every two seconds. Very often, cancer patients need blood or platelet transfusions when going through treatments and surgical procedures.

Blood or platelet donations can go a long way toward helping someone going through cancer treatment.

The Blood Donation Center at UChicago Medicine is always in need of more blood donors. All blood products collected at UChicago Medicine stay at the medical center to help patients.

If you are interested in donating either whole blood or platelets, please contact the Blood Donation Center at 773-702-6247 to set up an appointment. (An appointment is necessary due to social distancing that is still in effect.)

‘TOP DOCS’ IN CHICAGO

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Chicago magazine recognized 111 doctors—including 36 cancer specialists—from UChicago Medicine in their 2021 Top Docs list. The Chicago-area doctors named were selected by their peers and through consideration of factors such as clinical excellence, bedside manner, education and board certification.

PATHWAYS TO DISCOVERY SPRING 2021

Dr. S. Diane Yamada Gynecologic Oncology

News

Faculty Awards and Honors

Kunle Odunsi, MD, PhD, has been named the AbbVie Foundation Director of the University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center with a $10 million gift to support cancer research. Odunsi also won the 2021 Society of Gynecologic Oncology Innovation Award.

Jing Chen, PhD, has been named the Janet Davison Rowley Professor in Cancer Research in the Department of Medicine. This new professorship honors the late Rowley, whose pioneering research on the links between genetics and cancer earned her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Chen is also director of the Cancer Metabolomics Research Center at UChicago Medicine.

Melody Swartz, PhD, the William B. Ogden Professor of Molecular Engineering at the Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, has been elected to the National Academy of Medicine—one of the highest honors in the field—for “pioneering contributions” to the fields of lymphatic physiology, cancer research and immunotherapy.

Sonali M. Smith, MD, the Elwood V. Jensen Professor of Medicine and an expert in the treatment of lymphoma, has been appointed Chief of the Section of Hematology/ Oncology for the University of Chicago Medicine and the UChicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center. Smith is the first female and person of color to hold this position.

Other Headlines from

The Forefront

Visit uchicagomedicine.org/cancer for our latest news, stories and more…

Anita Chong, PhD, professor of surgery, was named a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science for “distinguished and pioneering contributions to immunobiology.”

S. Diane Yamada, MD, the Joseph Bolivar DeLee Professor and Section Chief of Gynecologic Oncology, was inducted as the 53rd President of the Society of Gynecologic Oncology.

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