Fall 2024
By Casey Repasy
Gastric and esophageal cancers accounted for more than 1.3 million deaths worldwide in 2020. These cancers are difficult to treat, as gastric and esophageal adenocarcinomas often resist chemotherapy and metastasize easily. The DeGregorio Family Foundation, in collaboration with Dana-Farber Cancer Institute research teams, aims to address this challenge by providing more than $500,000 in grant funding to develop new treatments.
With support from the Torrey Coast Foundation Gastro Esophageal Malignancies Investigator Network Initiative (GEMINI), the DeGregorio Family Foundation awarded $300,000 (in addition to $250,000 awarded in 2022) to a research team led by Eric Smith, MD, PhD, director of Translational Research, Immune Effector Cell Therapies at Dana-Farber; Jonathan Nowak, MD, PhD; and Andrew Aguirre, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber. This team includes Elizabeth Carstens, MD; Martina De Vizio; Takahashi Kazuki, PhD; Shahryar Khoshtinat, PhD; Micaela Morgado, PhD; and Anusuya Ramasubramanian, PhD.
Traditional chemotherapies have had limited success in treating advanced gastric and esophageal cancers. However, immunotherapies, including cellular therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy, hold promise. CAR T-cell therapy targeting the antigen CLDN18.2 has shown initial success, but often results in patient relapse. With this grant, the team is developing a dual-targeted CAR T-cell therapy designed to provide more durable responses by targeting multiple antigens simultaneously, aiming for longer-lasting remissions and potentially cures.
Additionally, the foundation awarded $200,000 to Eric Fischer, PhD, whose work aims to expand targeted therapies for patients where immunotherapy is not successful. Fischer’s research focuses on discovering new protein degradation targets in gastroesophageal cancer using small molecules called “degraders” to eliminate disease-causing proteins by leveraging the body’s natural waste disposal mechanisms.
The DeGregorio Family Foundation, established in 2006 after the family lost a 10th member to stomach cancer, has raised $10.5 million for research aimed at curing gastric and esophageal cancers. By funding pioneering research, the DeGregorio Family Foundation is making significant strides toward improving the prognosis for patients with gastroesophageal cancers, providing hope for more effective treatments and, ultimately, cures.