Researchers Receive Grants from NCCN Oncology Research Program Funded through Onyx Pharmaceuticals
The NCCN Oncology Research Program (ORP) has awarded four research grants to investigators to scientifically evaluate and define clinical effectiveness of carfilzomib and oprozomib in non-Hodgkin lymphomas; The four grants are the result of funding from Onyx Pharmaceuticals.
FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®) Oncology Research Program (ORP) recently awarded four research grants to investigators following NCCN ORP Scientific Review Committee analysis of proposals submitted in response to the NCCN Carfilzomib and Oprozomib Request for Proposals (RFP). These grants were made possible through a grant from Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Amgen subsidiary, to scientifically evaluate and define clinical effectiveness of carfilzomib and oprozomib in non-Hodgkin lymphomas.
“The mission of the NCCN ORP is to improve cancer care by facilitating research collaborations to study and evaluate new and promising treatments,” said Diane Paul, MS, RN, Vice President, NCCN ORP. “We are proud to work with Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in this collaboration, which aims to identify treatment advances that could help patients with non-Hodgkin lymphomas.”
Carfilzomib is a tetrapeptide epoxyketone that is an irreversible inhibitor specific for the chymotryptic site of the 20S proteasome. It has a sustained target suppression of proteasome-mediated proteolysis with consequent accumulation of polyubiquinated proteins, which may cause cell cycle arrest, apoptosis, and inhibition of tumor growth.
Oprozomib is a novel oral proteasome inhibitor that inhibits the chymotryptic site of the 20S proteasome. Like carfilzomib, oprozomib is an epoxyketone; however, it is a structural homologue of carfilzomib that is orally bioavailable. Oral administration also results in prolonged inhibition of proteasome.
The following proposals have been awarded funding:
- Jeremy Abramson, MD, MMSc; Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center: Phase I Study of Carfilzomib Plus Belinostat in Relapsed/Refractory non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Subtypes
- Charalambos Andreadis, MD, MSCE; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center: A Phase Ib Dose Escalation Trial of Carfilzomib in Combination with Bendamustine and Rituximab in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Steven Horwitz, MD; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: A Phase Ib/IIa Study of Combination Therapy with Oprozomib, Romidepsin, Lenalidomide in Patients with Relapsed or Refractory B- and T-cell Lymphomas
- Stephen Smith, MD; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center: Oprozomib +/- Rituximab: Response-Adapted Therapy in Untreated Waldenström's Macroglobulinemia
The awardees responded to an RFP issued by the NCCN ORP to the 23 NCCN Member Institutions. Submissions were peer reviewed by the NCCN Carfilzomib and Oprozomib Scientific Review Committee. The funded concepts were selected based on several key criteria, including scientific merit, existing data, and the types of studies necessary to further evaluate the activity of carfilzomib and oprozomib.
The NCCN ORP is organized to obtain funding to support scientifically meritorious research projects at NCCN Member Institutions. Policies and standards for the program are set by the NCCN Investigator Steering Committee, a group comprised of senior research physicians appointed by each NCCN Member Institution. The NCCN ORP has received more than $41 million in research grants from major pharmaceutical companies to support investigator-initiated trials. These trials explore new venues of clinical investigation that answer important scientific questions. Studies evaluate innovative combinations and sequencing regimens of drugs, drug resistance, and mechanisms of action of specific agents, or explore extended uses for specific agents.
About the National Comprehensive Cancer Network
The National Comprehensive Cancer Network® (NCCN®), a not-for-profit alliance of 23 of the world’s leading cancer centers, is dedicated to improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided to patients with cancer. Through the leadership and expertise of clinical professionals at NCCN Member Institutions, NCCN develops resources that present valuable information to the numerous stakeholders in the health care delivery system. As the arbiter of high-quality cancer care, NCCN promotes the importance of continuous quality improvement and recognizes the significance of creating clinical practice guidelines appropriate for use by patients, clinicians, and other health care decision-makers. The primary goal of all NCCN initiatives is to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of oncology practice so patients can live better lives.
The NCCN Member Institutions are: Fred and Pamela Buffett Cancer Center at The Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE; City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center, Los Angeles, CA; Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Cancer Center | Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center, Boston, MA; Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, NC; Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, Seattle, WA; The Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins, Baltimore, MD; Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL; Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY; Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, FL; The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center - James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, Columbus, OH; Roswell Park Cancer Institute, Buffalo, NY; Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO; St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital/The University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, TN; Stanford Cancer Institute, Stanford, CA; University of Alabama at Birmingham Comprehensive Cancer Center, Birmingham, AL; UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA; UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, San Francisco, CA; University of Colorado Cancer Center, Aurora, CO; University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, Ann Arbor, MI; The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX; and Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, Nashville, TN.
Clinicians, visit NCCN.org. Patients and caregivers, visit NCCN.org/patients.
About Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Based in South San Francisco, California, Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc., an Amgen subsidiary, is a global biopharmaceutical company engaged in the development and commercialization of innovative therapies for improving the lives of people with cancer. The company is focused on developing novel medicines that target key molecular pathways. For more information about Onyx, visit the company's website at www.onyx.com. Onyx Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is on Twitter. Sign up to follow our Twitter feed @OnyxPharm at http://twitter.com/OnyxPharm.
Katie Kiley Brown, NCCN
215.690.0238
Tags: