Damon Runyon News

Sarkis K. Mazmanian, PhD (Damon Runyon-Rachleff Innovator ‘08-‘10) of California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, was named one of 23 MacArthur Fellows for 2012. He is recognized for his innovative research elucidating the critical role of bacterial microbes in human health, which could lead to new therapies or preventive treatments for a variety of human diseases including cancer.

Mark B. Gerstein, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘94-‘96) of Yale University, New Haven, and colleagues, announced the exciting results of the ENCODE (Encyclopedia of DNA Elements) project. As reported in 30 publications in Nature and other journals, the consortium assigned a biochemical function to over 80% of the human genome—sequences that had previously been thought to be “junk DNA.” ENCODE was featured in The New York Times and selected as one of the “Runners-Up” for Science magazine’s 2012 Breakthrough of the Year.

Linda Hsieh-Wilson, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘97-‘00), of California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, reported that tumor cells modify their proteins through addition of carbohydrate (glycosylation or GlcNAc) in response to their surroundings, which allows the cancer cells to survive. When the researchers blocked the addition of GlcNAc to phosphofructokinase 1 (PFK1), a protein involved in cell metabolism, cancer cell proliferation and tumor formation were reduced in mice.

Joshua D. Schiffman, MD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘11-‘14) of University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and colleagues, reported results of a genomic study of Ewing sarcoma (ES), the second most common bone tumor in children and young adults. By examining 40 primary tumors and 12 metastatic lesions, the researchers identified genetic factors predictive of overall survival as well as a particular gene deletion (RELN gene) that is unique to metastatic lesions. These findings will be useful for development of more effective, personalized treatment regimens.

Zsofia K. Stadler, MD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘11-‘14) of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, led a genomic study of testicular cancer that identified “copy number variations” (CNVs) as a cause of cancer. Rather than being triggered by a single gene mutation, these tumors can be caused by CNVs (too many or too few copies of a gene). CNVs occurred spontaneously in 7% of patients with early-onset testicular germ cell tumors. These findings were published in The American Journal of Human Genetics. 

Luis F. Parada, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘85-‘86) and colleagues at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, used genetic techniques to track cancer cells. They found that glioblastoma brain cancers contained a small number of stem cells that are resistant to chemotherapy and can give rise to tumor cells. This study—along with two separate studies conducted independently by other research groups—confirms the existence of cancer stem cells, and the researchers are now searching for ways to kill these cells.

Andrew L. Feldman, MD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘09-‘14), and colleagues at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, reported the completion of the world’s first genome-wide sequencing analysis of peripheral T-cell lymphomas, a highly aggressive cancer of the immune system. The team found 13 genetic abnormalities, five of which involve genes related to the tumor suppressor p53. These findings will ultimately be used to improve diagnostic tests and develop targeted treatments for this type of lymphoma. The study was published in the journal Blood. 

Valerie Horsley, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘04-‘07) of Yale University, New Haven, and Georgios Skiniotis, PhD (Damon Runyon Fellow ‘04-‘07) of University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, were named recipients of the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their independent research careers.

Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD (Damon Runyon Clinical Investigator ‘11-‘14) of Stanford University School of Medicine, and colleagues, reported the success of a newly approved drug, vismodegib/Erivedge, in dramatically shrinking basal cell carcinoma (BCC) skin cancers and preventing new ones from forming in patients with basal cell nevus syndrome, a rare genetic condition that causes dozens to thousands of skin cancers on each patient’s body.

Charles G.