Ibrutinib is the first drug designed to target Bruton’s tyrosine kinase, a protein essential for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) cell survival and growth. In 2014, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved ibrutinib for relapsed CLL patients, making the drug available to thousands of cancer patients nationwide. Pelotonia-supported clinical and basic research led to the approval of this drug.
Beating Lung Cancer in Ohio (BLC-IO) is a statewide clinical research project funded by Pelotonia. The study aims to evaluate the impact of advanced gene testing and expert advice on lung cancer treatment and patient survival, improve smoking-cessation rates of lung cancer patients and their families and improve each patient’s quality of life. Annually, more people die of lung cancer than colon, breast and prostate cancers combined; this Pelotonia-funded study is designed to help change that.
The Ohio Colorectal Cancer Prevention Initiative (OCCPI) included 50 hospitals across Ohio to screen newly diagnosed colorectal cancer patients and their biological relatives for Lynch syndrome, an inherited cancer-causing condition. Individuals with Lynch syndrome are very likely to develop colorectal, uterine, ovarian or other cancers. This screening effort, funded by Pelotonia dollars, could save an estimated 1,000 years of life and provide some $32 million in benefit to the community because of lives saved in Ohio.
Ohio Prevention and Treatment of Endometrial Cancer (OPTEC) is a statewide initiative to help identify women with endometrial (uterine) cancer who may be at risk for other types of cancer due to their genetic makeup, and to help match women with endometrial cancer to the best treatment options for their particular cancer. Pelotonia funding will make it possible for some 700 women from 25 partner hospitals in communities throughout Ohio to participate in this important prevention and treatment initiative.
Digital Pathology takes diseased tissue mounted on glass slides, scans the slides bit by bit and digitally knits the individual pictures together to make one highly detailed image. This virtual image is paired with clinical information to quickly give pathologists an integrated picture of each patient’s unique cancer so optimum therapy can be delivered sooner. Pelotonia dollars are helping to create a digital archive of past pathology specimens and associated clinical data to be made available to cancer investigators anywhere in the world.
The Drug Development Institute was created to facilitate the development of promising laboratory discoveries into new cancer treatments. Taking a scientific discovery from the lab through product development, manufacturing, clinical trials and finally FDA approval is a daunting task. Thanks to support from Pelotonia and others, Ohio State’s Drug Development Institute has a team of experts dedicated to accelerating innovative research to speed cures to patients.
The Pelotonia Fellowship Program provides promising undergraduate, graduate, medical and postdoctoral students with grants to conduct cancer research in the labs of faculty mentors at Ohio State. Students in any discipline may apply for these prestigious grants. Pelotonia dollars have funded 476 fellowships since 2010, ensuring that the best and brightest minds remain in cancer research
The Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) is a national collaboration involving 18 cancer centers across the United States that are using a protocol called Total Cancer Care® (TCC) to hasten the development and delivery of more precise cancer treatments, diagnostic tools and prevention strategies through secure research-sharing of consented patient data. Pelotonia funds have enabled the OSUCCC – James to extend its reach by helping to establish ORIEN.
New Clinical Trials supported by Pelotonia dollars are finding better ways to prevent, detect and treat individual cancers. Trials in breast cancer, sarcoma, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, leukemia and other forms of the disease are bringing hope to patients everywhere. To date, hundreds of patients have been enrolled in these Pelotonia-funded clinical trials, moving cancer research closer to our ultimate goal of a cancer-free world.
Physician-Scientists Supported by Pelotonia Dollars are bringing the best cancer research to Ohio State. The OSUCCC – James attracts some of the brightest minds in the field, and Pelotonia dollars help these scientists continue their research when they arrive. These researchers and the talented staff in their labs are discovering genetic abnormalities or triggers that lead to cancer, developing better prevention methods, more precisely targeting tumors based on their molecular profile and, most of all, bringing more hope to cancer patients everywhere.