Much about a carcinoid cancer cell remains a mystery. For that reason, NETRF funds research to understand how and why a neuroendocrine cancer cell comes
NETRF in collaboration with NANETS awarded the 2017 Basic Translational Science Investigator grant to Brian R. Untch, M.D., at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center for his proposal, “Enhancing Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy in Well-Differentiated Pancreatic Neuroendocrine Tumors.”
Peptide Receptor Radionuclide Therapy (PRRT) treats neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) by converting a cancer cell’s unique characteristics into a welcome mat for a Trojan Horse packed with cancer-killing radiation.
There is a critical need to develop improved diagnostic tools for non-invasive, early detection of NETs in a broader range of patients. New grant-funded research will work towards this goal.
He is a pioneer whose work has helped extend the horizon of cancer care, creating a new category of individualized immunotherapy. Carl June, MD, has conducted 25 years of scientific research to advance CAR T-cell therapy. And all that knowledge is now helping to tackle NETs.
It is common to feel sad, discouraged, or moody after a cancer diagnosis. You may be facing new limits on what you can do and feel anxious about treatment outcomes and the future. It may be hard to adapt to a new reality and to cope with the changes that come with the diagnosis and the demands of treatment.
Imagine being able to program your immune system to launch one million minuscule heat-seeking missiles, whose sole purpose is to find and kill cancer cells. This is the basic premise behind an emerging form of immunotherapy, called CAR T-cell therapy, which genetically modifies an individual’s immune system to find, bind to, and kill cancer cells.
This young PNET patient knew something was wrong, but his doctor didn’t believe him. Since this PNET patient was also an oncologist, he asserted the need for further testing to clarify the diagnosis. In a guest blog Mark Lewis, MD, shares insights on listening to your body and getting doctors to listen to you.
It can be difficult to biopsy tissue from pancreatic neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs) for genomic profiling. To help create safe and non-invasive tests for genomic mutations before, during, and after treatment in PNET patients, NETRF is funding researchers that are testing a novel alternative known as a “liquid biopsy.”
Over the summer, NETRF issued a request for applications (RFA) to the international research community—help us to cure NETs with transformative ideas for scientific and clinical research. We are pleased to report that we are now evaluating a record number of submissions from researchers who want to focus their efforts on the search for NET cures.
