Leading the Call for Research Funding

While the cancer research enterprise is built upon the passion and talents of researchers, physician-scientists, survivors, and advocates, it is sustained through robust annual federal funding increases for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). As the authoritative voice of cancer research, the AACR called upon all of those stakeholders throughout 2016 to request that members of Congress and Administration officials make cancer research a national priority.

• February 23-24: Early Career Investigator Hill Day. The funding crisis that affected the NIH and NCI from 2004 through 2015 disproportionately affected young scientists, many of whom left the field in search of better opportunities. To educate Congress on the vital importance of sustaining the nation’s pipeline of cancer scientists through robust, sustainable, and predictable funding increases for the NIH, the AACR brought 15 associate members—including doctoral candidate Lee D. Gibbs (right)—to Capitol Hill in February for its first-ever advocacy initiative for young investigators. Through meetings on Capitol Hill, the AACR informed lawmakers of the benefits of sustained research funding—and demonstrated the power of informed advocacy to a new generation of civic scientists.

LEE D. GIBBS
Associate Member of the AACR

  

Lee D. Gibbs is an Associate Member of the AACR and a doctoral candidate in molecular and medical genetics at the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth, Texas. With 14 of his fellow Associate Members, he participated in the AACR’s first Early Career Investigator Hill Day:

“As a graduate student, I have witnessed many of my colleagues’ aspirations detour from the path of independent research because of a lack of sustainable and predictable NIH funding… This event was a tremendous occasion as it trained me and my fellow early-career bench scientists in how to take our story and message to Capitol Hill. As a biomedical scientist, I have been trained in the responsibilities in the laboratory. But I also see the great value in being a ‘civic’ scientist.

AACR has lit the flame; now, it is our turn to carry the torch from the bench to the Hill.”

• March 8: Cancer Research Policy Forum. The AACR partnered with Moffitt Cancer Center—with support from the American Association of Cancer Institutes (AACI)—to host a forum titled “Progress, Promise, and Challenges in the Era of Precision Medicine.” Using Moffitt as an example, the forum highlighted how federally funded research contributes to progress against cancer at institutions across the United States. NCI Acting Director Douglas R. Lowy, MD, FAACR, and U.S. Representatives Gus Bilirakis and Kathy Castor of the House Energy and Commerce Committee joined expert scientists and a patient advocate to call for robust, sustained, and predictable increases in funding for the NIH.
• May 11-12: AACR-AACI-ASCO Joint Hill Day. The AACR worked with the AACI and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) to bring stakeholders from across the cancer community to Capitol Hill—including more than 80 researchers, physician-scientists, cancer center directors, survivors, and patient advocates. The participants shared their diverse perspectives on the impact of sustained cancer research funding during more than 120 meetings with congressional offices, including those of leading members in the House and Senate.

• September 22: Rally for Medical Research Hill Day. As the founding organizer in 2013 of the Rally for Medical Research, the AACR’s leadership role in advocating for federal research funding extends beyond cancer to benefit all fields of biomedical science. As the lead supporter for the fourth annual Hill Day, the AACR facilitated meetings with 238 congressional offices from 38 states for its 346 participants.

These advocacy efforts came to fruition in early December when the Senate passed the 21st Century Cures Act by an overwhelming majority. The bill establishes an NIH Innovation Account that provides $4.8 billion in supplemental funding for vital medical research programs—including $1.8 billion over seven years to support the recommendations of Vice President Biden’s National Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

Connecting the Cancer Community with Policy Makers

Lawmakers and regulators rely on the AACR for guidance in developing cancer science policy. The AACR provided that guidance in 2016 by sharing critical perspectives from various stakeholders.

• January 8: Meeting with Vice President Biden’s Staff. Prior to President Obama’s announcement of the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative during his State of the Union Address on January 12, 15 distinguished AACR members representing 10 medical institutions and nine states met with senior leaders on Vice President Biden’s staff to discuss areas of considerable promise in cancer research—including precision medicine, immunotherapy, and potential collaborations around big data (such as AACR’s Project GENIE).

• January 8: Meeting with FDA Leaders. Fifteen prominent members of the AACR met with senior officials from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)—including FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD—to discuss the agency’s current thinking on laboratory developed tests, companion diagnostics for cancer therapies, and the regulation of next-generation sequencing-based tests.

• June 28: Congressional Briefing on the National Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Five associate members joined AACR President Nancy Davidson, MD, CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), and NCI Acting Director Douglas R. Lowy, MD, FAACR, at a standing-room-only briefing on the Cancer Moonshot Initiative. Titled “Seizing Today's Opportunities to Accelerate Cancer Research,” the briefing educated congressional representatives and staffers about the research opportunities presented by the Cancer Moonshot project and the need for dedicated funding to realize those opportunities. The associate members on the panel discussed the challenges facing young investigators in the current funding paradigm and called on Congress to invest in the next generation of cancer scientists.

• September 16: Cancer Progress Report Congressional Briefing. The AACR released its Cancer Progress Report 2016 at a briefing on Capitol Hill that outlined the progress against cancer driven by federally funded research and called for sustained, robust, and predictable annual funding increases to accelerate that progress. The briefing featured cancer survivors and advocates whose stories were included in the report, including Congressman Donald Payne, Jr. (D-NJ). Following the briefing, the survivors accompanied AACR President Nancy Davidson, MD, and CEO Margaret Foti, PhD, MD (hc), to the White House to deliver a copy of the report to Vice President Biden personally and to thank him for his leadership of the Cancer Moonshot Initiative.

Fostering Dialogue between Regulators and the Cancer Community

At the interface between cancer science and cancer patients, the FDA plays a critical role in accelerating the delivery of innovative cancer treatments to meet the needs of patients and their families. The AACR continued its support of the FDA’s mission in 2016, partnering with the agency to engage researchers, physician-scientists, policy makers, and the public in discussions of important regulatory issues.

• June 13: Dose-Finding Workshop. The emergence of combination therapies to overcome drug resistance and the toxicity of current dosing regimens are challenges for cancer patients and clinicians. Chaired by Pasi Jänne, MD, PhD, Geoffrey Kim, MD, Amy McKee, MD, and Eric Rubin, MD, this workshop addressed these challenges by discussing more efficient processes of dose selection in the early stages of study design.

• July 19: Workshop on Liquid Biopsies in Oncology Drug and Device Development. The analysis of tumor-derived cell-free DNA in plasma, a noninvasive method for detecting genetic alterations in tumors, holds considerable promise for the areas of diagnosis and drug development and is likely to be rapidly integrated into the clinic. This workshop, chaired by Gideon Blumenthal, MD, Pasi Jänne, MD, PhD, and Reena Philip, PhD, examined the scientific and regulatory steps needed to translate this emerging technology into improved patient care.

• September 27: Webinar on E-cigarettes and Public Health. On August 8, the FDA extended the scope of its ban on the sale of tobacco products to youth to include e-cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, and water pipe tobacco. To assist the agency in informing the public about the risks of e-cigarettes, the AACR released a webinar discussing current research in this area.

• October 13-14: Immuno-Oncology Drug Development Workshop. Chaired by Maitreyee Hazarika, MD, Marc Theoret, MD, Suzanne L. Topalian, MD, and Jedd D. Wolchok, MD, PhD, this workshop gathered experts to redefine biological outcome measures and clinical endpoints to inspire innovative clinical trial designs and statistical methods and foster the development of effective immuno-oncology clinical trials.

Scientist↔Survivor Program

More than 50 advocates participated in the program in 2016—including the first mother-son, caregiver-survivor duo; the first male breast cancer survivor; and the first advocate from the Caribbean island of Anguilla. These participants partnered with both scientist and advocate mentors at the Annual Meeting and the Cancer Health Disparities meeting to learn more about the innovative cancer science that impacts their lives.

A highlight of the Annual Meeting program was “Cancer Mini-Med School,” a unique lecture by Carolyn Compton, MD, PhD, that provided the participants with an education in the basics of cancer biology. The advocates built upon that foundation while attending scientific sessions and discussing the latest developments in the field with their mentors.

Cancer Today Magazine

Cancer Today, the AACR’s magazine for cancer patients, survivors, and caregivers, is a vital resource for anyone navigating the challenges of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survival. In 2016, the magazine celebrated its fifth year of providing cancer patients with practical knowledge and real hope. Of the dozens of articles published over 20 issues of the magazine, the following rank among the most popular:

• “Easing the Pain” (Spring 2016). Noting that “pain and cancer frequently go hand in hand,” contributing editor Sue Rochman looks at cancer pain and ways to relieve it.

• “The Cost of Cancer” (Summer 2015). Expensive cancer treatments can leave patients with a pile of debt; this article highlights programs that are available to help them handle the financial burden.
• “Telling Cancer’s Story” (Winter 2014/2015). Published just before the release of the documentary “Cancer: The Emperor of All Maladies,” this article offers a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the film—featuring interviews with award-winning filmmaker Ken Burns and oncologist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the book, Siddhartha Mukherjee, MD, PhD.
• “Prostate Cancer, Redefined” (Winter 2013/2014). Addressing the risks and benefits of prostate cancer screening, this article describes the challenges in deciding whether to treat prostate cancer aggressively or watch it closely.
• “The Family Cancer Tree” (Summer 2012). While noting that “genetics are not destiny,” this article spotlights the role of family history in determining cancer risk.

In February 2016, a reconstituted Cancer Today Editorial Advisory Board held its first quarterly meeting, under the guidance of editor-in-chief William G. Nelson, MD, PhD (right), director of the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center in Baltimore. The 37-member board includes luminaries from cancer research, clinical practice, and patient advocacy.

The magazine was honored for design excellence in 2016 with silver and bronze EXCEL awards and was a finalist in the design category of Folio magazine’s Ozzie Awards. Cancer Today also netted a 2016 Folio Eddie Award for the story, “The Cost of Cancer.”

AACR Distinguished Public Service Award

Many advances against cancer are made because of the dedicated efforts of remarkable men and women in all sectors of the cancer community. The American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Distinguished Public Service Award honors the extraordinary contributions of an individual or group whose groundbreaking, innovative work exemplifies the AACR’s mission to accelerate the prevention and cure of all cancers through research, education, communication, and collaboration. Distinguished public service takes many forms, and past winners have included generous philanthropists, government officials, advocates, and the members of the media.

During the opening ceremony at the 2016 Annual Meeting, the AACR recognized the sustained contributions of Mary Jackson Scroggins. A 20-year ovarian cancer survivor and health activist, Mary is a cofounder of In My Sister’s Care, an organization focused on improving cancer care for medically underserved women and on eliminating cancer health disparities. Her national advocacy activities include serving on the President’s Cancer Moonshot Blue Ribbon Panel Working Group on Precision Prevention and Early Detection and the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Prevention and Control Central Institutional Review Board.

An accomplished writer and editor, Mary serves on the Editorial Advisory Board of Cancer Today and has written numerous articles for the magazine. She has also been a key participant in AACR initiatives such as the Scientist↔Survivor Program, the High School Student Education Program, the AACR-Minorities in Cancer Research career roundtable, and the AACR/ASCO Educational Workshop on Methods in Clinical Cancer Research.