Jason Chesney – UofL News

Kentucky invests to improve rural cancer care

UofL Health — Wed, 08 May 2024 14:35:12 +0000

UofL Health announced plans to expand the reach of its , building a new $25-million regional cancer center and Center for Rural Cancer ��ֱ�� and Research, with a specific emphasis on increasing access to comprehensive cancer care in south, central and western Kentucky. The cancer center will be located along the growing I-65 corridor on the campus of , in Bullitt County. The project is made possible with recent funding support from the Kentucky General Assembly.

“I want to thank our state leaders for recognizing the importance of investing to improve access to innovative cancer care, education and research,” said, University of Louisville President. “Building this new regional site for our Brown Cancer Center extends opportunities to benefit from our expertise, research and innovative clinical trials. Kentuckians, particularly in our rural counties and mid-sized cities, need better access to those resources.”

Kentucky has the highest death rate of cancer in the U.S. (182.8 deaths per 100,000 total population), and almost 10,000 Kentuckians die of cancer each year. Twice as many Kentuckians died of cancer than of COVID-19 during the past three years, and cancer rates are expected to increase by 50% in the next 20 years. Cancer health care costs in Kentucky are $2.74 billion per year, while productivity losses from morbidity and early deaths in Kentucky cost an additional $3.1 billion per year.

“This will make a great addition to the newly opened hospital here in Bullitt County providing cancer research, training and treatment for the whole state,” said Kentucky Sen. Michael J. Nemes. “This location, along the I-65 corridor, will mean much easier access to quality cancer care for thousands of Kentucky residents. This is one of those transformational projects that will lead to better health outcomes, some that could mean the difference in life-or-death treatment.”

“As the new representative for the 26th District, I was extremely proud to vote on this budget which included $25 million for the cancer center on the UofL Health – South Hospital campus,” said Kentucky rep. Peyton Griffee. “Bringing the cancer center here is a game-changer for Bullitt County and so many more rural counties that will now have closer access to cancer treatment and research. The health and well-being of our citizens will continue to be a priority for me and our General Assembly.”

UofL Health announced plans to expand the reach of its Brown Cancer Center, building a new $25-million regional cancer center and Center for Rural Cancer ��ֱ�� and Research to access to comprehensive cancer care in south, central and western Kentucky. UofL Health photo.

Subspecialty cancer care with comprehensive clinical trials programs and multidisciplinary clinics has been proved to reduce cancer deaths. Currently, there are no comprehensive cancer centers outside of Lexington and Louisville that offer multidisciplinary subspecialist care, clinical trials, access to state-of-the-art screening, and educational and support programs for cancer patients.

“Improving access to health care is our steadfast commitment to the commonwealth, especially in areas that are underserved,” said Tom Miller, UofL Health CEO. “I applaud our elected leaders for working with us to reduce barriers to cancer care for patients in our more rural communities.”

Patients from south, central and western Kentucky have relied on the Brown Cancer Center for a long time. In the last year alone, the Brown Cancer Center’s oncologists saw patients from nearly every Kentucky county, including more than 15,000 outpatient encounters from south, central and western Kentucky.

“The Brown Cancer Center has one unifying mission: To make cancer a disease of the past,” said , director of the Brown Cancer Center. “We are getting closer to that goal and this new regional cancer center brings cutting-edge cancer care and lifesaving clinical trials closer to more Kentuckians.”

The new cancer center will serve as a network base for clinical trials, enhanced nursing/physician educational programs, cancer screening and outreach with partnering oncologists throughout the region. These academic pursuits will be integrated with the Brown Cancer Center’s comprehensive and multidisciplinary programs which attract cancer patients come from all over the United States for second opinions and innovative and highly effective treatment options that are not available at any other cancer centers in our region.

“After my diagnosis of a rare form of melanoma, my close-to-home treatment options were very limited,” said patient Chris Sutton, from Eddyville in rural western Kentucky. “My physician in Paducah referred me to Dr. Chesney. I was fortunate to be able to make the 400-mile round trip every three weeks, but other rural Kentuckians are not. This new center is an important first step to bringing the Brown Cancer Center’s world-class care to more Kentuckians. It will truly save lives.”

Initial plans include space for 20 infusion rooms, five exam rooms, oncology pharmacy and a diagnostic imaging suite. An education space will include a lecture hall, video conferencing space and conference rooms; training for oncology nurses and physicians in clinics; and offer rotations with community oncologists from south central and western Kentucky. A research laboratory for specimen processing and research space for data collection will support cancer clinical trials and translational research.

“For more than 30 years, the has been UofL’s partner, the outreach and community screening arm of the Brown Cancer Center,” said interim dean of the UofL School of Medicine and UofL Physicians head and neck cancer surgeon. “��ֱ��, screening and outreach have always been an important part of our mission to serve the underserved. This new Center for Rural Cancer ��ֱ�� and Research will put us closer to community oncologists and underserved patient populations.”

A patient wellness center, in collaboration with the Kentucky Cancer Program, and a cancer screening program connecting primary care providers to innovative screening technologies will provide additional cancer outreach and education to south, central and western Kentucky.

Final design work is underway on the new cancer center, with a groundbreaking expected in the next 12 months. The anticipated opening will be in early 2026.

For more information on UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center visit, .

UofL research shows existing drug improves cancer immunotherapy effectiveness

Betty Coffman — Tue, 08 Aug 2023 15:54:32 +0000

Cancer patients may have a better chance of recovery thanks to a discovery by a research team at the University of Louisville. In a new preclinical study, they have found that an existing drug, approved by the Food and Drug Administration for another disease, also may improve success rates for cancer immunotherapy when the two are used in combination.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are a promising form of cancer immunotherapy, treating cancer by activating the patient’s own immune system. While patients whose cancer responds to ICI treatment experience excellent results, a large percentage of patients fail to respond to the therapy. One of the causes of poor response is due to the presence of certain immune cells within the tumor that lead to elevated levels of adenosine, a compound found naturally in cells that causes immune suppression when present in high levels.

In the new study, the UofL researchers have enhanced the response to ICI therapy by combining it with PEGylated adenosine deaminase, a drug already approved by the FDA that reduces levels of adenosine. The study, led by Kavitha Yaddanapudi, associate professor in the Division of Immunotherapy, the Hiram C. Polk, Jr., MD Department of Surgery and researcher with the UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center, was published June 30 in .

Using lung, melanoma and breast cancer animal models and patient cell samples from the Brown Cancer Center biorepository, the team showed that when PEGylated adenosine deaminase is used in combination with ICI therapy, cancer-fighting T cells become more active, thereby attacking the tumor.

“This is a very exciting discovery. We found one particular mechanism by which the adenosine levels were going up in the tumors and what we can do to mitigate it,” Yaddanapudi said. “And when we combine this drug with immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy, we get a very nice synergistic effect in the tumor control.”

PEGylated adenosine deaminase is FDA approved for lifelong use in children with immunodeficiency to increase their immune function.

“This is a drug that has been FDA approved for use in kids for a different disease and now we are repurposing it for cancer, so we hope it can quickly go into the clinic to confirm its ability to enhance immunotherapy in patients,” Yaddanapudi said.

“If it turns out to be an effective drug, it subverts both a natural defense mechanism against inflammation (elevated adenosine) and is an already approved agent (by the FDA),” said John Eaton, professor emeritus in UofL’s Departments of Medicine and Pharmacology & Toxicology and study team member and co-author.

The discovery has the potential to further reduce deaths from cancer, according to Jason Chesney, director of the UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center.

“ICIs have markedly improved the long-term survival of certain cancer patients and have reduced cancer death rates across the world,” Chesney said. “Many cancer patients do not respond to ICIs, but Dr. Yaddanapudi’s exciting discovery opens the door for human trials combining ICIs with PEGylated adenosine deaminase to overcome this resistance.”

Gibbs Foundation grants UofL $1.5 million to expand clinical trials for cancer immunotherapy

Betty Coffman — Mon, 27 Jun 2022 14:52:14 +0000

More individuals will have access to new treatments for cancer at UofL Health – Brown Cancer Center thanks to a new gift supporting immunotherapy clinical trials.

The Gibbs Foundation Inc. is giving $1.5 million to the University of Louisville over three years to fund additional research staff and faculty time dedicated to clinical trials, increasing capacity for trial participants in the tumor infiltrating lymphocytes program, or TILs.

“We are so very grateful to the Gibbs Foundation for this gift. By allowing the Brown Cancer Center to expand this clinical trial and treat more patients with this innovative therapy, it provides hope for more families who are battling cancer and advances these therapies, potentially benefitting even more cancer patients and families,” said Lori Gonzalez, UofL’s interim president.

In clinical trials at the , therapy known as tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, or TILs, has been shown to be effective in treating advanced melanoma patients, for whom the median survival is only eight months. TILs treatment involves removing one of a patient’s own tumors, preserving, activating and expanding immune cells from the tumor, then administering these immune cells into the patient. As a result of its success in melanoma patients, BCC is expanding the TILs program to test the therapy for the treatment of other cancers.

TILs patients face a long wait time due to the complex and time-consuming nature of the therapy and demands on clinical research staff. The gift from the Gibbs Foundation will allow UofL to hire additional nurses and coordinators and dedicate more of the oncologists’ research time to support TILs, a complex inpatient procedure. The gift is expected to result in the treatment of at least 25 additional patients.

George Gibbs

“The Gibbs Foundation Board of Directors has been dramatically impressed with the success of the Brown Cancer Center’s immunotherapy work conceived and spearheaded by Dr. Jason Chesney. We look forward to continuing the vision of our founder George Gibbs in helping to facilitate this great effort,” said Ivan J. Schell, Gibbs Foundation board member. “The Gibbs Foundation supports the BCC and its dedicated team of physicians as they gain ground in the search for a cure for all cancers.”

The Gibbs Foundation Inc. was established in 2014 by George and Betty Gibbs of Louisville. George died in January of pancreatic cancer at age 87. The Gibbs Foundation currently also supports lung health research at UofL through gifts of more than $2.5 million to create and expand the lung research program.

Cancer remains one of the most difficult and deadly challenges in health care, killing more than 600,000 people each year in the U.S. and nearly 10 million worldwide. Kentuckians are affected at a higher rate than residents of any other state. BCC serves more than 26,000 cancer patients every year and has the largest early-phase cancer trials program in the region. BCC is a global leader in the clinical testing of new immunotherapies, treatments that activate the body’s immune system to fight cancer and is an early adopter of these treatments.

“My goal is to help make cancer something that people one day study in history classes instead of medical schools, and I truly believe we are getting closer to that day,” said Jason Chesney, chief of the UofL Division of Medical Oncology and Hematology and director of the Brown Cancer Center. “This gift allows us to increase the number of patients and advance this lifesaving technology.”

UofL receives $11.5 million to advance cancer immunotherapies

Betty Coffman — Mon, 14 Sep 2020 16:31:32 +0000

Cancer remains one of the most difficult and deadly challenges in human health, affecting Kentuckians at a higher rate than residents of any other state and killing more than 600,000 people each year in the U.S. alone. In recent decades, therapies that engage the immune system to treat cancer have given hope to millions of cancer patients.

Building on more than two decades of success in cancer research, the University of Louisville is poised to advance immunotherapy with a grant of $11.5 million from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences to establish the (CCII). The new center will develop and improve strategies that use the immune response to fight cancer. The five-year grant also will allow UofL to establish the CCII as a National Institutes of Health-designated Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (CoBRE) to support young investigators and develop additional basic, translational and clinical research at the .

“One of the university’s Grand Challenges is to advance the health of all people,” said UofL President Neeli Bendapudi. “Through this center, our cancer researchers will grow the field of immunotherapy, saving the lives of many more patients with cancer in the future.”

“Our mission is to harness the power of the immune system to eradicate cancer,” said Jason Chesney, director of the Brown Cancer Center. “The University of Louisville, UofL Health and the Brown Cancer Center have been at the forefront of the clinical development of a new generation of immunotherapies that have been proven to increase the survival of cancer patients. This grant from the federal government leverages our existing strengths in cancer immunology and clinical trials to accelerate the development of new immunotherapies that will translate into lives saved across the globe.”

Cancer survivor Jeff Habermel received two different immunotherapies at Brown Cancer Center in the course of treatment for three different cancers, including metastasized melanoma.

“I consider myself very fortunate to have the type of care that Dr. Chesney and Dr. (Donald) Miller and the whole staff provide at the Brown Cancer Center. We have a world-class facility right in our backyard,” Habermel said. “I truly feel I am the luckiest man in the world to live in a time when we have such technologies and such amazing abilities to treat cancer in these ways.”

The newest cancer treatments often are available at Brown Cancer Center through clinical trials before they are available anywhere else. One such treatment is CAR T-cell therapy, in which a patient’s own immune cells known as T cells are modified in the lab to more effectively attack cancer cells. UofL announced the creation of the at UofL in October.

“Our leading-edge cancer program improves access for patients in our region, giving them the opportunity to benefit from life-saving immunotherapies through clinical trials,” said Tom Miller, CEO of UofL Health. “Thousands of our cancer patients – our neighbors and family members – are alive today because of this early focus on drugs that activate immunity against cancer.”

Researchers within the CCII will build on expertise and resources gained from previous research at UofL to develop better cancer immunotherapies. This will be achieved in part by enabling talented junior investigators who have not yet obtained major funding to advance their research and subsequently obtain major grant awards of their own.

“One of the major goals of the center is to cultivate the next generation of cancer scientists in immunology and immunotherapy,” said Jun Yan, professor, director of the CCII and chief of the UofL Division of Immunotherapy. “Starting in year two, we will call for pilot projects that will bring in more researchers and investigators to work on immunotherapy and immunology.”

The young researchers are provided funding, mentorship and access to sophisticated facilities to advance their research. Once CCII-supported researchers obtain their own funding they rotate out, allowing new investigators to come in to the program.

“It’s training a cohort of new investigators who will have their own large grants and expertise,” said Paula Bates, professor of medicine and co-investigator for the CCII along with John Trent. “We are building a critical mass of well-funded researchers in the area.”

Senior UofL faculty members Robert Mitchell, Nejat Egilmez, Haribabu Bodduluri, Huang-Ge Zhang and Bing Li will serve as mentors and core directors for the CCII. In the first year of the program, four junior researchers at UofL are conducting projects to improve the effectiveness of immune therapies.

Chuanlin Ding is investigating the impact of chemotherapy on anti-tumor immunity in breast cancer order to discover effective combination regimens that improve conventional chemotherapy.
Qingsheng Li is exploring a method to improve immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a type of immunotherapy that blocks proteins (checkpoints) made by immune system cells, such as T cells. The checkpoints can prevent T cells from attacking cancer cells.
Corey Watson is studying immune cells to determine which of these cells are beneficial to lung cancer patient outcomes and how they may help kill tumor cells.
Kavitha Yaddanapuddi is studying immune checkpoint inhibitor resistance in lung cancer patients. This will help in developing therapies that reduce resistance and improve treatment.

Kavitha Yaddanapuddi, (left) and Chuanlin Ding use a mass cytometer to help improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapies.

This grant may be extended for two additional five-year phases. A previous CoBRE program for cancer research at UofL was extended through all three phases, lasting 15 years. That program significantly expanded the contingent of both junior and senior investigators at UofL, including Chesney, Trent and others whose research was funded by the previous program.

“This type of funding has been truly transformative for this cancer center,” Trent said. “The research for the current generation of immunotherapeutic checkpoint inhibitors was done more than 18 years ago. This grant’s research will feed into the clinical work in time. These grants lay the groundwork for the next generation of therapies.”

To extend the impact of the CCII still further, Kosair Charities has provided an additional $200,000 to facilitate the discovery and development of immunotherapy drugs for children with cancer. This gift bridges the CCII and the UofL Kosair Charities Pediatric Oncology Research Program, allowing the CCII to focus also on immuno-oncology for children.

“Kosair Charities is proud to be the first community partner to support the UofL Center for Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy,” said Kosair Charities President Keith Inman. “The UofL Kosair Charities Pediatric Cancer Research Program will allow this new center to include crucial pediatric cancer research as well as expand the scope to all people living with cancer – children and adults alike.”