Download latest update on the Cigarette Restitution Fund Program at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center

JOHNS HOPKINS
CONQUEST
AN UPDATE FROM THE SIDNEY KIMMEL COMPREHENSIVE CANCER
CENTER ON ITS MARYLAND CIGARETTE RESTITUTION FUNDS
2013
Turning Research into Results
and Results into Revenue
A NOTE FROM THE CRF DIRECTORS
The success of Johns Hopkins in pioneering medical discoveries and treatment breakthroughs is
well documented and understood. The State of Maryland has been our partners in this progress
throughout the last decade through the Cigarette Restitution Fund (CRF). We appreciate how
steadfast our elected officials have been in protecting these funds and, despite difficult economic
times, restoring them to historic levels. They recognize the vital role our institution plays, not
only in advancement of medicine, but also in the economic health and growth of Maryland.
Our contributions go far beyond the important work at the bench and the bedside. The Johns
Hopkins University is the leading private employer in the state. As you will read in this report,
relatively small grants made possible through the CRF provide salary support and allow us to
bring bright new talent to the Kimmel Cancer Center. With this support, we help these young
scientists establish their careers and compete for larger, national grants. These funded
investigators hire technicians, administrative and clerical staff. They purchase equipment and
service from Maryland vendors, invent new products, and start new companies. Moreover, the
jobs created are ones that spark opportunity, are secure, and provide health insurance, education,
and retirement benefits. The return on investment, in the form of salaries from job creation and
tax revenue, far exceeds the state’s original investment.
Whether people come to Maryland to take advantage of unique job opportunities or to receive
cancer care that may not be available anywhere else, they contribute significantly to Maryland’s
economy. Patients and families do not just buy healthcare in our state, they stay in our hotels, eat
in our restaurants, and shop at our stores.
Perhaps the best way to fully appreciate Johns Hopkins’ contribution to Maryland and its citizens
is to imagine our state without it; consider the human and financial impacts this would have. For
certain, we appreciate the funding we have received through the Cigarette Restitution Fund
and are grateful to our elected officials who have so diligently worked to maintain this
program. The partnership between Johns Hopkins and the state of Maryland is a win-win. CRF
support is not only good for Johns Hopkins. It is good for Maryland.
Sincerely,
William G. Nelson, M.D., Ph.D.
Marion I. Knott Professor and Director
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
John D. Groopman, Ph.D.
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences
Bloomberg School of Public Health
Ø For every CRF research dollar spent, $10 more came back to Maryland in
business contracts and other economic development.
Ø To date, CRF-supported research has led to patenting and/or licensing of 13
scientific tools or clinical applications.
Ø CRF investigators launched two startup companies—Personal Genome
Diagnostics and Cureveda—drawing business and revenue to Maryland
from around the country and the world.
CRF SUPPORT MEANS JOBS FOR MARYLAND
In a recent survey by the Association of University Technology Managers, Johns
Hopkins surpassed all but two U.S. universities, university systems, and research
hospitals in the number of patent applications. In the last five years, Johns Hopkins has
seen a 50 percent growth in its patents, launched 61 startup companies, and has more than
doubled license revenue from $7 million to $16 million.
FROM RESEARCH TO REVENUE: Two CRF Investigators Form Company
The Path From Concept to Commercialization
èDr. Victor Velculescu relocated to Maryland from
California 20 years ago to pursue unique cancer research
opportunities at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center.
èIn 2004 and 2008 respectively, Dr. Velculescu and Dr. Luis Diaz launched their
careers with seed funding from the CRF.
èDrs. Velculescu and Diaz became members of the research team that led the world in
deciphering the genetic blueprints for cancers. These discoveries led to tests that detect
cancer DNA in circulating blood and other bodily fluids and are being used to detect
cancer, identify optimal treatments, and monitor tumors’ response to treatment. Drs.
Velculescu, Diaz, and colleagues believe these tests may one day be used to prevent
cancer by detecting very early molecular changes that precede cancer.
èAs a result of this success, their laboratories are expanding. Dr. Velculescu currently
has ten employees working directly in his laboratory. The success of the cancer gene
discoveries earned him an additional CRF grant to expand his work to lung cancer.
As a result he hired three additional employees. In addition, he purchased additional
laboratory equipment, which is sold, supported, and serviced by Maryland vendors.
èThrough CRF support, Dr. Diaz was recruited to Johns Hopkins and relocated to
Maryland from Michigan to work in the laboratory of Dr. Bert Vogelstein,
considered by many to be the world’s leading expert on cancer genetics. He now has
his own laboratory (for which he leveraged funding through Swim Across America
Baltimore) with over 25 employees. Many have relocated from other states to Maryland
for an opportunity to work in his laboratory. A dozen more employees work behind the
scenes in administrative, budget, public relations, and facilities capacities.
èDrs. Velculescu and Diaz do business with hundreds of companies to purchase
equipment and supplies. These companies set up offices in Maryland because of business
opportunities with Johns Hopkins.
èDrs. Veclulescu, Diaz, and collaborators are
international leaders in cancer genetics and were the
first to perform genome-wide sequence analyses of
human cancer. In 2010, the high demand for
their expertise and CRF-supported cancer tests
resulted in the formation of Personal Genome
Diagnostics (PGDx). The company has developed
proprietary methods to perform patient-specific
analyses of the cancer genome using digital
characterization and monitoring technologies. PGDx handles tumor-sequencing requests
from scientists all over the globe and has made state-of-the-art genetic analyses available
to cancer patients everywhere. Their company, currently located in the Science +
Technology Park at Johns Hopkins brings revenue to Maryland from the U.S. and other
countries.
Pictured above: Genomic technologist Manish Shukla (standing left), lab manager Lisa Kann (seated), and genomic
scientist Mark Sausen, prepare samples for DNA sequencing to look for cancer cells at Personal Genome Diagnostics
Inc. (Kenneth K. Lam, Baltimore Sun / January 31, 2013)
èPersonal Genome Diagnostics started with one employee, grew to four, and currently
employs 12 people. The company has been so successful it has outgrown its current
facilities and is relocating to new space in Canton. Among the employees working for
the company are people who have moved to Maryland from Delaware, Virginia, and
Massachusetts. These new citizens are now paying taxes in Maryland, buying real estate
and making other purchases that benefit our state economy.
èIt all began with investigator funding provided through the CRF.
FROM RESEARCH TO REVENUE:
CRF Investigators Invent PapGene Cancer Test
With cancer gene discoveries that have opened the door to
personalized cancer medicine, CRF investigators Victor
Velculescu, M.D., Ph.D., Luis Diaz, M.D., (pictured center)
and team are considered the world leaders in finding cancer
genes and interpreting their usefulness. Their discoveries have
led to tests that can find cancer DNA in a small sample of
blood or bodily fluids and have been used to detect cancer, personalize therapies to
combat the unique genetic alterations contained within a tumor, and to monitor cancers
response to treatment. Their goal is to develop tests that will prevent cancer by detecting
the earliest genetic changes that precede cancer development.
Dr. Diaz’s most recent work uses Pap tests, routinely performed since the 1950s in
gynecologists’ offices throughout the country to detect and prevent cervical cancer, to
find early endometrial and ovarian cancers. The test, called PapGene, captures DNA that
is shed from cancer cells—alterations that Dr. Diaz and team have determined lead to
endometrial and ovarian cancer development. The PapGene test extracts the endometrial
and ovarian cancer-specific DNA from the same cervical fluid collected during a Pap test
to warn of developing cancers. There are currently no early screening tests for
endometrial and ovarian cancers, and Dr. Diaz and team’s new test could one day make it
possible to test for three female cancers at a woman’s annual wellness exam.
This discovery is an example of the innovation that CRF investigator support
produces. “This type of funding sparks ideas that save lives,” says Dr. Diaz.
In early small-scale studies of PapGene, the test detected 100 percent of endometrial
cancers and 40 percent of ovarian cancers. The difference in test sensitivity is a matter of
each organ’s proximity to the cervix. The endometrium is in the uterus and sheds a
greater number of cells into the cervical fluid collected during a Pap test. On the other
hand, cells from the ovaries must travel through the fallopian tubes to reach the uterus
and cervix and, therefore, are diminished in numbers and quality. Though Dr. Diaz and
team are working to improve PapGene’s sensitivity to ovarian cancer, he says, even at 41
percent, it could help many women. Currently, there is no test for early detection of
ovarian cancer, a lethal disease often referred to as the silent killer because it does not
cause symptoms and frequently goes undiagnosed until it is well advanced.
Dr. Diaz and team have patented PapGene. If the team finds similar results in larger
studies, the $100 test could begin to be introduced in doctors’ offices in three to five
years. It represents another example of how scientific cancer discovery seeded
through CRF funding is making a better Maryland—improving the health of its
citizens and its economy.
HONOR ROLL OF CRF INVESTIGATORS
In 2001, the CRF provided its first research grants to Johns Hopkins. We’re grateful that
this vital support continues today. Many of these grants provided seed funding for young
investigators. The physician-scientists whose careers were launched with CRF
support have since made award-winning research advances, including the first
comprehensive gene analysis of cancers, the invention of cancer vaccines and cancer
tests, the identification of HPV+ as a distinct and unique subset of oral cancer, the
connection of statins to prostate cancer prevention, the identification of a cancerdetoxifying gene pathway and a natural compound that turns it on, and the
definition of the field of epigenetics. Other CRF grants have sparked collaborations and
made possible transformative laboratory and clinical advances that have helped earn the
Kimmel Cancer Center distinction as a “cancer research powerhouse,” “dream team,” and
the home of “the most frequently cited research in all of cancer medicine.” Through
CRF funding that launched their research, grant recipients have earned millions
more in federal grants, patented and licensed inventions, and started new
companies. They are considered among the best in cancer research and medicine,
and they have been good stewards of CRF awards returning far more to Maryland
and its citizens in salaries, revenue, business growth, and additional grants than
they received.
Meet a Few of Our Many Successful CRF Investigators:
Mary Armanios, M.D., linked shortened telomeres to the cancer-related fatal disease
idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Dr. Armanios collaborates with Carol Greider, Ph.D.,
whose Nobel-Prize winning research was on telomerase, an enzyme that restores and
protects telomeres from damage. The relationship of telomeres and telomerase to cancer
development is a major area of research. Dr. Armanios has uncovered mounting
evidence that shortened telomeres are related to a number of diseases and cancers, which
she characterizes as telomere syndromes. She is working to further decipher the precise
role of telomeres in disease and the genetics and biology of telomere-mediated diseases,
such as cancer.
Stephen Baylin, M.D. (left), James Herman, M.D. (center),
Malcolm Brock, M.D. (right), and Charles Rudin, MD. Ph.D.,
have made breakthrough discoveries in the field of epigenetics,
critical cancer-causing alterations to DNA that occur without
mutating genes. They led clinical trials of the first epigenetictargeted drug and have leveraged these findings with funding from Stand Up to Cancer to
develop an epigenetic-targeted drug combination. The experimental treatment has had
unprecedented success against a subtype of lung cancer and shows promise in other
cancers, including colon and breast cancers.
Shyam Biswal, Ph.D., identified genes that detoxify carcinogens and that also can cause
resistance to cancer therapy. He patented agents that target these genes to prevent
treatment resistance. His research spurred the company Cureveda as well as plans for
another startup company.
Michael Carducci, M.D., has overseen a drug discovery pipeline at the
Kimmel Cancer Center that has played a key role in advancing the
treatment of prostate cancer. He has developed multiple clinical trials to
integrate the drugs into standard care. Dr. Carducci, who is co-director
of the chemical therapeutics program and prostate cancer and
genitourinary program, also is studying pomegranate extract and other
natural compounds for their ability to prevent prostate cancer.
Luis Diaz, M.D., and Victor Velculescu, M.D., Ph.D., are members of the worldrenowned Kimmel Cancer Center team who completed the first genetic blueprints of
cancer and developed tests to detect the cancer-causing alterations. CRF investigator Ben
Ho Park, M.D., Ph.D., collaborated with Dr. Velculescu and team to decipher the
genetic blueprint for breast cancer. Dr. Diaz collaborated with CRF investigator Richard
Roden, Ph.D., when developing the PapGene test for endometrial and ovarian cancers.
The discoveries of Drs. Diaz and Velculescu have resulted in a number of patents and the
startup company Personal Genome Diagnostics.
Charles Drake, M.D., is studying a first-of-its-kind prostate cancer combined therapy
that will make surgery an option for more men. Clinical studies, led by Dr. Drake, a
cancer immunology expert and co-director of the Prostate Cancer Multidisciplinary
Clinic, will include a prostate cancer vaccine.
Christine Hann, M.D., Ph.D., is developing novel therapeutics for lung
cancer, particularly small cell lung cancer, the most lethal type of the
disease. She is studying small molecules that block the BCL2 gene and,
as a result, appear to increase the effectiveness of chemotherapy for
small cell lung cancer. Dr. Hann’s work has been recognized with the
American Society of Oncology Young Investigator Award and Flight
Attendant Medical Research Institute Young Clinician-Scientist Award.
Anirban Maitra, M.D., is among a select group of researchers who have shown that
pancreas cancer, like many types of cancer, contains colonies of cancer promoting cells.
These cells, while small in number, appear to be a major force in cell growth by evading
anticancer drugs and perpetually giving rise to the larger number of cancer cells that
make up the bulk of tumors. Dr. Maitra is studying if targeting these cells with new
therapies could help combat pancreas cancer.
Elizabeth Platz, Sc.D., co-director of the Kimmel Cancer Center Cancer
Prevention and Control Program, used population research to uncover a
connection between cholesterol-lowering drugs known as statins and a
decreased chance of developing aggressive prostate cancer. A later
collaboration with CRF investigators William Nelson, M.D., Ph.D.,
director of the Kimmel Cancer Center, and Vasan Yegnasubramanian,
M.D., Ph.D., co-director of the next generation sequencing laboratory, used a novel
combined laboratory research/population science approach to reveal evidence that the
commonly-used heart drug digoxin halted prostate cancer cell growth. The team is
currently working to better understand the cellular mechanisms with the goal of
identifying drugs that can safely treat or even prevent prostate cancer.
Kala Visvanathan, M.B.B.S., harnessed the power of sprouts from broccoli seeds for
cancer prevention. She is heading clinical trials of broccoli sprouts tea and other
preparations to study the natural agent’s ability to detoxify carcinogens. Broccoli sprouts
are high in sulphoraphane, which was found by Johns Hopkins researchers to have
cancer-preventing properties.
FY13 CRF AWARDS
Faculty Recruitment:
Christine H. Chung, M.D., was selected in a national search to lead the
Kimmel Cancer Center’s research in head and neck cancer. She is
developing personalized treatments for head and neck cancer based on
the unique molecular signatures of tumors. She also is focused on
targeted therapies using EGFR inhibitors for non-small cell lung cancer,
the most common form of lung cancer.
Corrine Joshu, Ph.D., is using population studies to help determine relationships
between obesity and gender and colorectal cancer tumor characteristics. Dr. Joshu earned
distinction as the Martin D. Abeloff Cancer Prevention and Control Scholar-in Training
and is developing straightforward lifestyle strategies that could decrease cancer risk and
recurrence. Her studies have linked weight gain and smoking to an increased risk of
prostate cancer recurrence.
Faculty Retention:
Victor Velculescu, M.D., Ph.D., is a member of the world-renowned research team who
has deciphered the genetic alterations that drive colorectal, breast, pancreas, ovarian and
other cancers and has developed tests that find evidence of these alterations in blood and
body fluids. He has received additional CRF support to analyze gene alterations in lung
cancer and identify those that can be detected in the blood.
Research Grants:
Robert H. Brown, M.D., M.P.H.: The Health Burden of Environmental Pollutants in
Adipose Tissue
Adrian Dobs, M.D.: Community Sample of Medicare Recipients
Corrine Joshu, Ph.D.: Colon/Rectum Cancer Tumor Characteristics, Obesity and
Gender
Norma Kanarek, Ph.D.: Segmentation of Time From First Contact at The Johns
Hopkins Hospital for Early Stage Non Small Lung Cancer
Michael Trush, Ph.D.: Cancer Education and Services Outreach Effectiveness at
Baltimore City’s Northeast Market
Scott Zeger, Ph.D.: Data Science Infrastructure for the Johns Hopkins Optimizing
Cancer Screening Working Group and Prostate Cancer Decision Support
Richard Zellars, M.D.: Patient Support Interventional Study
KIMMEL IN THE COMMUNITY
Helping Maryland by Strengthening Its Communities
Though the CRF Public Health Grant at Johns Hopkins was discontinued in 2011, we
remain committed to educating Marylanders about cancer prevention and screening and
caring for our state’s underserved and uninsured. The Kimmel Cancer Center has
partnered with the Baltimore City Health Department to ensure cancer education and
screening is available to underserved Baltimore citizens. Johns Hopkins voluntarily
joined programs like Priority Partners, a managed care organization that provides
healthcare to the uninsured, long before the discussion of federally mandated national
healthcare began. This is not basic healthcare. This is care that is equal to, and in many
cases exceeds, that offered through premier commercial insurance plans.
Stocking Up on Healthcare Information at the
Market: Kimmel Cancer Center experts are taking
cancer education to the community. A small CRF
research grant has allowed Johns Hopkins to
expand and evaluate its Market Day program,
which takes wellness services, such as blood
pressure screening, and cancer education, on the
road to visitors of the Northeast Market. The CRF
grant funds cancer prevention and screening
information provided by experts.
Smoking Cessation: Experts estimate that more than 80 percent of cancers are caused
by smoking. Getting people to quit smoking is necessary to control Maryland’s cancer
rates. Several smoking cessation endeavors in conjunction with the Kimmel Cancer
Center’s “Ask the Experts” and Community Relations Programs, the Department of
Health Behavior and Society, and the Global Tobacco Institute are providing information
and resources to encourage and help patients and members of the community quit
smoking.
Minority Participation in Clinical Trials: Overcoming cultural
and institutional barriers and increasing minority participation in
clinical trials is a priority of the Kimmel Cancer Center. Center
leadership has expanded these initiatives appointing an Assistant
Director for Clinical Trial Accrual to develop and oversee
initiatives to increase minority accrual to therapeutic clinical
trials and a research nurse to improve clinical trials communication, continuity of care,
and data management.
B’More Healthy Expo: Nurses from each of the Kimmel Cancer
Center’s clinics are volunteering at the B’More Healthy Expo on
February 23rd to provide expert advice and information to the
public on healthy behaviors, such as nutrition, physical activity, smoking cessation, and
cancer screening. Useful giveaways, such as cutting boards and nutrition handouts, as
well as interactive games will be used to help get the word out about healthy behaviors
that help prevent cancer.
Kimmel Cancer Center Day of Service: In honor of the Kimmel Cancer Centers 40th
anniversary, faculty and staff will be volunteering at local non-profits. In addition,
members of the community (neighbors, students, teachers, and others) will be invited this
Spring to an open house at the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins to learn
about the companies and businesses coming to the community, interact with scientists,
and learn about the many job opportunities at the biotech park.
Caring for the Underserved: The Kimmel Cancer Center continues to provide cancer
screening to Maryland’s underserved populations through Priority Partners, a Medicaid
managed care organization, and Johns Hopkins Community Physicians. Physicians from
our gastrointestinal cancer program partner with the Baltimore City Health Department to
provide colonoscopies to uninsured Baltimore residents.
The Johns Hopkins Center to Reduce Cancer Disparities:
Building upon the framework established through the Cigarette
Restitution Fund public health grant, Kimmel Cancer Center has a
dedicated team of experts addressing cancer disparities through
community-based participatory education, training, and research
among racial/ethnic and underserved populations. As part of this
initiative, our East Baltimore Medical Center is hosting an information session and
discussion, “From Survive to Thrive: Equipping Cancer Patients to Live Their Best
Life,” on March 12, 2013, with Congressman Elijah Cummings. Topics include
resources and support available to cancer patients and survivors, practical tips on living
healthy, free prevention services, and resources available at local treatment locations.
Representatives from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore City Cancer
Program, and prostate and breast cancer survivors and advocates also are participating in
the event.
Speakers Bureau: Upon request, the Kimmel Cancer Center provides free expert
speakers to attend meetings of community gatherings and organizations, businesses,
churches, and other groups to discuss topics related to cancer.