Status of Research

The pancreatic cancer vaccine clinical trials that Dr. Finn and her team have performed over the last 10 years with the support of the Arenson Fund have focused on inducing immune responses in pancreatic cancer patients. This approach is known as therapeutic vaccination. In general, while they have stimulated the immune system to hold off cancer recurrence, the effect was only short term, similar to what would happen if viral vaccines were to be administered after viral infection. The important thing is that the safety of their vaccine was confirmed in these therapeutic trials and this has now paved the way to cancer prevention trials. Dr. Finn will continue therapeutic vaccines in selected pancreatic cancer patients even though they result in short-term benefits rather than complete cure. The vaccine is the only non-toxic therapy that maintains good quality of life. At the same time, Dr. Finn is working on getting the permission from the FDA to initiate trials in pancreatic cancer prevention in high-risk individuals. Cancer prevention trials will need to enroll a large number of individuals and monitor their health for an extended period of time.

In these hard times of budget deficits where the government support for cancer research has been reduced and funds are being committed only one year at a time, these long-range projects could not be undertaken without dedicated support from you.

With the resources of the Nathan S. Arenson Lab, the help from the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and by securing additional funds from NCI, we are making progress in our research with the intention to find the method of early detection, diagnosis and eventually the ultimate prevention and cure of this devastating disease.

The Arenson Fund is a dynamic financial resource that allows our scientists the flexibility to embark on the most innovative investigations as soon as ideas are generated and experiments possible, without the long wait that is otherwise associated with obtaining funding for specific projects. Because they are able to obtain preliminary results in a timely fashion, they’ve been able to use these results to successfully compete for additional funding by the National Cancer Institute and in that way leverage the Arenson Fund.

A Grant in Memory of Mr. Arenson to Support Research in Pancreatic Cancer
Principal Investigator: Olivera J. Finn, PhD, Professor.

Starting in 1985, Olivera J. Finn, PhD, a professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, began to test the possibility that the human body might have a natural defense against pancreatic cancer. Her work led to the identification of the very first human tumor antigen; epithelial cell mucin. The antigen in the chemical marking on the cancer cell that says, “I am not a normal part of the body.” It was the first step in helping the body’s defenses to recognize and attack to pancreatic tumors.

In year 2000 we completed an important clinical trial in pancreatic cancer patients whose tumors were respectable and who were treated post surgery with our vaccine. We treated 12 patients within four groups, each receiving a different dose of the vaccine. In these patients we have been able to document a good immune response to our vaccine, even in the lowest dose, and no negative side effects. Even though the number of patients was small, we say increased survival time and slowing down of disease progression. Dr. Ramanathan presented these results at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Oncologists. Drs. Finn and Ramanathan also presented the results to the Easter Cooperative Oncology Group who is now considering a large multicenter trial that will enroll over a hundred patients. This trial will be supported by the National Cancer Institute and will be the first trial in pancreatic cancer.

Support for our research from the community is vital to our ability to fight this disease. In the last year, the National Cancer Institute spent $438 million on breast cancer research, $203 million on prostate cancer, $175 million on colorectal cancer, $175 million on lung cancer, $141 million on leukemia, $67 million on ovarian cancer, and only $20 million on pancreatic cancer.

Letter to Dr. Olivera J. Finn, Ph.D.

In the year since the last "Hoops for the Cure", we have completed the second clinical trial of a vaccine for pancreatic cancer and started a third trial. Our second trial tested the vaccine in 16 patients whose tumors were surgically removed, and before any other therapy was given. More than half of the patients developed an immune response against the tumor, and in the whole group in general, disease-free survival and overall survival was longer than expected based on the previous experience with this disease. The third trial is being conducted with 12 patients at the same stage of disease, using an even stronger vaccine that we developed in the last four years and showed to be effective in animals.
We have also started a Special Program of Research Excellence in Pancreatic Cancer for which we have applied for support to the National Cancer Institute. The program follows a comprehensive approach to this disease from identifying genetic risk and testing preventive vaccines in susceptible individuals, to early diagnosis and therapy. Nathan Arenson Fund will play an important role in supporting what will be the first in the world clinical trial in pancreatic cancer prevention.

Letter from Dr. Olivera J. Finn, Ph.D.

Dear friends,
I just took a grant 452 pages long to Kinko's to make 10 copies to send to the NCI tomorrow (deadline). Pancreatic cancer vaccine studies are a major part of it. We asked for support of three future clinical trials, all based on the results of one we just completed that you supported, and strengthened by the fact that we are already running another one. The Nathan Arenson Fund was mentioned in the grant numerous times as our guarantee that we can complete these trials even if NCI cannot give us all the money we need.

Washington's budget is in big trouble and that is always trouble for the scientists who depend on it. Our president has decided that there are other priorities and he is not being particulary generous to the NIH at this time. While waiting to go pick up the grant from Kinko's, I wrote the short progress report for the letters and the program. Sorry you had to wait for it. I had free neurons to put on it until just now. Lisa, I am happy that you are finally here with us. I trust these guys! Keep me posted on everything.
Love to all,
Olivera J. Finn, Ph.D.