Major grant rewards Roswell Park for innovative research into immunotherapy

Roswell Park Cancer Institutes cutting-edge research into new therapies for advanced ovarian cancer has received a vote of confidence in the form of a major state grant.

This work shows promise in fighting a particularly deadly form of cancer and could help the Medical Campus develop a reputation as a center for innovative medical research.

The cancer institute has received a four-year, $11.9 million grant from New York State Stem Cell Science. The grant, according to the governors office, is part of a $36 million grant to three research groups for the development of treatments for some of the most devastating conditions that could be helped with stem cell research.

The local award is a nod to Roswell Park and Dr. Kunle Odunsi, executive director of the Center for Immunotherapy. But it is also a nod to the dedicated donors who raise money for the cancer center the Ride for Roswell is just one of many, many examples of those fundraising efforts. Approximately $2 million raised from Western New Yorkers helped to provide the pilot money for Odunsi to get the preliminary data so that he could generate his innovative premise and submit the proposal.

As Candace Johnson, Roswell Parks president and CEO, said, this is an especially important story because it shows how money raised at the grass-roots level has generated a much bigger commitment from the state.

Odunsis concept is so innovative that it might have been difficult to fund through traditional means, whether the National Institutes for Health or National Cancer Institute. That makes the dollars available from the New York State Stem Cell Science critical.

The Roswell Park project involves taking stem cells from the blood of cancer patients, re-engineering them and infusing them back into the patients to become a continuous source of cancer-fighting immune cells.

It is personalized medicine at its best. The Roswell Park team, led by Odunsi, has pushed the envelope of tradition, seeking to develop paradigm-changing therapies for ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers for women. The American Cancer Society posted estimates for 2015: there will be about 21,290 new cases of ovarian cancer and 14,180 deaths.

The grant provides immediate funding to further study this ingenious approach and take it immediately to clinical trials, using some of the existing facilities at Roswell Park. It also allows the cancer center to retain researchers and fund some new positions, while potentially creating opportunities for commercial development.

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Major grant rewards Roswell Park for innovative research into immunotherapy