Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Nashville, TN

Harold L. Moses, M.D., Director, Frances Williams Preston Laboratories
Jennifer A. Pietenpol, Ph.D., Director, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

T.J. Martell Foundation Funded Research at Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center

Under the leadership of Dr. Harold Moses, the Frances Williams Preston Laboratories at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center have focused on the frontiers of cancer research. We are dedicated not only to making advances today but also building the foundation for tomorrow’s discoveries.

Over the past year, investigators in these “laboratories without walls” have demonstrated innovative thinking and dogged determination in their quest for high-impact discoveries that will benefit cancer patients. Among accomplishments over the past year:

·         A team led by William Pao, M.D., Ph.D., launched the Center’s new Personalized Cancer Medicine Initiative and became one of a select few institutions to incorporate molecularly driven diagnosis and treatment decision-making into routine cancer care. Starting with melanomas and some types of lung cancer, this initiative uses genomic information from tumors to guide treatment selection tailored to the individual. It is believed to be the first program of its kind in the Southeast.

·         Stephen Fesik, Ph.D., the Orrin H. Ingram II Chair in Cancer Research, received a prestigious National Institutes of Health Director’s Pioneer Award for his work in the area of drug discovery. Using an innovative fragment-based approach he developed, Fesik and his team build molecules to “hit” proteins that drive tumor cell growth.  Many of these proteins have previously been considered “undruggable.” This prestigious Pioneer Award leverages support from the Martell Foundation that was critical in the recruitment of this dynamic researcher from Abbott Laboratories last year.

·         The research of Xiao Ou Shu, M.D., Ph.D., and her colleagues continue to provide insights to the role of diet and lifestyle in cancer. Among recent findings: breast cancer survivors who consume more soy foods have a lower risk of death or recurrence of the disease, and breast cancer patients who exercise and drink tea regularly may be less prone to depression than others.

·         In colon cancer research, R. Daniel Beauchamp, M.D., identified a tumor gene pattern that may identify patients at risk for colon cancer recurrence and those most likely to benefit from chemotherapy.  Another team led by James Goldenring, M.D., Ph.D. found that reduction in expression of a “tumor suppressor” protein (Rab25) may be an early event in cancer development, offering a potential new target for intervention.

These research advances were made possible by the generosity of the Martell Foundation.  Further, we use a portion of the annual funds from the Foundation to provide shared resources and cutting-edge technologies for use by every investigator at the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

As always, we remain ever grateful for this vitally important partnership in the fight against cancer.