News Center

“We are beginning to understand cancer at a cellular and molecular level that is totally unprecedented in human history.”

Siddhartha Mukherjee, M.D., spoke these words to a captivated audience of more than 400 people during his keynote address at the annual Walter Lawrence, Jr., M.D., Research Retreat, hosted by VCU Massey Comprehensive Cancer Center at the Greater Richmond Convention Center on Sept. 27. Mukherjee, a pioneering physician and oncologist who won the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for his bestselling book “The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer,” presented on centuries of the scientific understanding of cancer, the immense evolution and improvement of cancer treatment, and the promise of the future through continued research.

“There is a vast horizon of hope between never curing cancer and instead changing the trajectory of disease in humans,” Mukherjee said, referring to the enormous medical strides that have been made to more effectively prevent, delay, remove and treat tumors. “I hope I have drawn you on a journey from the deepest histories of cancer to where we are going next.”

Robert A. Winn, M.D., director and Lipman Chair in Oncology at Massey, applauded Mukherjee for his inventive research and ability to exemplify humanity through his science.

“His innovative research signals a paradigm shift in cancer pathology; Dr. Mukherjee generates hope for countless patients around the world,” Winn said.

Mukherjee’s lecture — named in honor of Frank Deekens Pendleton, a Virginia native who willed his life savings to cancer research at Massey — was just one part of a day-long conference highlighting the overall advancements made in cancer research and care at the center, and specifically the cutting-edge and multidisciplinary efforts that drive Massey’s reputation as a national leader in oncology.

“The purpose of today is to celebrate our science, to celebrate what we’ve accomplished through our clinical trials and to celebrate what we’ve done as a team,” Winn said during his opening remarks. “But today is also very much focused on the ethos and the spirit of who Dr. Lawrence was.”

In 2021, Massey officially named its annual center-wide research retreat after the late Walter Lawrence, Jr., who served as the cancer center’s first director from 1974 to 1988 and led efforts to secure the center’s initial designation from the National Cancer Institute in 1975. Throughout his life and career, Lawrence fought repeatedly for social justice and health equity, tirelessly advocated for inclusivity in the medical workforce and championed the enrollment of underrepresented patients in clinical trials.

Over the course of the research retreat, more than a dozen Massey experts showcased their exciting initiatives and findings.

Kaustubh Datta, Ph.D., member of the Cancer Biology research program, presented on his research studying a particular protein receptor — neuropilin 2 — as a promising target for the development of new treatment options for advanced prostate cancer.

A form of severe muscle and fat loss known as cachexia affects more than 80% of pancreatic cancer patients. Parash Parajuli, Ph.D., assistant professor in biochemistry and molecular biology at the VCU School of Medicine, discussed his work investigating the role of the Twist1 gene in cachexia in an effort to identify new targets in pancreatic cancer treatment.

Emmanuel Skordalakes, Ph.D., member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program at Massey, discussed his research targeting protein-DNA structures known as telomeric complexes that could help inform the development of universal treatment options for a wide range of cancer types. Specifically, he plans to expand on this research to identify effective combination therapies for melanoma.

In what he called a “groundbreaking discovery,” Rajan Gogna, Ph.D., member of Massey’s Developmental Therapeutics research program, developed a monoclonal antibody in his lab that empowers healthy cells to mount an immune response and create a resistance against invading tumor cells. The findings could be significant for multiple cancer types, but his team has already demonstrated efficacy in ovarian cancer.

Bernard Fuemmeler, Ph.D., M.P.H., Massey’s associate director for population sciences and Gordon D. Ginder, M.D., Chair in Cancer Research, provided an overview of a five-year, $9 million NCI-funded team science grant to enhance the dissemination and implementation of health promotion and cancer prevention services for individuals and families residing in public housing communities in the Greater Richmond region and Hampton Roads.

Sarah Braun, Ph.D., LCP, member of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program, informed the audience about her grant-funded efforts to finalize the manual for and test the feasibility of a cognitive rehabilitation intervention that she developed — tailored to patients with primary brain tumors — known as Cognitive Strategies Mindfulness and Rehabilitation Therapy (C-SMART).

Through an interdisciplinary panel discussion, Mary Helen Hackney, M.D., medical oncologist and the medical director of community oncology at Massey, and Khalid Matin, M.D., medical oncologist and Massey’s associate director of global oncology, talked about advancements in treatment strategies for both breast and colorectal cancer.

Massey evaluates the latest cancer therapies through one of the largest selections of clinical trials in Virginia, and two clinical investigators underlined two key trials at the retreat. Emily Kinsey, M.D., a medical oncologist and member of the Developmental Therapeutics research program, presented on the findings from a clinical pilot study evaluating a microbiome modulation therapy in addition to chemotherapy in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. Bridget Quinn, M.D., Ph.D., a radiation oncologist at Massey, provided updates and future directions from a clinical trial assessing a form of radiation therapy called accelerated super-hypofractionated brachytherapy in breast cancer patients.

In the afternoon, Mukherjee held a meet-and-greet session with students and signed books for attendees before his keynote address.

More than 150 poster abstracts were presented by Massey trainees and scientists throughout multiple sessions during the conference. Two winners from each of Massey’s research programs were awarded for their poster presentations:

• Cancer Biology program
• Kinjal Gupta (Mentor: Masoud Manjili, D.V.M., Ph.D.)
• Madison Ward (Mentor: Senthil Radhakrishnan, Ph.D.)

• Cancer Prevention and Control program
• Yogesh Rakholia (Mentor: M. Imad Damaj, Ph.D.)
• Kristina Tatum (Mentor: Melanie Bean, Ph.D.)

• Developmental Therapeutics program
• Savannah Gregg (Mentor: Adam Khader, M.D., Ph.D.)
• Matthew Fernandez (Mentor: Sandro da Rocha, Ph.D.)

Delegate Betsy Carr (D-Richmond) capped off the events of the day by dedicating a joint resolution from the Virginia General Assembly celebrating the 50^th anniversary of the cancer center.

Before the retreat ended, five Massey colleagues and one community partner were recognized during an awards ceremony for their dedication to the Massey mission:

• Clinician of the Year — Kevin Brigle, Ph.D., ANP, Massey nurse practitioner
• Community Advocate of the Year — A new award this year, earned by Susann Brown of the Chickahominy Indian Tribe
• Cancer Service Line Most Valuable Clinical Professional of the Year — Trey Hall, III, patient access representative
• Scientist of the Year — Oxana Palesh, Ph.D., M.P.H., co-leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control research program
• Most Valuable Academic Professional of the Year — Amanda Richardson, director of facility operations
• Early Career Investigator of the Year — Katherine Tossas, Ph.D., interim associate co-director of community outreach and engagement

Written by: Blake Belden