CLCRF funding to Dr A. Beesley
A landmark study that lifts the lid on key features of one of the most hostile cancers will soon be published with funding from the CLCRF.
One of the Foundation’s Fellowship recipients, Dr Alex Beesley with Dr Anja Stirnweiss have comprehensively described, for the first time, the genetics behind NUT Carcinoma.
NUT Carcinoma is one of the most aggressive human cancers, and there is a desperate need for effective therapies for patients with this illness. It is a rare genetically defined disease not specific to any tissue type or organ and common sites include the head and neck.
So far the cancer has been very resistant to standard chemotherapy treatments. Specialists have found that tumours may initially respond to therapy, but then rapid recurrence is experienced. Treatment must be tailored to the individual patient.
The study is a culmination of the research program that the Foundation has funded over the last several years, both in the form of project grants and Dr Beesley’s CLCRF Fellowship. This latest award of $12,000 will assist in the publication of the highly important document.
It is hoped that the manuscript will be submitted to the journal Oncotarget and it represents a milestone publication that will help inform therapy choices for this aggressive cancer.