News Details

NCCN Receives $1.5 Million Grant to Research Targeted Therapy in Bladder Cancer

NCCN has been awarded a $1.5 Million grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and ImClone Systems Incorporated to fund research on the antibody cetuximab in patients with bladder cancer. The novel targeted therapy has proven effective in various other types of cancer including colorectal and head and neck. The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center is the coordinating center for the study.

November 24, 2008

FORT WASHINGTON, PA — The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN), Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and ImClone Systems Incorporated have entered into a collaboration to conduct a multi-institutional, investigator-initiated study in bladder cancer using cetuximab (ERBITUX®, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company/ImClone Systems Incorporated). The University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center is the coordinating center for the study supported by a $1.5 Million grant.

Cetuximab is currently indicated either as a single agent or in combination for the treatment of patients who have metastatic colorectal cancer. It is also approved for the treatment of a certain type of locally or regionally advanced head and neck cancer.

“In this age of targeted therapies, it is important to explore possible new uses of agents supported by science,” says William T. McGivney, PhD, Chief Executive Officer, NCCN. “Through this grant from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company and ImClone Systems Incorporated, we continue to provide NCCN Member Institutions with opportunities for funding of innovative cancer research, while supporting our overall mission to improve patient survival and quality of life.”

Cetuximab is an antibody that targets and binds to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), a protein found at abnormally high levels on the surface of many types of cancer cells. By binding to the EGFR on the cancer cells, cetuximab blocks the attachment of molecules that trigger the cell to grow and multiply.

“Targeting the EGFR is a validated approach to treat cancer and holds promise to improve the current results of bladder cancer treatment as EGFR biology is quite relevant in this tumor type,” says Eric K. Rowinsky, MD, Executive Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, ImClone Systems Incorporated. “We are pleased to support this important research that has the potential for far-reaching effects given that bladder cancer has an unusually high rate of recurrence.”

Bladder cancer is the fifth most common type of cancer in the United States with an estimated 68,810 new cases diagnosed in 2008.

The NCCN Oncology Research Program (ORP) facilitates all phases of clinical research by identifying clinical investigators and initiating trials at NCCN Member Institutions. The ORP draws on the expertise of investigators at 21 of the world’s leading cancer centers and establishes collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotech companies in order to advance therapeutic options for patients with cancer.