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The Entertainment Industry Foundation's National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance supports cutting-edge research conducted by leading scientists working on prevention, diagnostic tools, treatment, and, ultimately, a cure for colorectal cancer. Already, NCCRA-funded research has produced significant scientific advances, including a DNA-based stool test to detect not only colon cancer itself, but also the gene mutation that can lead to the disease, and the identification of a gene that, in the future, can be specifically targeted for therapies. World-class scientists funded by NCCRA include:
 Dennis J. Slamon, M.D., Ph.D
Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
NCCRA Chair
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Dennis Slamon's research at the Jonsson Cancer Center at UCLA focused on studying specific genetic alterations associated with the development and progression of colorectal cancer. By focusing on a specific area of the chromosome associated with colon cancer, called 20-q, Dr. Slamon and his team have identified ten possible candidate genes that could potentially play significant roles in colon cancer. These findings could lead to new approaches in the treatment of colorectal cancer. Another example of Dr. Slamon's effort was the work done on assessing Avastin, a growth inhibitor in cancer cells, which led to the first clinical translational study evaluating its efficacy on colon cancer patients. In addition, EIF funding was used to help establish the community-based Clinical Cancer Research Network at UCLA, which provides Dr. Slamon and his team the critically important systems to translate new and innovative ideas into clinical testing.
 Raymond DuBois, M.D., Ph.D
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Raymond DuBois’ research at Vanderbilt University Medical Center focused on developing better options for the prevention and early detection of colon cancer. To support this effort, Dr. Dubois and his team evaluated the role of prostaglandins such as PGE2, a signaling molecule produced by cancer cells in very high levels, and identified several new genes regulated by it. One of those genes is called NR4A2, which has been shown to be instrumental in controlling cancer cell death. Another newly identified gene called GROalpha was shown to inhibit colorectal tumor growth upon activation. These findings could be potentially important clinically because antibodies directed against these genes may be useful for the treatment of patients with colorectal cancer. According to Dr. Dubois, carrying out this kind of experiment is very high risk and would not be supported by other funding mechanisms. Thus, the support from EIF has been crucial.
Click here to learn more about Dr. Dubois' work
 Robert J. Mayer, M.D.
Dana Farber Cancer Institute
Harvard Medical School
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Robert Mayer and his team at Harvard Medical School have focused on improving access and compliance for colorectal cancer screening through a program called "Open Doors to Health." The program is a randomized controlled trial being conducted in 12 low-income housings sites in the metropolitan Boston area with the goal of determining how best to increase colon cancer screening and prevention among diverse, low-income communities. Colonoscopic examinations are being offered at two major Boston medical centers. As of November, 2005, 1548 residents of the housing sites have been recruited. In addition, Dr. Mayer and his research group established a minority tumor bank, so that polyps and other biopsies can be stored and screened for comparative analysis among the different ethnic groups. These findings may determine whether colorectal cancer in one ethnic group is biologically identical to that in others.
 Anil Rustgi, M.D.
G.I. Division & Abramson Cancer Center
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Anil Rustgi's research at the University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center and Department of Medicine (GI division), focused on the identification and implementation of new diagnostic biomarkers for the detection of colon polyps and colon cancer. Dr. Rustgi has begun to recognize patterns of proteins in blood samples of animal models that mimic human colon cancer, and is applying to see if similar patterns exist in patients at average-risk and high-risk for colon cancer. This approach is called "proteomics," the study of proteins, which can lead to the development of new screening techniques using only blood samples for the diagnosis of colon cancer. In addition, Dr. Rustgi and his team have identified new genes that are involved in the progression of colon polyps and colon cancer such as ParvinBeta and ARHGAP8, which regulate the ability of colon cancer cells to migrate and invade. These new gene discoveries can have great impact on the knowledge and therapy of colon cancer.
 Bert Vogelstein, M.D.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and
Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center
Dr. Vogelstein is widely recognized for his discovery of the genes that, when altered, cause colon cancer. His most recent breakthrough was the identification of a gene, called P13KCA, which is mutated in a large fraction of colorectal cancers as well as in cancers of the breast, stomach, brain, liver and other organs. With EIF seed funding, Dr. Vogelstein has turned his attention to the challenge of using these genetic alterations to detect colorectal tumors before they become symptomatic. He was thereby able to develop a compendium of sophisticated methods to identify mutations in blood or stool samples from patients. Using these innovative techniques, Dr. Vogelstein's team can now detect over 60% of patients with early, surgically curable colorectal cancers and are even able to identify 50% of patients with pre-malignant polyps, years before the cancers arise.
 Bernard Levin, M.D.
M.D. Anderson Cancer Center
University of Texas
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Bernard Levin and his colleagues at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center have identified novel mechanisms by which nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs exert a beneficial effect in preventing premalignant polyps and colorectal cancer. Results from this study can have important implications for the understanding of new approaches in cancer therapy using these drugs. Dr. Levin and a multi-disciplinary team are also making progress in developing a web-based risk model tool that could be used to inform the general population about the risk of colorectal cancer as well as enhance compliance with colon cancer screening. The tool will be tailored to individual characteristics such as age, gender, race, height, weight, body mass index, use of alcohol and tobacco, meat consumption, physical activity, history of screening for colon cancer and family history of colon cancer. This site is scheduled to be posted on the internet in the summer of 2006 and can be used to provide general and individualized risk information to the user. In addition, Dr Levin continues collaborations with Dr Bert Vogelstein, Johns Hopkins University (another NCCRA site) in providing clinical samples for the molecular detection of gene mutations in the stool of patients with curable colorectal tumors.
 Sanford Markowitz, M.D., Ph.D
Howard Hughes Medical Institute and
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Sanford Markowitz's research at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, focused on genetic studies in families with multiple members who developed colon cancer during middle age. Dr. Markowitz and his team identified the chromosome on which these families carry an abnormal colon cancer susceptibility gene, and are now working towards identifying the gene itself. The identification of this gene will lead to the development of a test for inherited risk of colon cancer. In addition to genetic studies, Dr. Markowitz's made progress developing new diagnostic tests for colon cancer. His laboratory developed a molecular test for abnormal DNA molecules present in the feces of colon cancer patients which can detect half of early stage colon cancer patients. Lastly, in the area of colon cancer prevention, Dr. Markowitz discovered a "celebrex-like" gene that acts to impede colon cancer development. His findings suggest that increasing the activity of this gene can led to the prevention of colon cancer without deleterious side effects.
 I. Bernard Weinstein, M.D.
Frode Jensen Professor of Medicine
Columbia University
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Bernard Weinstein has made exciting progress in identifying anticancer agents from natural plant products. He has obtained evidence that a specific chemical found in green tea called EGCG inhibits activity of the insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1R), which plays a critical role in the development of colorectal cancer. In another related study, Dr. Weinstein discovered that two chemicals isolated from garlic, SAMC and DADS, inhibits growth and induces apoptosis (cell death) in colon cancer cells by binding to and disrupting the function of microtubules, thereby blocking cell division. These findings, which identify chemicals in green tea and garlic that inhibit the growth of cancer cells, suggest new approaches to the prevention and treatment of colorectal cancer. As a result of Dr. Weinstein's research, the
National Cancer Institute has funded a randomized clinical trial at Columbia University to determine if an extract from green tea called Poly E might be useful in preventing the development of esophageal cancer in patients at increased risk for this disease. The findings from this study may be useful for the prevention and treatment of colon and other types of cancer.
 Walter Willett, M.D., Dr.P.H.
Harvard School of Public Health
With EIF seed funding, Dr. Walter Willet's research at Harvard School of Public Health focused in the area of colon cancer prevention. His findings strongly suggest that colon cancer is potentially preventable. Dr. Willet and his team set out to identify dietary and lifestyle variables that reduced the risk of colon cancer. This study was motivated by Asian and Latin American countries having lower rates of colon cancer as compared to the U.S. To accomplish this, Dr. Willet and his research group collected detailed information about diet, smoking intake, alcohol consumption, lifestyle factors, and family history of various cancers on over 200,000 women and 50,000 men, following them over time to see who developed cancer, in particular, colon cancer. As a result of this substantial data collection effort, Dr. Willett identified a series of diet and lifestyle changes that could have prevented 70% of colon cancer in this population. Increased levels of folic acids and vitamin-D are two of the most promising factors which could prevent colon cancer. Other factors include, being physically active and fit, avoid smoking, and reduce red meat consumption.
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