Golfers Against Cancer
2024 to 2025 Summary
The 2024 Golfers Against Cancer Hitmaker Music Event and Golf Tournament raised $140K for cancer research and three projects were awarded about $50K each. These grants support the collaboration of experienced scientists working together to test novel ideas in cancer research. Innovation is a key criterion required to acquire funding through agencies such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Based on the success of the researchers supported in the past, we expect that these pilot funds will be leveraged into larger research grants from the NIH, NCI and other agencies. In this way, our efforts are a catalyst for research, analogous to venture capital funding for entrepreneurs.
Three projects selected for funding in 2025:
Matthew Witkoski and Eric Kohler, Inhibiting Free Fatty Acid Transport to Improve CART Cell Therapy of Relapsed B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is the most common group of cancers in children and the leading cause of cancer-related death in children and young adults. Many patients have leukemia that is chemo resistant, or they have a relapse within one year despite initial promising responses to immunotherapy. These investigators are looking at the role of TP53 in CAR T cells and how a fatty acid transporter FATP2 activity alters TP53-mut B-ALL FFA uptake and metabolism to promote CAR-T resistance.
Nicholas Foreman and Sujatha Venkataraman, Developing novel dual antigen targeting CAR-T cells to treat PFA ependymoma, an aggressive brain tumor in children. Ependymoma (EPN) is the most aggressive type of brain tumor in children. Patients with subtype PFA tumors are at ultra-high risk as they are challenging to treat with little options available. Patients treated with the standard therapy often suffer severe brain and nerve toxicity. These investigators are identifying challenges and testing new strategies in pre-clinical models to overcome these challenges to treat PFA tumors with CAR-T cell therapy. A new CAR-T cell called logic-gated “AND” CAR-T cells has been developed and preliminary testing found them to be safe against normal cells while killing PFA cells. They operate like a switch to determine which cells to kill.
Michael Verneris, C. Wyatt Shields and Emily Blauel, Backpack-Equipped Tumor Homing CAR T Cells: Bridging Chemotherapy to Tumors. Individuals with sarcomas have a dismal prognosis and are often faced with a prolonged, distressing and often fatal illness. While CAR T cells have shown promise in preclinical models of pediatric solid tumors, early clinical outcomes have been poor. There are likely many explanations, though these poor outcomes are partly due to challenges in the CAR T cell tumor-homing into the tumor. Investigators have identified new ways to increase CAR T homing into solid tumors and have developed particle "backpacks" that bind to immune cells and slowly release encapsulated drugs. This technology can achieve targeted and sustained drug delivery within tumors.
In past years, the Denver Chapter of Golfers Against Cancer has funded research on blood cancers (leukemia), gastrointestinal cancer (colon, pancreas, etc), bladder cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, head and neck cancer, skin cancer as well as childhood cancers and basic mechanisms of cancer development and treatment. (See past Projects)
To make a direct donation to support cancer research through the Golfers Against Cancer, Donate Now. If you are interested in supporting a particular area of cancer research (e.g. breast cancer, childhood cancer, etc), with an individual donation of $25K or more (Donate Now), you can help solicit applications in that area and help select from among the applications.
Why Pilot Funding is so important for Cancer Research
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) is the largest funder of cancer research in the world and has an annual budget of about $5 billion. While this seems like a lot, less than 10% of research proposals sent to the NCI are funded. A successful application must contain extensive “preliminary data” to be favorably reviewed and eventually awarded. This creates a “Catch 22” of sorts: a researcher must spend money to generate preliminary data in order to compete successfully for money from the NCI to complete the project. The result is that many great ideas cannot be explored due to a lack of funding.
This is where you and Golfers Against Cancer make a difference. Golfers Against Cancer donates 100% of its proceeds for cancer research projects in the earliest stages. Through pilot grants of about $50,000 to multi-investigator research groups, Golfers Against Cancer funds great ideas that might never be explored without our support. This allows the researchers to generate the preliminary data that they need to compete for larger NCI grants that often yield well over $1M over five years.
Since 2009, Golfers Against Cancer has funded 40 great ideas with $1.9 million dollars of support. Many of these pilot projects have led to larger grants from the NIH and NCI, and more importantly, significant discoveries in cancer biology and therapy. For example, one $50,000 pilot grant to a molecular biologist, a computational biologist and a pediatric oncologist led to 2 grants from the NCI totaling over $2 million toward leukemia and lung cancer research, and a clinical trial that is in development. More recently, a grant to a physician scientist studying head and neck cancer led to 2 NCI-supported grants ($1M each) as well as a clinical trial. To date, GAC awards have yielded over $26 million dollars in new grants awarded to cancer researchers at CU Anschutz Medical Campus and CU Boulder.
To help Golfers Against Cancer fund more cancer research pilot projects, please Donate Now.
Leukemia Research
Leukemias are cancers arising from the blood system. These are the most common cancers in children and can be very challenging to treat in both children and adults. The Golfers Against Cancer has funded 8 projects on leukemia since 2009.
In 2010, Drs. James DeGregori, Aik-Choon Tan and Christopher Porter proposed to create a computational algorithm for the analysis of large-scale experiments exploring the function of most human genes in specific contexts. This algorithm and experimental approach have been used to identify vulnerabilities in leukemia cells as well as several other cancer types. The work in leukemia identified an unexpected protein that can be inhibited with a new drug, and the researchers are working to develop a clinical trial adding this drug to conventional chemotherapy for leukemia. This pilot grant catalyzed the successful funding of two NCI-supported leukemia grants, multiple publications and a clinical trial entitled “Dasatinib and Cyclosporine in Treating Patients With Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Refractory or Intolerant to Imatinib Mesylate”.
In 2012, Dr. DeGregori teamed up with Dr. Brian Reid to study how leukemia develops, particularly after exposure to ionizing irradiation. They found that blood cells activate a particular protein after radiation exposure that impairs the cells’ fitness, and creates a context that makes cancer development more likely. They are now studying the impaired cell fitness in more detail, with the hope that they may be able to improve cell fitness and reduce the likelihood of leukemia after radiation exposure. The project catalyzed funding of an NCI-supported grant for $239K.
In 2018, Eric M. Pietras, PhD, Assistant Professor, Division of Hematology and Angelo D'Alessandro, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics were awarded a grant entitled “IL-1 blockade as a metabolic therapy for preventing acute myelogenous leukemia expansion.” The objective of this project is to determine whether acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) can be treated effectively by blocking the pro-inflammatory cytokine, interleukin-1 (IL-1). Successful completion of the studies may lead to the development of effective therapies that can benefit AML patients. Dr. Pietras was subsequently awarded a $225K grant from the Outstanding Early Career Scholar Program (University of Colorado Dept. Medicine) to continue these studies.
Gastrointestinal Cancer
Gastrointestinal (GI) cancers include colorectal, gastric and pancreatic cancers. Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer found in men and women in the United States (not counting skin cancers). Overall, the lifetime risk of developing colorectal cancer is about 1 in 20. Pancreatic cancer is more rare, but carries a guarded prognosis, as it is often in advanced stages when it is diagnosed.
In 2009, Golfers Against Cancer funded a project directed by Drs. Wells Messersmith and Colin Weekes, in which they sought to develop a gastrointestinal (GI) cancer tumor bank, focused on colorectal and pancreas cancer. This tumor bank is linked with detailed information about each tumor in the database. Using the samples and the data researchers can investigate ideas such as factors that lead to tumor response to treatment and patient prognosis.
Skin Cancer and Melanoma
Cancers of the skin (most are basal and squamous cell skin cancers) are by far the most common of all types of cancer in the United States. While mortality from basal and squamous cell cancers is low, the American Cancer Society estimates that about 105,000 new melanomas will be diagnosed in the United States in 2025 and about 8,430 people are expected to die from this cancer. In 2023 and 2024, Golfers Against Cancer funded projects directed by Drs. Fujita and Ahn and Drs. Norman and Longino that will explore strategies for enhancing immune therapy in melanoma.
Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and is the second leading cause of cancer death among women. Yearly, over 252,710 women in the US are diagnosed with breast cancer and more than 40,500 will die.
In 2020, Matthew Sikora, Assistant Professor, Department of Pathology, Benjamin Bitler, Assistant Professor, Department of OB/GYN and Jill Alldredge, Assistant Professor, Department of OB/GYN, were awarded a grant to support the project, “Understanding WNT4 as a novel genetic predisposition and driver for ovarian cancer”. The objective of the proposed study is to define the contribution of a unique genetic variant in the gene WNT4 to promoting treatment resistance and tumor progression in ovarian cancer.
In 2016, the GAC supported a project directed by Drs. Traci Lyons, PhD and Kirk Hansen, PhD to explore the role of Sem7a in breast cancer progression with the goal of identifying how Sem7a may alter the normal cells that reside within breast tumors and lead to cancer metastasis. The project generated preliminary data that led to successful funding of an NIH R01 ($1,143,750 direct for 5 years) entitled “Deciphering COX2/SEMA7A dependent mechanisms of breast tumor progression” and an American Cancer Society Grant ($495,000 direct for 3 years) entitled “Investigating the role(s) of SEMA7A in breast tumor progression”.
Also in 2016, the GAC supported Drs. Jill Slansky and Virginia Borges on a project to identify the T cell receptors shared among survivors to set the stage for generating a triple negative breast cancer vaccine to activate the memory T cells to eliminate any breast cancer cells that may result in recurrence. This project led to successful funding of a NIH grant for $275,000 entitled “T cell responses shared among triple negative breast cancer patients”.
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Breast and Ovarian Cancer
Bladder cancer usually affects older individuals. There are about 75,000 new cases of bladder cancer per year in the United States. Chemotherapy is effective for only some patients, but doctors cannot predict which patients will benefit.
In 2014, Drs. Dan Theodorescu and James Costello teamed up to combine experimental approaches and computational analyses to determine what genes are involved in bladder cancer cells’ response to chemotherapy. With this knowledge they hope to be able to predict which patients are most likely to benefit from chemotherapy.
Liver Cancer
Liver cancer affects about 35,000 people per year in the United States, usually older adults. Liver injury is one of the most common risk factors for liver cancer, including from heavy alcohol use and from hepatitis viruses.
In 2011, Golfers Against Cancer funded a project led by Drs. Barton, Hesselberth and Rosen to develop new methods to study how Hepatitis C virus avoids the immune system and persists in the liver, causing chronic damage and raising the risk of cancer. These methods are also being used to study other viral processes, amplifying the impact of this project. This project led to two publications and a $1M grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Lung Cancer
Lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer death among men and women accounts for about 1 out of 4 cancer deaths. Each year, more people die of lung cancer than of colon, breast, and prostate cancers combined. While smoking tobacco is a major factor causing lung cancer, 10 to 20% of lung cancers occur in patients that never smoked.
In 2020, Jamie Studts, Professor, Division of Medical Oncology, Department of Medicine, Nina Thomas, Assistant Professor, Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Medicine and Russell Glasgow, Professor, Division of Family Medicine, Department of Medicine were funded for a research project entitled “Feasibility Testing the Engaged Approach to Lung Cancer Screening Toolkit”. This project seeks to increase the rate of screening in individuals at high risk for lung cancer.
In 2016, Golfers Against Cancer funded a project led by Drs. Clambey and Nemenoff to define markers that predict which lung cancer patients benefit from immunotherapy and to develop a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying resistance to immunotherapy. Since initial funding in 2016, the project has supported three publications as well as a grant from the LunGevity Foundation for $200K and from the NCI for $1M.
Head and Neck Cancer
Head and Neck Cancer is a squamous cell carcinoma in the nasal cavity, paranasal sinuses, mouth, salivary gland, or throat. Risk factors include chewing or smoking tobacco and excessive alcohol use, and greater than 50% are associated with human papilloma virus.
In 2019, Shi-Long Lu, Associate Professor, Department of Otolaryngology, University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Daniel Frank, Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, were awarded a grant entitled “Microbiota and Toll-like receptor in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma”. This project is investigating the role of the human microbiome in the development of head and neck cancer. As a result of this GAC grant, Dr. Lu was awarded a 2-year NIH grant (1R21DE029262-01) for $427,625.
In 2014, Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Pyeon, Greer and Song to study how Human Papilloma Virus causes cancer cells to evade the immune system. They have identified a protein that the virus turns off to keep the immune system from eliminating the tumor cells. They are working to identify ways to exploit this finding therapeutically. This project has been very successful in yielding both publications and an NCI R01 grant (direct costs $1M over 5 years) to Dr. Pyeon entitled “Immune Dysregulation by Human Papillomavirus during Head and Neck Cancer Progression”. Four manuscripts were also published as a result of the project.
In 2015, Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Karam and Jimeno to identify ways to sensitize head and neck cancer cells to radiation therapy. Results from the studies have led to multiple publications and, within the last year, 2 funded NCI grants representing greater than $500K per year for 5 years. Moreover, the project led to the deployment of a clinical trial entitled “A Phase I/Ib Study of sEphB4-HSA in Combination with Cetuximab and Radiation Therapy in Patients with EGFR-Expressing Locally-Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Head and Neck and Heavy Smoking Histories; PI: S. Karam)”.
Prostate cancer
In 2018, Scott D. Cramer, PhD, Professor of Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Andrew M. Thorburn, PhD, Professor and Chair, Dept. of Pharmacology, School of Medicine were awarded a grant entitled “Modulating Necroptosis for Treatment of Aggressive Prostate Cancer.” These investigators have previously discovered that prostate cancer cells with a defect in the gene, MAP3K7, are preferentially sensitive to an anti-tumor protein, TNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (TRAIL). This project seeks to mechanistically explore this specific vulnerability with the long-term goal of developing a precision medicine approach for MAP3K7-mutant prostate cancer.
Childhood cancers
While leukemia is the most common childhood cancer, there are many others including brain cancers and sarcomas which are generally very challenging to treat.
In 2020, Jenna Sopfe, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Pamela Peters, Professor of Internal Medicine, Christina Studts, Associate Professor and Brooke Dorsey Holliman, Assistant Professor were awarded funding for the project, “Development of a standardized screening approach for sexual dysfunction in adolescent and young adult (AYA) pediatric cancer survivors – Standardized screening for SD in AYA patients”. This project addresses the problem that adolescent and young adult survivors of childhood cancer frequently experience sexual dysfunction which significantly decreases quality of life. With support from this GAC grant, Dr. Sopfe was awarded a 5-year NIH grant (1K08CA263192-01A1) for $1,080,572.
One childhood cancer with a poor prognosis is called rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). RMS is a cancer of cells that normally develop into muscle cells. RMS often occurs in children under the age of ten and in teenagers. In 2013, Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Artinger and Ford to develop a new model of RMS. With this model they are able to study the molecular mechanisms of how RMS develops with the long-term goal of identifying new strategies to treat RMS. This project resulted in a publication and a grant entitled “Using zebrafish to study the role of six1a/b and microRNA-30a in rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) initiation and progression“ from the NCI for $239K.
In 2015, Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Ford and Vibhakar to study new molecularly targeted drugs for a particularly aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer. This project generated preliminary data that led to an NIH-funded grant to these investigators for $1.6M entitled “Examining the EYA2/MYC axis in group 3 medulloblatoma“.
In 2018, Nathan Dahl, MD, Sujatha Venkataraman, PhD and Adam Green, MD in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine were awarded a grant entitled “CDK9-mediated transcriptional dependency in H3K27M-mutant diffuse midline glioma.” This project investigated diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive pediatric brainstem tumor for which no curative therapy currently exists. The goal of this project was to investigate the molecular basis of a druggable vulnerability that these investigators have previously identified. The studies may unveil a novel therapeutic approach to this presently untreatable pediatric cancer. Support from the GAC led to the funding of multiple awards to Dr. Dahl (NIH K12, $200K; St. Baldrick’s Foundation, $172,521; Dept. Defense PRCRP Horizon award, $150K).
Basic Mechanisms of Cancer Research
Cancer is a disease in which cells grow unrestricted, causing damage to surrounding and distant tissues. There are many different types of cancer, but very different cancers can share some of the same molecular mechanisms of tumor development.
Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Taatjes and Wang in 2012 to study one of the most commonly involved proteins in tumor development called P53. Most tumors rely on P53 to stay alive, so there has been much effort to develop drugs to inhibit its function. This has been a big challenge, though, and to date, no drugs targeting P53 are approved to treat cancer. Drs. Taatjes and Wang have taken a different approach, though, and are trying to identify drugs that inhibit P53’s partners.
In 2015, Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Sclafani and Agarwal, to study the use of a natural compound found in red wine, resveratrol, to prevent cancer development.
In 2017, Golfers Against Cancer funded Drs. Hesselberth and DeGregori to develop a novel sequencing-based assay for measuring DNA repair capacity that can be scaled to measure repair events catalyzed by endogenous activities in cells, both normal and cancerous. If successful, the assay may serve as a means to acquire specific information from cancer cells that supports precision medicine-based treatments in the future. The support from the GAC grant led to the successful award of a NIH grant for $2.2M direct costs.
Also in 2017, Drs. Espinosa, Galbraith and Serkova were funded to identify novel CDK8-based combinatorial therapeutic strategies, and to initiate preclinical studies to test their effectiveness with the ultimate goal is to generate the preclinical data required to bring CDK8-based therapies closer to the clinic. In 2018, the team was awarded a $1.2M grant from the National Science Foundation to continue their work on CDK8 and other so called ‘transcriptional CDKs’ using chemical genetics approaches.
Examples of Support for Clinical Cancer Research
In addition to projects that support basic investigations into cancer, the Golfers Against Cancer has funded a variety of projects that intend to more directly impact the lives of cancer patients. In 2021, Dr. Jamie Studts was awarded a grant entitled “Feasibility Testing the Engaged Approach to Lung Cancer Screening Toolkit.” Also, in 2021, Dr. Jenna Demidis was awarded the project, “Development of a standardized screening approach for sexual dysfunction in adolescent and young adult (AYA) pediatric cancer survivors.” In 2023, Drs. Nemkov and Craighead were awarded a grant to undertake the project entitled “The impact of inspiratory muscle strength training and personalized exercise prescription on metabolism, cardiovascular function, and cardiorespiratory fitness in lymphoma survivors.”
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