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Minds Conquering Cancer A Publication of The University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute • Fall 2018 New Life, New Hope DANI STAFFORD & SEAN LORSON CELEBRATE THE JOYS OF LOVE AND LIFE AFTER HER CANCER MCI moves ahead new facilities new caregivers new researchers new treatments new hope
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GO for Gynecologic Oncology
GO RUN 5K AND 1-MILE FUN RUN/WALK
Saturday, September 15, 2018
University of South Alabama Main Campus: Moulton Tower & Alumni Plaza
Registration at 6:30 a.m. • 5K at 8 a.m. • Fun Run at 9 a.m.
Certified race route • Live entertainment • Kids Zone
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2 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018
FROM THE DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR
Michael A. Finan, M.D., F.A.C.S.
ADMINISTRATION
Dear Friends,
Carl Biber
Art Frankel, M.D.
Kelly McCarron
Theresa McLaughlin
Elesyia Outlaw, M.D.
Jennifer Y. Pierce, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.O.G. Where do you find hope?
Milton C. Pierson Jr.
Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D., F.A.C.O.G.
Margaret Sullivan
For many of us, there’s more than one
answer to that question. I’d list faith, family
MCI PHYSICIANS and friends, and I’m sure some of you
Omar Alkharabsheh, M.D. would, too.
Thomas W. Butler, M.D., F.A.C.P.
Daniel G. Cameron, M.D.
David R. Clarkson, M.D., F.A.C.P. Allow me to share another example of
Michael A. Finan, M.D., F.A.C.S. hope. Here at the Mitchell Cancer Institute,
Arthur E. Frankel, M.D. we have a glass wall that we informally
Nathaniel L. Jones, M.D. WS
Moh’d Khushman, M.D., F.A.C.P. call the Window of Hope. We point it out to
Ashish Manne, M.B.B.S. visitors because it communicates our mission so well.
Elesyia Outlaw, M.D.
Sachin Pai, M.B.B.S., M.D. My son, Noah, was recently diagnosed with testicular cancer and underwent
Jennifer Y. Pierce, M.D., M.P.H., F.A.C.O.G.
Teja Poosarla, M.D.
chemotherapy here at MCI. Our family appreciated the warmth and support
Pranitha Prodduturvar, M.B.B.S., M.P.A. of the staff who cared for him, and we drew inspiration from walking past this
Rodney P. Rocconi, M.D., F.A.C.O.G. Window of Hope.
Jennifer Scalici, M.D.
Clayton Smith, M.D., Ph.D.
William R. Taylor, M.D.
How can a wall of glass provide inspiration? Look to your left when you walk
inside, and you can see the laboratories where our cancer researchers are
GENETIC COUNSELOR working diligently to better understand this terrible disease and discover new
Jessa R. Blount, M.S., C.G.C. ways to diagnose and treat it. Patients walking through our front doors find
USA/MCI MEMBER PHYSICIANS
hope when they see science hard at work.
Jack DiPalma, M.D., M.A.C.G.
D. Lynn Dyess, M.D., F.A.C.S. Now change your perspective. From a researcher’s point of view, the wall is
Lee Grimm Jr., M.D., F.A.C.S. a window into the health care side of cancer. Patients are checking in at the
Curtis N. Harris, M.D., F.R.C.S.C.
John Hunter, M.D.
front desk. Some are just starting their cancer journeys. For others, it’s almost
Hamayun Imran, M.D., M.Sc. time to “ring the bell” to celebrate the end of treatment. Seeing the faces of
Shikha Khullar Gupta, M.D. these cancer patients motivates our researchers to draw deeply from their well
Spencer Liles, M.D. of scientific training and creativity each and every day.
Anthony Martino, M.D., F.A.A.N.S.
Allen Perkins, M.D., M.P.H.
William Richards, M.D., F.A.C.S. This transparent wall embodies the dream of the late Mayer “Bubba” Mitchell
Paul Rider, M.D., F.A.C.S. to bring the most advanced cancer care, backed by groundbreaking cancer
Felicia Wilson, M.D. research, to the likes of Mobile, Alabama. This combination is what an
academic cancer center is all about, and it exists nowhere else in our region.
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA Noah’s journey over the summer of 2018 will be forever etched in our minds.
MITCHELL CANCER INSTITUTE The hope that we found at MCI through our great caregivers and dedicated
OFFICE OF MARKETING
& COMMUNICATIONS
researchers has led us, as a family, to be so thankful that we have MCI here
on the Gulf Coast.
EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
Carol McPhail We’ve seen MCI from both sides now and more than ever appreciate this
Jennifer Z. Ekman, M.P.A., A.P.R.
Window of Hope.
EDITOR
Nedra Bloom
ART DIRECTOR Sincerely,
Marie Katz
WRITERS
Nedra Bloom, Emmett Burnett, Kelli Dugan,
Carol McPhail, MeLeah Miller,
Meredith Portman
Michael A. Finan, M.D., F.A.C.S.
PHOTOGRAPHERS Director
Liz and Ryan Bower, Mike Kittrell, Bill Starling USA Mitchell Cancer Institute
Minds Conquering Cancer is a publication of the University of South Alabama Mitchell Cancer Institute. For a free subscription, send an email with your name
and mailing address to vmcmillian@health.southalabama.edu. Copyright 2018 USA Mitchell Cancer Institute.
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 3
5
8 L&R 10 WS
Looking Back Clinical Care
5 How we’ve grown 12 Support for patients during cancer care
Moving forward from MCI’s earliest days New program helps patients make the best of a difficult time
Survivor 13 More clinical trials help patients “pay it forward”
8 Celebrating life and love
Dani Stafford’s tribute to happily ever after 13 Specialty pharmacy gives patients easier access
to hard-to-find drugs
Research
10 How we’ve grown, view 2 What’s New and What’s Next at MCI
Lewis Pannell recounts the expansion from his days 14 New faces, new ventures and fresh alliances
as MCI’s lone researcher to today’s multi-faceted
and multi-talented research pool 15 Half a dozen ways to connect with MCI
10 MCI researchers win grant funding Back Cover
16 Celebrating hope’s success
11 From microscope to medicine
Translational projects work to transform research into therapies
On the Cover
When Dani Stafford fell ill while dancing with Sesame Street Live, she wasn’t sure what her future would hold.
But after successful care at MCI, she was ready for her next great life adventure. She married Sean Lorson on
May 26, 2018, in Fairhope. Cover photo by Liz and Ryan Photography
5 A beacon of hope in the night.
8 Dr. Thomas Butler was an honored guest when Dani Stafford married — after all, he led the team that helped her back to health.
10 Lewis Pannell, Ph.D., enlists USA medical student Patricia Vogel for his project developing a screening test for pancreatic cancer.
4 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018
MCI grows to meet region’s needs
As the University of South Alabama and
its army of community partners celebrate
the Mitchell Cancer Institute’s 10th year in
its state-of-the-art facility, those closest
to the academic cancer center’s genesis
contend the milestone actually marks two
decades of vision and meticulous planning
fulfilled.
In fact, several key figures who entered
MCI’s story at varying stages of its devel-
opment marvel at the monumental re-
cruiting of clinicians and administrators
at precisely the right times necessary to
propel the center toward national promi- Cancer Institute could be made that vision breaking work being done today at MCI
nence while maintaining a singular focus a reality, and I think it would be almost im- would be possible if that foundation had
of advancing cancer diagnosis, treatment possible to replicate it again as a startup,” not been laid by so many passionate,
and prevention along and beyond the said Laurie Owen, Ph.D., MCI’s former dedicated people,” she said.
Gulf Coast. associate director and current assistant
“It takes a special group of people to be- vice chancellor for research at the Univer-
lieve this strongly in something that isn’t sity of California San Diego. Flowers bloom year round to welcome
patients as they arrive at MCI, which
there, and that’s exactly what happened. “The culture and support and shared opened in 2008.
The hard work of so many people who vision we had on that team were truly Below: Construction crews work to prepare
shared a vision for what the Mitchell remarkable, and I don’t think the ground- the multi-faceted new building in 2007.
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 5
Looking back
Margaret Sullivan, USA’s vice president for development and alumni rela-
tions, said discussions about creating the academic cancer center actually began
in 1998, but the effort did not crystallize until then-USA President V. Gordon
Moulton commissioned a feasibility study in 2000 that ultimately demonstrated
both the demand for and potential financial viability of such an undertaking.
Following unanimous approval by the USA Board of Trustees in December of
that year, the USA Cancer Research Institute was born, and attention turned to
aggressive fundraising from myriad sources.
Sullivan, who served as MCI’s associate director of cancer control and pre-
vention until accepting her current role in 2017, actually spearheaded the cancer
center’s 2000 feasibility study, served as project manager for the institute’s con-
struction, played a key role in recruiting faculty and launched MCI’s outreach
programs.
“It was particularly meaningful to me when we moved into the building in
the fall of 2008, because I had been involved since the feasibility study. To see
it from when it was nothing more than a virtual cancer institute — a glimmer
in the eye of a lot of dedicated, passionate people — was phenomenal,” Sullivan
said. “To watch it be built from scratch; to see the money raised by the university
and its partners, to see the doors open.”
Indeed, financial support to date has included nearly $4 million from tobacco
suit settlement funds, $46 million in federal appropriations, $12 million in state
economic development funds, $6 million in Mobile city and county funds, $12
million in USA Foundation support and a host of philanthropic donations.
Sullivan said chief among those donations was the $22 million committed by
the Mitchell family in 2006, ultimately prompting the formal renaming of the
institute to honor Mayer Mitchell’s hands-on participation since inception and
the entire family’s unwavering support for the project.
Successful recruitment of nationally renowned clinicians, however, has
not only driven the cutting-edge research conducted within the facility but
also has created a cascade effect, attracting some of oncology’s brightest
stars to the Gulf Coast.
The institute’s supporters scored their first coup when Dr. Michael Boyd,
M.D., Ph.D., took the reins in April 2002 as the cancer center’s first director,
following a national search.
Boyd came to Mobile by way of Washington, D.C., where he served as senior
investigator and program director of the Molecular Targets Drug Discovery Pro-
gram at the NCI Center for Cancer Research.
In short order, Boyd recruited the National Institutes of Health’s Lewis Pan-
nell, Ph.D., and both Oystein Fodstad, Ph.D., and Steinar Aamdal, Ph.D., from
Norwegian Radium Hospital.
The floodgates opened, and talent from every corner of oncology innovation
began flowing south toward the Gulf of Mexico.
In short succession, the cancer center welcomed:
• Dr. Philip Wade as Chief of Medical Oncology
• Dr. Hung Khong, M.D., Ph.D., as Physician-Scientist from NCI
• Dr. Joseph LoCicero, chair of the USA College of Medicine Department
of Surgery, as director of the Center for Clinical Oncology
• Dr. Raymond Wynn as Chief of Radiation Oncology, creating
an academic radiation oncology division
• Dr. Adam Riker from Moffitt as Chief of Surgical Oncology, establishing the
short-lived Mitchell Cancer Institute Surgical Oncology Service
• Second surgical oncologist Dr. Matthew D’Alessio
• Drs. Michael Finan and Rodney Rocconi, launching MCI’s Gynecologic
Oncology Service
• Laurie Owen, Ph.D., as MCI’s Barbara Colle Chair and Associate Director,
Basic & Translational Sciences and Professor of Oncologic Sciences
• Dr. Eddie Reed as MCI’s Point Clear Charities Chair and Associate Director,
Cancer Control and Prevention, Professor of Oncologic Sciences, and
Abraham Mitchell Distinguished Investigator
6 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018
FEATURE
By December 2010 — barely two years after opening the doors to the
125,000-square-foot flagship facility on Springhill Avenue — nearly 200 cli-
nicians and researchers worked for MCI. That figure eclipsed 300 in 2014,
as new divisions, programs and services opened to better serve patients. In
fact, MCI now supports four distinct research focus areas, including Cancer
Control and Prevention, DNA Damage and Repair, Cancer Biology and Cancer
Health Disparities.
“I think the Mitchell Cancer Institute has radically transformed access to can-
cer care along the Gulf Coast,” said Dr. Michael Finan, who took over the reins
as MCI director in 2015. “Patients now have access to a world-class academic
cancer institute within a reasonable driving distance, and this allows them to
not only receive the latest and most advanced cancer care but also have access
to cutting-edge research.”
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Looking forward
What should the Mobile community and surrounding areas expect from the
institute and its renowned faculty and staff over the next decade?
Kelly McCarron, associate vice president for Medical Affairs, Health Devel-
opment for USA Health and MCI’s former longtime development director, said
she expects fundraising will continue to play an integral role in MCI’s continued
growth and expansion of services.
“The fundraising efforts conducted on behalf of MCI are abundant and really
appeal to several different audiences, but the point is simply to keep telling the
MCI story and really help people understand how the work being done there has
changed and will continue to change lives,” she said.
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Specifically, Celebrate Hope, alone, has netted $2.8 million in the signature
event’s nine-year history, and McCarron said through those funds “we’ve really
been able to advance cancer research through the purchasing of cutting-edge
technology or support of early detection research programs. It complements
our researchers’ work by providing the tools they need.”
Meanwhile, Sullivan said she considers MCI’s clinical trials division a “huge
asset” that nearly triples the national average of minority participation of less
than 10 percent to 29 percent.
“It’s pretty amazing what the Mitchell Cancer Institute brings to Mobile in
terms of the intellectual property, the caliber of the talent recruited and the di-
versity of the researchers. It’s become a strong economic engine and certainly
makes Mobile a more diverse place,” she said.
Owen said she is confident MCI and its stellar recruits will continue to raise
the bar with leading-edge advancements in DNA Damage and Repair being led
by Robert Sobol, Ph.D., and Drug Discovery led by Gary Piazza, Ph.D.
Above all, she would like to see MCI achieve its long-term goal of attaining
designation as an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center, but the short-term focus
is on working toward designation as an NCI Cancer Consortium Center.
“I certainly would like to see the quality and scope of MCI’s programs receive
the national recognition they deserve,” Owen said. “MCI is already a success
story that reflects partnership. None of this could have been done without the
university, the generous donors and the countless number of supporters who
simply believed. All three made MCI successful and positioned it for growth and
accomplishments you’ll see in the decades to come.” // KD
Opposite page.
Top: Workers labor to bring dreams to reality.
Middle: Two of the visionaries behind MCI, Abraham Mitchell and Arlene Mitchell,
join U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby to celebrate the grand opening.
Bottom: Research labs and clinical care facilities are easily visible, providing hope
for patients and inspiration for researchers.
This page.
Top and middle: MCI announced plans to expand to Fairhope and quickly
replaced plans with reality.
Bottom: Researcher Gary Piazza, Ph.D., leads the Drug Discovery team.
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 7
Celebrating life and love
WS
Dani Stafford started dancing when she to dance alongside Big Bird in Sesame But they called her two days later, ask-
was three. By the time she was seven, she Street Live. “It was so cool,” she recalls. ing her to come in that very day. It was
knew she loved it. By the time she was 15, It was gratifying to be the lead dancer, a two-show day, she recalls, and all she
she says, “I realized it was a passion — not she recalls, but it was exhausting. After six wanted was her between-shows nap.
just an extracurricular activity, but some- months on tour, instead of getting easier, She recalls everything about that day.
thing that filled my heart.” it seemed to be getting more exhausting. From the scent of the orange she was
She pursued it with passion — study- Often, by show’s end, she’d feel short of snacking on to the solicitous looks on faces
ing at Sheffield School of the Dance after breath, ready for a nap. of the staff.
school at McGill-Toolen, graduating from Her friends kept telling her it was un- “I think you have leukemia,” the woman
the University of Alabama with a dance derstandable — dancing the lead is always said, handing her a box of tissues.
degree and hitting the audition circuit. exhausting. And besides, when you get “But why?” Dani questioned. “I’m
And unlike most teen dancers, Dani only 24 hours off in a week, who wants to healthy. I work out for a living. My body
landed a professional gig. spend it at the doctor’s office? is my instrument. I’ve always tried to take
Well, teaching the electric slide at the Wild But finally the show paused for a month care of it.”
Horse in Nashville may not be a dream job, in Detroit, and she took the opportunity to “You have cancer” are the three words
she confesses with a grin, but it was hon- visit a nearby urgent care. She figured it you never expect to hear, Dani says. “But
est work. From there she moved up to Veg- was something minor, and at first glance,
gie Tales, touring from church to church. the urgent care folks couldn’t find an ex- A mutual support team — Dani Stafford and
And then came the big time — a chance planation either. her mother, Robin.
8 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018
COVER STORY
cancer doesn’t discriminate. It doesn’t al- any spread to her brain. roommate’s brother — a nice guy named
ways matter that you’re doing what you “My mother slept on a blow-up air mat- Sean Lorson. She was kind of surprised
should to take care of yourself.” tress on the floor of my hospital room for when he came to see the show a second
Two boxes of tissue later, she pulled 40 days,” Dani says. “She gave up her life time, joking that nobody his age is that
herself together enough to follow the first to save mine.” fond of Elmo.
advice — “Call your mom.” Friends helped, too, with a slumber par- But she was even more surprised when
She didn’t want to burden her mom. ty or endless Saturday evenings of board he texted that he was going to be in Mo-
When the diagnosis came in 2015, it was games. They were a godsend, she says. bile briefly. Her mom agreed to put him up
barely more than a year since her dad’s “I didn’t want to be by myself. I wanted for the night. A few months later, he asked
death. “My mom’s world has just been somebody by my side, holding my hand. whether he might visit again. Sure, she
rocked already. How do I crush her heart “At the hospital, you have to leave all told him, warning that she might not feel
again?” your dignity at the door,” she says. Yet she up to much during his visit.
The physician assistant warned her to feels like the nurses — whose names she “Miraculously,” she says, she had not
make sure her mom was sitting down — can still recite three years later — were just a couple of good hours but a couple of
such a cliché it was even amusing in the friends. “It takes a special person to make good days.
moment — but she realized the truth of it. you feel like you’re being taken care of by
What if her mom had been driving? In the friends — like you have a life, even though “Cancer doesn’t discriminate.
end, Dani couldn’t speak the words, afraid you’re in the hospital.”
her mom would hear fear in her voice, so When she rang the bell, signaling gradu-
It doesn’t always matter that
she turned the phone over to the expert. ation from cancer care, those nurses were you’re doing what you should
Next, she realized she would have to quit on hand. to take care of yourself.”
the job she had scrambled so hard for. “I “God put them on this earth to do that — Dani Stafford
was getting paid to do what I love, to travel profession,” she says.
and to hang out with awesome people. All After the hospital ordeal ended, her care For Christmas of 2015, he gave her a
the hard work finally felt worth it, and now moved to MCI. plane ticket to South Carolina, where he
I’m having to say goodbye.” “It’s another place that you dread walk- lived and worked as a nuclear engineer.
She especially regretted leaving behind ing in,” she says, “but they make a horri- Masked and gloved against infection that
the friends she’d made on the tour. It turns ble situation not so bad. You might walk might overwhelm her endangered immune
out that wasn’t entirely true, but more in with dread, but once you get there, you system, she made the trip. They vowed to
about that later. see these smiling, friendly faces that lift see each other at least every month.
Her mother and a couple of close friends your spirit. Sometimes it’s OK to go back “He was such a great support system,”
scrambled for a flight, flew up to be by her the next day because you see people you’re she says. “What I appreciated so much is
side for the week they had to wait for a glad to see. They have such a heart for that he had a choice. We weren’t dating
confirmation of the diagnosis — hoping their patients.” when I got my diagnosis. He had a choice
against hope it was wrong. When she graduated to a less rigorous to be in my life or be distant. He jumped in
Throughout the week she reminded her- protocol, she worried that she wasn’t head first, when some people I was much
self: “This is a diagnosis from a physician snapping back quickly enough. After all, closer to walked away.”
assistant in an urgent care — maybe, just she was now taking pills at home and “He helped give me hope,” she says. “In
maybe, it’s wrong.” having spinal taps only every other week. the beginning, I was fighting because I
But it wasn’t. A hematologist in Detroit Why wasn’t she all better? knew how hard it would be on my family if
confirmed it and made arrangements for “Dr. Butler kept reassuring me,” she says. I lost my battle with cancer.
Dani to return to Mobile, setting up imme- But, in fact, she did start having an occa- “Once he came around, it gave me a
diate appointments with two local cancer sional good hour. She and her mom might sense of hope, because it showed me what
specialists. go to the mall, even if she strolled the halls I had to live for.”
in a wheelchair. Or they’d have a picnic. Sean proposed at the Fairhope Pier —
Back in Mobile She began to recognize lessons she had the same place Dani’s dad proposed to her
After meeting Dr. Thomas Butler at MCI, learned from her dad, when he was ill — mom. Sean hired a trolley to bring every-
Dani skipped the second appointment. that it’s important to do all the living you can, one from her mom to Dr. Butler along to
He confirmed the diagnosis as acute even if there’s only one good hour at a time. witness the event.
lymphoblastic leukemia, and together they “He was sick but lived with a good atti- Sean and Dani were married May 26 at
opted for the juvenile treatment protocol. tude,” she says, and she didn’t realize till St. Lawrence Catholic Church in Fairhope.
It’s a protocol so intense that patients later that she “was learning how to handle Now they’re off to Corvallis, Oregon, where
require 40 days in the hospital with con- a disease with grace and a strong positive Sean has a new job and Dani hopes to find
stant vigilance. attitude. I didn’t handle it near as well as a way to use her experience to help others.
“I was still grieving my job rather than he would,” she adds, “but that’s what I’d The wedding itself was designed as a
worrying about the treatment,” she recalls. work toward.” celebration of life.
“I think back now, and I wonder how I “We’re celebrating not only Sean and
lived in the hospital for that long,” she Old show ties me, but also thanking all the people in that
says, recalling chemo two or three times Back there on the road with Sesame room that are the reason we get to spend
a week, and lumbar punctures to monitor Street Live, Dani had enjoyed meeting her the rest of our lives together.” // NB
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 9
RESEARCH
MCI’s first researcher looks back on past decade
It involves using the discarded portion of a
pap test to detect proteins, with the aim of
improving early detection. The project has
received support from the NIH and is cur-
rently moving toward a validation phase.
An investigation into colon cancer by
Jana Rocker, Ph.D., a former graduate stu-
dent and cancer survivor, developed into
a promising research path into pancreatic
cancer for Pannell.
He is again studying the role of proteins
as tumor markers, hoping to develop test-
ing for early detection. Results thus far
have been very encouraging.
For both of these research studies, pat-
ents have been filed and the rights have
WS been acquired by companies looking at
New Zealand-educated cancer researcher Lewis Pannell, Ph.D., conducts basic research on commercialization.
proteins just feet away from the clinical waiting areas at MCI. In addition to his research efforts, Pan-
nell is a professor of oncologic sciences.
When Lewis Pannell, Ph.D., arrived in we were there working on their behalf,” He also oversees the mass spectrometry
Mobile in 2002, he knew little except that says Pannell. lab, which analyzes biological samples
he was committing to a dream for a can- From the beginning, Pannell’s research and serves as an indispensable tool for re-
cer research and treatment facility in the focus has been proteomics, the study of search on proteomics, metabolomics and
area. Recruited from a tenured federal re- proteins and their role in cancer. The glycomics.
search position at the National Institutes first grant MCI received was for Pannell’s Since the MCI facility was completed in
of Health (NIH) by former Mitchell Cancer research “Automated Glyco-Analysis of 2008, more top physicians and research-
Institute Director Dr. Michael Boyd, Pan- Cancer Related Proteins,” a two-year grant ers have joined MCI, building an interac-
nell was drawn by the opportunity to help of nearly $300,000. tive collaboration. Research programs
build the facility from the ground up and to His most promising research has been have been developed in cancer biology,
enjoy some warmer weather. in the development of early detection drug discovery, DNA repair and cancer
As the facility’s first researcher, the New methods for some of the most intractable cell death and metabolism. Funding has
Zealand native was one of a handful of peo- and deadly cancers, like ovarian and pan- also grown substantially since Dr. Pan-
ple involved with the early planning of the creatic cancer. These cancers present few nell’s initial grant. Last year, MCI had
MCI facility. In fact, research influenced a symptoms and are hard to detect in their $3.3 million in peer-reviewed cancer-
critical element of the design. It was decid- early stages, when they are most treatable. related research grants.
ed that MCI’s research would not take place Often, these cancers have already spread “It’s very gratifying to see how research
behind closed doors, but in full view of pa- by the time they are discovered. has evolved at MCI,” says Pannell. “Go-
tients and staff, with its two research floors Pannell is currently involved in research ing forward, we hope to improve patient
surrounded by glass windows. with Dr. Rodney Rocconi and MCI Direc- survivorship through targeted therapies
“That was an intentional design. We tor Dr. Michael Finan on a screening test and personalized medicine, while gaining
wanted to see patients and be inspired by for ovarian cancer, which would be given at a better understanding of the causes and
them. And we wanted them to know that the time of an annual exam or pap smear. prevention of these cancers.” // MP
MCI researchers, staff win grants, contracts
Austin Cadden, M.B.A., M.P.H., Art Frankel, M.D., was awarded to develop a novel Ras inhibitor Komaraiah Palle, Ph.D., was
was awarded two grants from two contracts from Vedanta prodrug for the treatment of awarded a grant from the
the Alabama Department Biosciences Inc. to study the role colorectal cancer and an oral National Institutes of Health
of Public Health — one for a of gut bacteria in immunothera- formulation for a novel inhibitor to study targeted therapies to
colorectal cancer prevention py response. of Ras-driven cancers. overcome ovarian cancer che-
program and another for a moresistance and recurrence.
culinary medicine program. Yulia Maxuitenko, Ph.D., was Marie Migaud, Ph.D., was
He also earned a grant from awarded two Small Business awarded a grant from the Gary Piazza, Ph.D., was
Carevive Systems Inc., to study Innovation Research subcon- National Institutes of Health to awarded a grant from the
education and engagement tracts from ADT Pharmaceuti- study B vitamins. Breast Cancer Research
for leukemia patients. cals, a biotech startup of MCI, Foundation to evaluate a novel
10 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018From microscope to medicine
Three examples of MCI translational
projects that are helping to move
research results toward cancer care.
Ovarian cancer: stopping it
before it starts
MCI and Auburn University have part-
nered for a cure. Hens may hold the answer.
“Other than humans, hens are the only
animals that develop ovarian cancer natu-
rally,” says MCI’s Dr. Jennifer Scalici. The
gynecologic oncologist leads a team study-
ing a new drug — MCI-030 — to be tested
on chickens.
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“We believe our test model — hens — is
Cancer researcher Ajay SIngh, Ph.D., left, discusses a colorectal research project with
best because other animals must have can- medical oncologist Dr. Moh’d Khushman.
cer injected,” she adds. “If the test subject
must be manipulated, the results are more
difficult to interpret and less organic.”
exploring the role of pharmacogenomics Tanning beds: just say no
in patients with colorectal cancer. In spite of skin cancer warnings, people
The study could determine whether the “It is our ongoing work, our mission,
compound developed by Gary Piazza, Ph.D., love to tan. Research shows that melano-
to identify genes that show who re- ma increased by more than 250 percent in
chief of MCI’s Drug Discovery Research sponds to what,” adds Khushman. “By
Center, inhibits an enzyme believed essen- the U.S. between 1973 and 2011. Says MCI
knowing the patient’s gene signature, it researcher Casey Daniel, Ph.D., “We have
tial for ovarian tumor cell growth. may be possible to deliver tailored che-
“Our hope is this drug will prevent ovar- a lot of work to do.”
motherapy doses, reducing adverse side
ian cancer from occurring,” says Scalici. Daniel surveyed 2,500 University of
effects.”
The drug will be added to the hens’ feed South Alabama students, learning that 65
In similar research, Singh and Khush-
at the Auburn University Department of percent tanned outdoors, 51 percent used
man are exploring possibilities in how
Poultry Science. tanning beds and 21 percent used spray-on
body cells could aid a patient fighting
The study is funded by a $300,000 grant tanning.
pancreatic cancer.
from the U.S. Department of Defense. “Pancreatic cancer, though not com- Tanning beds aren’t safe, she says, and
mon, is ranked fourth in deaths,” ac- the verdict is still out on sprays and lotions.
Colorectal cancer: fighting back cording to Khushman. “The cancer cells In a study by co-researcher Natalie
The answer to colorectal cancer could communicate,” he says. “The disease Gassman, Ph.D., topical applications on
be pharmacogenomics. Short version: spreads quickly, and chemotherapy may tanned skin raised red flags. Gassman’s
the patient’s own body may lead the have multiple failures because the can- lab applied dihydroxyacetone, the active
fight. cer cell learns how to develop immunity ingredient in sunless tanning products, to
MCI’s Dr. Moh’d Khushman notes, and builds a defense.” living cells, and it killed them.
“Pharmacogenomics is the study of “If we can manipulate these cell mes- “We must raise awareness,” Daniel says.
genes and how a person’s genetic make- sages and actually use them as a vehicle She hopes the survey’s data can be used to
up effects a response to a drug.” The on- to carry drugs to the origin of entry, we precisely identify who tans, why and how
cologist joins MCI’s Ajay Singh, Ph.D., in would have a breakthrough,” he says. to target behavior and change it. // EB
compound for breast cancer Ajay Singh, Ph.D., was award- Seema Singh, Ph.D., was Robert W. Sobol, Ph.D., was
chemoprevention. ed a grant from the National awarded a Small Business awarded a grant to study
Institutes of Health to study Innovation Research subcon- novel approaches to enhance
Jennifer Scalici, M.D., was the molecular communication tract from Tatva Biosciences, a tumor cell cytotoxicity of al-
awarded a grant from the driving pancreatic cancer pro- biotech startup of MCI, for the kylating agents. Sobol is also a
U.S. Department of Defense gression. Orlandric Miree, a establishment of a 3D human subcontracting principal inves-
to study nonsteroidal anti- graduate student in the Singh tissue culture model system tigator on a project to develop
inflammatory drug derivatives lab, was awarded a supple- for advancing breast cancer a system approach to map-
for the chemoprevention of mental grant to study the mo- health disparity research. ping DNA damage response.
ovarian cancer in hens. lecular determinant of racial
disparity in prostate cancer.
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 11CLINICAL CARE
Support for patients during cancer care
“Too often, we focus, and justifiably so,
only on the cancer and curing it,” says But-
ler. “A physician will say your cancer is
gone. But it’s not over.”
Butler notes that cancer survivors may
still have issues such as chronic pain, scar
tissue, and physical and psychological reac-
tions. “Often we tend to overlook side effects
of therapy, which can be long lasting.” Some
65 percent of cancer patients deal with fa-
tigue, and other complications and reactions
like depression and fear are common.
“We need to learn how to prevent those
symptoms from occurring — not just treat
them after it happens,” he adds.
Supportive care is often confused with
palliative care, and the two occasionally
overlap, but not always. “Palliative care
has been given a bad name,” says Butler.
“People associate it with death or end-of-
MK life care. And yes, it can be, but sometimes,
‘end-of-life’ is a long time out.”
MCI’s new Supportive Care Clinic, developed by Dr. Thomas Butler, helps patients deal with
symptoms, side effects and anxiety during and after cancer treatment. His program is supportive oncology.
“We address quality-of-life issues,” he
notes. “The program is patient comfort-
In April 2017, the Mitchell Cancer In- more at a time. The Supportive Care Clinic
driven and patient-centered.”
stitute formally launched an innovative makes it doable.
It is not just treating cancer. It is looking
approach to fighting cancer — treat the “Basically, we are trying to make pa-
at ways to approach symptoms, or as But-
whole patient. tients feel as well as possible,” Butler adds.
ler calls it, “symptom management.”
It is a focus not just on cancer but also “The program focuses on patients. We
He notes that some cancers are diag-
on symptoms, side effects and anxiety that listen to what is going on with them and
nosed in advanced stages and not thought
are part and parcel of the disease. strive to help them through it.”
to be curable. “I look at it as we have an
MCI’s new Supportive Care Clinic is Patients are an integral part of the team,
incurable process, but we have options in
driven in part by Dr. Thomas Butler, se- along with nurses, nutritionists, occu-
treatment,” he says. “Patients review the
nior staff medical oncologist and associate pational therapists, physical therapists,
information that’s available, then decide
professor of interdisciplinary clinical on- pharmacologists and doctors.
whether they prefer to pursue a treatment
cology, in part by a team of health profes- “A team can do together what one physi-
with little benefit but lots of side effects
sionals and in part by the patient. cian cannot,” notes Butler. “As doctors, we
or opt for no treatment at all.” It is up to
“Survivors hear plenty about fighting hear from our patients about how we don’t
the individual, but an informed decision is
cancer, and the emphasis has always been have time to spend with them. It is one of
made based on team input.
on curing the disease, which is vital,” says the biggest complaints. They want more
Patients are usually introduced to the
Butler. “But in the past, we have not devot- time and more listening.”
program by physician referral, but they
ed enough time to addressing the patient’s After listening to patient concerns, the
can also inquire on their own.
side effects. team may consider alternative solutions
“A lot of folks do not know about sup-
“We need to listen to what is going on to a diagnosis and complications from it:
during the battle and help patients with Can medication dosage be changed? Is the portive oncology yet,” says Butler. “We
getting through the process.” patient receiving enough rest? Are care- are trying to market it more, and as our
MCI’s Supportive Care Clinic recogniz- givers available? team grows we will do more and offer
es the struggle is not just with the disease. The program works under the philoso- more services.
Side effects of treatment can be anything phy that all cancer patients must be treat- “I’m an oncologist who does palliative
from fatigue and blood clots to stress, anx- ed as unique individuals with personal treatment,” he says. “That doesn’t always
iety and outright fear. needs, goals and spiritual beliefs. It deals mean end of life. It can mean quality of
Sometimes, it seems, the cancer treat- with concepts and asks questions: What life.”
ment needs treatment. is bothering the patient? How can issues MCI’s Supportive Care Clinic strives for
But individual and undivided attention affecting the patient’s quality of life be that quality of life, and a life that is ulti-
is not always easy, especially when an on- improved? What barriers are in the way? mately cancer, pain, and symptom free for
cologist can be caring for 600 patients or What are treatment strategies? as long as possible. // EB
12 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018Clinical trials offer patient
options, boost MCI’s profile
Increasingly, USA Mitchell Cancer In- with Phase I establishing safe dosing levels
stitute is drawing national attention for and Phase II trials gauging effectiveness
its work in clinical trials — research and exploring safe use in small popula-
studies that test new treatments. MCI has tions. Phase III trials provide the final test,
more than 50 cancer clinical trials open with many participants at many sites. MCI
to patients, the most available in south conducts all three phases.
Alabama. Providing access to clinical trials offers
In one trial, the genetically engineered patients early access to cutting-edge treat-
vaccine Vigil was shown to be tolerated ment. “Without exception, every therapy
well by patients with recurrent ovarian we have for cancer patients is based on WS
cancer. Dr. Rodney Rocconi, MCI associate prior clinical trials. It’s the best care for Luciana Madeira da Silva, Ph.D., and
director for clinical research, led the Phase patients,” Rocconi says. “Here at MCI, Dr. Rodney Rocconi review ovarian
I trial of the drug developed by Dallas bio- we’ve seen a tremendous growth in our cancer research results.
tech firm Gradalis. clinical trials.”
“Unlike most other immune therapies, In June 2018, the results of a ground- people from having to take unnecessary
this vaccine stimulates the patient’s im- breaking study hit the national news, sug- chemotherapy,” MCI’s Dr. Thomas Butler
mune cells to recognize and attack the gesting that not all women with early-stage said in a media interview. He pointed out
tumor specifically,” says Rocconi, who breast cancer benefit from chemotherapy. that patients often enroll in clinical trials
presented his findings to the Society of Of the thousands of women enrolled in the in an effort to “pay it forward” — know-
Gynecologic Oncology in March. trial nationally, 70 were patients at MCI. ing their participation may help a future
Clinical trials test drugs in three phases, “It’s going to save tens of thousands of patient. // CMcP
MCI launches specialty pharmacy
MCI provides an easy process for physi- effects such as hair loss. New oral agents
cians to order the oral chemotherapy, in- target cancer cells more specifically, at-
teract with the pharmacy team and know tacking the malfunctioning proteins that
that patients are getting the proper drug,” cause cancer cells to grow and spread. Be-
says Theresa McLaughlin, administrator cause these flawed proteins are not found
of MCI Clinical Operations, who is over- in normal cells, the drugs may have fewer
seeing development of the pharmacy. side effects.
In 2017, 5,500 specialty prescriptions The specialty pharmacy fills only pre-
were written by MCI oncologists. scriptions for oral oncolytics and medica-
In the past, MCI patients who receive tions that treat side effects and only those
oral chemotherapy drugs have typically written by MCI physicians for their MCI
been referred to out-of-state pharmacies patients. Prescriptions can be picked up
WS
that fill prescriptions by mail, with min- at MCI in Mobile or delivered to patients’
Brittney Carden, Pharm.D., counsels a patient
imal personal interaction. Offering that homes.
on her medication.
service at MCI brings a human touch to Patient interaction is a key feature of the
Cancer patients on some therapies at the process. new pharmacy. Due to the complexities
USA Mitchell Cancer Institute can now MCI is also responding to a shift in treat- associated with oral oncolytics, patients
fill uncommon prescriptions at MCI’s new ment approaches, including the rise of tar- require continuous help from pharmacy
specialty pharmacy. geted oral oncolytics, she says. Prescribed staff. The pharmacy will employ a phar-
Specialty pharmacies dispense medi- only since the early 2000s, these medica- macist, pharmacy tech, two PRNs and a
cines that are not usually found at neigh- tions are a rapidly growing facet of cancer patient advocate whose sole function will
borhood pharmacies because the drugs treatment, now including more than 25 be to help patients defray the cost of some
are costly, more complicated to adminis- percent of anti-cancer therapies in devel- of the drugs, which can run as high as
ter and not widely available. The patients opment by pharmaceutical companies. $25,000 a month.
who take them also require closer supervi- While traditional IV chemotherapy has Says McLaughlin, “I think the pharmacy
sion and monitoring. been shown to be effective, it can also and the services it provides will become
“Having our own specialty pharmacy at damage healthy cells, resulting in side an invaluable resource.” // MP
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 13NEWS
What’s new and what’s next at MCI
McCarron named
associate VP
After six years as MCI development
director, Kelly McCarron has been pro-
moted to associate vice president for Med-
ical Affairs, Health Development for USA
Health. She now oversees development for
the entire health system, including USA
Medical Center, USA Children’s & Wom-
en’s Hospital, USA Physicians Group, MCI,
the College of Medicine and its Medical
Alumni Association.
Biber becomes assistant
CFO for USA Health
Carl Biber has been named assistant
chief financial officer for USA Health. He
brings 15 years of experience in health M
MK care finance, most recently as chief finan-
Dr. Regina Benjamin, former surgeon general of the U.S., speaks at the USA Mitchell Cancer cial officer and vice president of finance
Institute Kilborn Clinic grand opening in Fairhope in January 2018. Other speakers are (from for Columbus Regional HealthCare Sys-
left) Dr. Michael Finan, USA President Tony Waldrop, Margaret Sullivan, clinic namesake and tem in North Carolina. The key challenge
supporter Vince Kilborn, cancer survivor Fletcher Comer (not visible) and Dr. John Marymont.
for health care systems, Biber says, is to
re-strategize health care delivery, turning
Clinical administrator, medical physicist, physicians join MCI any inefficiencies into opportunities.
Theresa McLaughlin is the new admin- Jennifer Young Pierce, M.D., M.P.H.,
istrator of clinical services at USA Mitchell a gynecologic oncologist with a research
Cancer Institute. Formerly chief oper- interest in cervical cancer, has joined
MCI joins Precision
ating officer at Southern Cancer Center, MCI as the leader of Cancer Control and Oncology Alliance
McLaughlin now oversees MCI’s clinical Prevention, a member of the GYN oncol- MCI has joined Caris Life Sciences Pre-
practices. She holds a bachelor’s degree in ogy team and professor of interdisciplin- cision Oncology Alliance, which consists
nursing from the University of Alabama at ary clinical oncology. Pierce comes to of more than 20 cancer institutions. The
Birmingham and has more than three de- MCI from Hollings Cancer Center at the alliance seeks to broaden patient access
cades of experience in oncology. Medical University of South Carolina. to precision medicine tools and establish
evidence-based standards for tumor pro-
Jiajin “James” Fan, Ph.D., has been Teja Poosarla, M.D., has joined MCI filing and molecular testing in oncology.
named chief medical physicist and profes- as a medical oncologist and assistant MCI will contribute expertise as a member
sor of interdisciplinary clinical oncology professor of interdisciplinary clinical of the gynecologic subgroup.
at MCI. He comes to MCI from Fox Chase oncology. Poosarla, a graduate of the
Cancer Center in Philadelphia, where he University of South Alabama College of
was director of medical physics at Virtua Medicine, completed an internal med- MCI collaborates with
Health System and a lead physicist for Cy- icine internship and residency at Ochs-
berKnife Stereotactic Radiosurgery. Fan ner Clinic Foundation and a hematology/ Vedanta Biosciences
will develop treatment plans in MCI’s Ra- oncology fellowship at the University of MCI is one of several institutions world-
diation Oncology Services department. Mississippi Medical Center. wide to participate in a translational medi-
cine collaboration in cancer immunotherapy
with Vedanta Biosciences, an affiliate of
Medical oncology fellowship begins at USA PureTech Health. Based in Massachusetts,
Ashish Manne, M.B.B.S., and Pranitha program, which will help train the next Vedanta Biosciences is a world leader in
Prodduturvar, M.B.B.S., are the first two generation of medical oncologists to serve the microbiome field. The new collabora-
physicians chosen for a new two-year the Southeast. tion, led by MCI Chief of Medical Oncology
medical oncology fellowship program at Dr. David Clarkson, MCI senior staff Art Frankel, M.D., will analyze associa-
the University of South Alabama. medical oncologist and professor of inter- tions between the gut microbiome and re-
The Accreditation Council for Gradu- disciplinary clinical oncology, is director sponses to checkpoint inhibitor treatment
ate Medical Education approved the new of the fellowship program. in multiple tumor types.
14 | Minds Conquering Cancer 2018MK MK MK
USA Mitchell Cancer Institute
2018-19 Events
11TH ANNUAL GO RUN TOUCH A TRUCK
September 15, 2018 March 16, 2019 • 10 a.m.-2 p.m.
6:30 a.m. registration • 8 a.m. 5K • 9 a.m. Fun Run Hank Aaron Stadium
USA Campus: Moulton Tower & Alumni Plaza Benefits Pediatric Cancer Research, Adoption Rocks
Benefits Gynecologic Cancer Research
Presented by the Catranis Family Charitable Foundation HOPE GROWS HERE
April 7, 2019 • 12:30-4 p.m.
THINK PINK TEA USA Mitchell Cancer Institute Kilborn Clinic
October 4, 2018 • 4-6 p.m. Benefits Clinical Operations
Mobile Convention Center
Promotes Breast Cancer Awareness HOPE CARD CHARITY SHOPPING EVENT
May 1 – May 12, 2019
7 TH ANNUAL SALTY WORM BRACKISH Local retailers
Benefits Ethelyn B. Hays Patient Assistance
CLASSIC AND DELTA BASH Endowment Fund
October 20, 2018 • 1-5 p.m.
Bluegill Restaurant
Benefits the Gaillard Pancreatic 7TH ANNUAL HOPE CUP
Cancer Research Endowment GOLF TOURNAMENT
Spring 2019
10TH ANNUAL CELEBRATE HOPE Benefits Melanoma and Skin Cancer Endowment,
November 15, 2018 • 6-10 p.m. Research and Treatment Needs
USA Mitchell Cancer Institute
USAMCI.COM
Benefits Cancer Research
LEFT: Salty Worm Brackish Classic and Delta Bash CENTER: Touch a Truck RIGHT: Hope Grows Here
Minds Conquering Cancer 2018 | 15Non-Profit
U.S. Postage
PAID
1660 Springhill Avenue Mobile, AL
Mobile, AL 36604-1405 Permit No. 506
Celebrating hope’s success
Celebrate Hope has reason to celebrate.
Over its nine-year history, the festive
event has raised more than $2.8 million
for USA Mitchell Cancer Institute. All of
that money has been used locally, and all
has been used to support cancer research.
Not overhead. Not administration-heavy
foundations or charity organization. But
research pure and simple.
From its earliest days, Mitchell Cancer
Institute looked for a signature event to
boost support. Enter Cynthia Zipperly.
“She’s a visionary,” says Kelly McCarron,
associate vice president for medical affairs
development at USA Health. “She’s fabu-
MK
lous at what she does.”
A garland of chairs circled the stage for the 2017 Celebrate Hope: Love, Hope, Chairity. MCI’s
Zipperly wanted an event that would en- signature event mingles food and fun for a chance to brighten the horizon for cancer research.
gage not only MCI but also the Mobile med-
ical community and the region in general. and let it grow. A couple years later, the heard pitches from four researchers and
Zipperly jokes that the inspiration prob- first investment came in a pair of confocal voted for the project they thought should
ably came in the shower — her only qui- microscopes. receive the proceeds. Steve McClellan
et time when her kids were little. “That’s That investment snowballed. The spe- won the most votes, earning funds for a
when my brain starts going — what does cialty equipment attracted an additional circular cell sorter — a key tool in efforts
our community need now?” researcher, who in turn attracted addition- to prevent recurrence of cancer.
The answer, she decided, was an event on al research grant funding. This year, event participants will have the
the MCI campus, showing off the facilities Meanwhile, Celebrate Hope rolled on. same chance to influence the use of funds
and the unexpected mix of clinical care with Tonia Silverstein and Jerry Silverstein raised, says Doug Whitmore, who is leading
research. She encouraged local chefs to took the helm as the event matured. Sheri the 2018 event. Offering guests the oppor-
participate, offering specialty dishes paired Weber joined the leadership team, then tunity to help spend some $300,000 — and
with the perfect wine or beer. Live music. Kelly and Craig Fowler, Michael Druhan, to learn about the research in progress at
Beautiful decorations. And an atmosphere Laureen Lynn. Dozens of others designed MCI — is powerful, Whitmore says. And it
that allowed people to mingle and learn. elaborate settings, recruited chefs, booked helps attract younger participants, which is
Cancer is an enormous problem — she entertainment and managed logistics. crucial for maintaining a pool of donors and
knows from watching friends and rela- “It takes the leadership of community volunteers.
tions battle it. “Unless we all work togeth- volunteers to pull this off,” says McCarron, In 2018, says Whitmore, “we celebrate
er, we can’t solve the problem as quickly,” “We are really blessed to have a very tal- 10 years of research, 10 years of people
Zipperly says. ented pool of volunteers. They are an in- who fought and beat cancer, 10 years of
That first year, 2009, the event netted credible group of people, offering their people who couldn’t beat it but aided in
$200,000. MCI and the Celebrate Hope time, talent and treasure.” the mission, donors, past chairs — all the
volunteers opted to tuck the money away Last year, those attending the event things that got us to this point.” //NBYou can also read
