Roswell Park Researchers Receive Grants to Study New Anticancer Agent in Lung, Colorectal, Gastrointestinal Cancers

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Researchers at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center (Roswell Park) have garnered three of four grants awarded by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) Oncology Research Program (ORP) to evaluate and define the clinical effectiveness of the investigational compound nintedanib*, also known as BIBF 1120. These grants were made possible through general research funding provided to NCCN from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc. 

The three Roswell Park researchers — Alex Adjei, MD, PhD, FACP, Patrick Boland, MD and Renuka Iyer, MD — will collectively receive more than $1.3 million to conduct studies of the agent’s effectiveness in treating non-small-cell lung cancer, metastatic colorectal cancer, and gastrointestinal carcinoid tumors, respectively.

Nintedanib is an investigational orally-administered triple angiokinase inhibitor that targets three of the receptor tyrosine kinases shown to aid in the regulation of angiogenesis: fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR), platelet-derived growth factor receptor (PDGFR), and vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). Angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, is also involved in the growth of cancerous tumors by supplying nutrients and oxygen – often referred to as tumor angiogenesis.[i] All three receptors are associated with tumor angiogenesis, and their blockade may lead to the inhibition of tumor growth and spread.[ii]

The awardees responded to a request for proposals issued by the NCCN ORP to the 25 NCCN Member Institutions. Submissions were peer-reviewed by the NCCN Nintedanib Scientific Review Committee. The funded concepts were selected based on several criteria, including scientific merit, existing data and the types of studies necessary to further evaluate the efficacy of nintedanib.

The NCCN ORP draws on the expertise of investigators at NCCN Member Institutions and the NCCN Affiliate Research Consortium (ARC) to facilitate all phases of clinical research. This research is made possible by collaborations with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in order to advance therapeutic options for patients with cancer. To date, this successful research model has received approximately $49.5 million in research grants and supported 113 studies that have produced a number of publications in peer-reviewed journals. For more information about the NCCN ORP and ongoing clinical trials, visit NCCN.org/ORP.

* This compound is investigational and not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Its safety and efficacy have not been established.

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The mission of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is to understand, prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1898, Roswell Park is one of the first cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center and remains the only facility with this designation in Upstate New York. The Institute is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers; maintains affiliate sites; and is a partner in national and international collaborative programs. For more information, visit www.roswellpark.org, call 1-800-ROSWELL (1-800-767-9355) or email AskRoswell@Roswellpark.org. Follow Roswell Park on Facebook and Twitter.