Action to Cure Kidney Cancer

Ken YounerACKC is proud to announce the appointment of Dr. Kenneth Youner as Medical Director of our organization. Dr. Youner, who is a 6-year survivor of stage IV kidney cancer, is a gastroenterologist by training and has had 30 years practical experience in his field. In the area of kidney cancer advocacy, Dr. Youner has been an advisor to ACKC since 2005. Among his other advocacy activities, in 2008, he served as a Super Advocate to the National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship and testified before Congressional health aides in Washington, DC on NCCS's behalf. He serves as New Jersey State Delegate to the Livestrong Lance Armstrong Foundation and has participated in several bicycle rides to support their work. Dr. Youner is also an active member of the Association of Online Cancer Resources (ACOR) listserv providing medical advice to kidney cancer patients and caregivers. Finally, Dr. Youner has represented ACKC in our recent lobbying campaign in Washington to urge Congress to appropriate additional funding for kidney cancer research.

Geoffrey Clark

Geoffrey Clark, Associate Professor of molecular biology at the University of Louisville, KY, was selected to receive a 3-year grant, commencing in July 2009, as part of the Department of Defense's Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP). Dr. Clark's research will focus on a tumor suppressor gene called RASSF1A, which, along with the VHL gene, is turned off in a majority of kidney cancers with clear cell pathology. In one aspect of his study, Dr. Clark will research drugs that turn on RASSF1A to observe their effect on kidney cancer progression.

The fact that kidney cancer is currently one of the 19 diseases that are eligible for research grants from PRMRP is a direct result of the lobbying campaigns that Action to Cure Kidney Cancer (ACKC) has conducted for the last 4 years in Washington, DC. Dr. Clark's grant is projected to be in the range of $485,000.

July 11, 2009 Saturday, 2-4 PM  
                                 Lenox Hill Hospital Einhorn Auditorium 131 East 76th Street 
                                 (between Park and Lexington) New York City

For information or RSVP, contact Charlotte Hettena 516 593-4897 chettena@optonline.net

Pfizer is Announcing a New Phase 3 Trial for Axitinib (AG-013736)

Pfizer will soon announce the opening of a large scale, Phase 3 randomized trial in the U.S. and 20 other countries testing axitinib versus sorafenib (Nexavar) in patients who have previously failed a therapy, either cytokine (Interleukin-2 or Interferon) or a targeted therapy including Sutent. Pfizer expects to start the trial this summer and hopes to get the first IRB approval in June or July, 2008.

The Dear Colleague letter requesting the $15 million appropriation, which, if granted, would increase the federal research budget for kidney cancer research by half is scheduled to be voted on in July.

Please call, and have all your friends and family call your/their Defense Appropriations Subcommittee Senators' health aides and ask them to have their Senators approve the Dear Colleague letter that is asking for the $15 million appropriation.

The Senators on the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee are:

Senator Daniel Inouye (Chairman) (HI)

Senator Robert C. Byrd (WV)

Senator Patrick Leahy (VT)

Senator Tom Harkin (IA)

Senator Byron Dorgan (ND)

Senator Richard Durbin (IL)

ACKC has been successful in getting the Department of Defense to include kidney cancer as one of 21 areas eligible to compete for research funds in the Peer Reviewed Medical Research Program as part of the Congressionally Directed Medical Research Program. The total pot is $50 million. There are four award mechanisms funding grants from $900,000 plus indirect costs to $2.5 million plus indirect costs. the grants are from three to four years. To see the full details go to:

http://cdmrp.army.mil/pubs/press/2008/08prmrppreann.htm

Last year Maria Czyzyk-Kreska, MD, PhD, of the University of Cincinnati received a three year grant of $932,919 for kidney cancer research.

Maria Czyzyk-Krzeska

ACKC Lobbying Efforts Result in $933k Grant for Kidney Cancer Research

In 2006, Action to Cure Kidney Cancer and its supporters lobbied Congress seeking a $15 million appropriation within the Department of Defense's Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) for kidney cancer research (see Campaign 2006 below for details). Although we did not get the $15 million, we were successful in getting kidney cancer listed as one of the twenty-eight topic areas eligible to compete for $50 million in research grants in the FY2006 Peer Reviewed Medical Program (PRMRP), which is also within the CDMRP. This was the first time kidney cancer was eligible to receive Department of Defense (DoD) money for research.

Incidental Finding

Cynthia Chauhan has compiled an excellent and very readable book of essays on kidney cancer called "Incidental Finding", published in December 2005. The contributors are a mix of researchers and physicians from the Mayo Clinic and kidney cancer survivors who tell their own personal stories. Cynthia is making the book available without charge to the first 1000 kidney cancer survivors/caregivers who request it. A generous contributor is allowing ACKC to distribute the book without charge as well.