Memorial Sloan Kettering - Hackensack Meridian Health Partnership Announces Funding for Inaugural Immunology Research Collaboration Projects

HACKENSACK, N.J. and NEW YORK, June 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of the Memorial Sloan Kettering – Hackensack Meridian Health Partnership, the two organizations have formed an Immunology Research Collaboration. Through this joint initiative, researchers can apply for funding to support innovative investigations to explore the power of the immune system and ways it may be harnessed to fight cancer.

The three researchers with projects selected in 2020 for funding support over one to two years are:

• Johannes Zakrzewski, M.D., Associate Member in the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, is leading the project "Targeting Auto and Neoantigens with In Vivo-Generated Antigen-Specific T Cells." Through this project, his lab will investigate novel strategies for cancer immunotherapy and immunosurveillance by employing the capacity of the thymus gland in mice to produce cancer-targeted T-cells, and by harnessing advances in gene therapy and chimeric antigen receptor technology to help lay the groundwork for future cancer immunotherapy treatment options that are safe and durable. This immunotherapy approach could be especially suitable for children and young adults with cancer.
• Boglarka Gyurkocza, M.D., a Memorial Sloan Kettering medical oncologist, is leading the project "Targeting the Gut Microbiome to Improve Outcomes after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation." This project will explore in an ongoing clinical trial whether certain antibiotics preserve specific anaerobic intestinal microbiota in patients who have received stem cell transplants, and how preserving this gut flora affects the risk of patients developing graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), a serious complication of stem cell transplant. The trial is currently open at MSK and will also open at the John Theurer Cancer Center. Dr. Gyurkocza and colleagues will also examine how the loss of anaerobic gut flora may impact the risk of relapse and progression in multiple myeloma mouse models.
• Rena Feinman, Ph.D., Associate Member in the Hackensack Meridian Health Center for Discovery and Innovation, is leading a project called "Impact of the Gut Microbiome on Immunotherapeutic Response in Multiple Myeloma." She and the project team will investigate whether distinct gut microbiota can predict the risk for relapse in patients with high-risk multiple myeloma who received the standard of care, including a stem cell transplant from a donor. By analyzing the gut microbiota in patients' stool before and after transplant, the researchers will also be able to personalize which antibiotics a patient receives. Dr. Feinman will also explore the relationship between the gut microbiome and multiple myeloma progression in experimental models.

"Immunotherapy has become an essential pillar of cancer treatment, but much remains to be discovered about the immune system and new ways to take advantage of its power to treat cancer effectively," said Paul Sabbatini, M.D., deputy physician-in-chief for clinical research at Memorial Sloan Kettering. "The Immunology Research Collaboration between Memorial Sloan Kettering and Hackensack Meridian Health gives researchers an opportunity to delve deeply into unexplored facets of the immune system, both in the lab and clinic, and speed discoveries that will ultimately contribute to reducing the burden of cancer on our patients, their families, and the world. We are enthusiastic about the potential of these three research projects and look forward to their results."

"While immunotherapy is revolutionizing cancer treatment, its benefits are not always sustainable over the long term," noted Andrew Goy, M.D., M.S., chairman and executive director of John Theurer Cancer Center and physician-in-chief of the Hackensack Meridian Health Oncology Care Transformation Service. "The work of these investigators will expand our knowledge of the immune system and glean new insights which may lead to novel immunotherapeutics that are more powerful and more durable than those we are using today. These projects capture the collaborative spirit of this initiative and could have a significant impact on patient outcomes."

ABOUT HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care.

Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 17 hospitals from Bergen to Ocean counties, which includes three academic medical centers – Hackensack University Medical Center in Hackensack, Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune, JFK Medical Center in Edison; two children's hospitals - Joseph M. Sanzari Children's Hospital in Hackensack, K. Hovnanian Children's Hospital in Neptune; nine community hospitals – Bayshore Medical Center in Holmdel, Mountainside Medical Center in Montclair, Ocean Medical Center in Brick, Palisades Medical Center in North Bergen, Pascack Valley Medical Center in Westwood, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Old Bridge, Raritan Bay Medical Center in Perth Amboy, Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank, and Southern Ocean Medical Center in Manahawkin; a behavioral health hospital – Carrier Clinic in Belle Mead; and two rehabilitation hospitals - JFK Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison and Shore Rehabilitation Institute in Brick.

Additionally, the network has more than 500 patient care locations throughout the state which include ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, urgent care centers and physician practice locations. Hackensack Meridian Health has more than 35,000 team members, and 7,000 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

The network's notable distinctions include having four hospitals among the top in New Jersey by U.S. News and World Report. Other honors include consistently achieving Magnet® recognition for nursing excellence from the American Nurses Credentialing Center and being named to Becker's Healthcare's "150 Top Places to Work in Healthcare/2019" list.

The Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University opened in 2018, the first private medical school in New Jersey in more than 50 years, welcomed its second class of 96 students in 2019 to its ON3 campus in Nutley and Clifton. Additionally, the network partnered with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center to find more cures for cancer faster while ensuring that patients have access to the highest quality, most individualized cancer care when and where they need it.

Hackensack Meridian Health is a member of AllSpire Health Partners, an interstate consortium of leading health systems, to focus on the sharing of best practices in clinical care and achieving efficiencies.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

ABOUT MEMORIAL SLOAN KETTERING

As the world's oldest and largest private cancer center, Memorial Sloan Kettering has devoted more than 135 years to exceptional patient care, influential educational programs, and innovative research to discover more effective strategies to prevent, control and, ultimately, cure cancer. MSK is home to more than 20,000 physicians, scientists, nurses, and staff united by a relentless dedication to conquering cancer. Today, we are one of 51 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers, with state-of-the-art science and technology supporting groundbreaking clinical studies, personalized treatment, and compassionate care for our patients. We also train the next generation of clinical and scientific leaders in oncology through our continually evolving educational programs, here and around the world. Year after year, we are ranked among the top two cancer hospitals in the country, consistently recognized for our expertise in adult and pediatric oncology specialties. www.mskcc.org.

SOURCE Hackensack Meridian Health

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http://www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org