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VCU Massey Cancer Center’s Walter Lawrence Research Retreat welcomed a standing-room-only crowd on Friday morning for a day of scientific presentations from Massey faculty and student-presented poster sessions.

The evening before, the retreat kicked off with a cocktail reception, remarks from Massey leadership and a presentation of awards at VCU Health’s Adult Outpatient Pavilion. Robert A. Winn, M.D., Massey’s director and Lipman Chair in Oncology, celebrated Massey’s recent designation from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as a Comprehensive Cancer Center and reflected on the importance of collaboration between clinical and research faculty.

“The best athlete on the floor never beats the best team on the floor,” he said, adding, “We came together as a team” to increase Massey’s team science grants, an important measure for comprehensive status.

The program overviews and research presented on Friday encouraged the continuation of that teamwork, with faculty members sharing information about new and ongoing clinical trials and facilitating discussions with colleagues and students.

Winn also acknowledged his predecessor and the namesake of the two-day retreat, Walter Lawrence Jr., M.D., and his legacy in health equity and social justice work.

“Lawrence was not only a giant in introducing the concept of surgical oncology to the world, he was also the guy who stood and had the integrity to make sure what he was doing benefitted everybody independent of how they looked and what was in their pocket,” said Winn. “He taught us that medicine should belong to everyone.”

Paula Fracasso, M.D., Ph.D., gave an update on the VCU Massey Cancer Service Line

Paula Fracasso, M.D., Ph.D., Massey’s deputy director and senior vice president of the cancer service line at VCU Health, followed with an update on the VCU Massey Cancer Service Line and its importance for a comprehensive cancer center and a more seamless patient journey.

“The research we do here drives a change in scientific discoveries nationally and internationally,” said Fracasso. “In turn, that improves the health care of communities in Virginia.” 

Research program members share latest findings

Friday morning’s presentations began with introductions by the leaders of Massey’s Cancer Biology, Developmental Therapeutics and Cancer Prevention & Control programs, followed by presentations of science from those teams.

Christopher Green, Ph.D., assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the VCU School of Medicine and member of the Cancer Biology program, gave a research update on his work investigating the role of sphingolipids in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) — the most common form of liver cancer — in men and women. His lab found that a particular gene, sphingosine kinase 2, acts to promote diet-induced HCC in male mice but is actually protective in females.

Representing the Developmental Therapeutics program, Yuesheng Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., the Harrigan, Haw, Luck Families Chair in Cancer Research at Massey and professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the VCU School of Medicine, presented on his work developing a protein therapeutic for the treatment of HER2- and EGFR-positive cancers.

Jennifer Rohan, Ph.D., LCP, director of psychosocial clinical care and research at Massey and the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU, presented on behalf of the Cancer Prevention & Control program. Her work examines the use of patient avatars and narrative storytelling to describe the patient-centered experience with and without cancer. 

Students at the Walter Lawrence Research Retreat prepared to share their scientific posters

Investigator-initiated clinical trials

Over the next several sessions, Massey faculty members presented investigator-initiated clinical trial concepts designed to address the specific needs of Massey’s catchment area and community:

• Said Sebti, Ph.D., associate director of basic research at Massey and professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology at the VCU School of Medicine: “KRAS addiction transcriptome signature as a biomarker predictor of drug response in mutant KRAS lung cancer patients treated with neratinib and cobimetinib combination”
• Alexander Lucas, Ph.D., assistant professor of Health Behavior and Policy at the VCU School of Medicine: “Developing and refining a behavioral exercise training intervention for medically underserved men undergoing androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer”
• Bridget Quinn, M.D., Ph.D., assistant professor of Radiation Oncology at Massey: “Accelerated super-hypofractionated breast brachytherapy (ASHBY)”
• Andrew Poklepovic, M.D., associate director for clinical research and professor of internal medicine at Massey: “Evaluation of the anticancer agent GZ17-6.02 in progressive advanced prostate cancer”

Ending on a high note

The Frank D. Pendleton Memorial Lecture was given by Marcia Cruz-Correa, M.D., Ph.D., the executive director of the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center. Cruz-Correa, whose specialty is gastrointestinal oncology, gave a keynote address on gastrointestinal cancer disparities in Hispanic populations.

Addressing younger researchers and students in the room, Cruz-Correa said, “Innovation doesn’t happen in an empty space. It happens stepwise: one step, another step, another step, until you have the great idea. That great idea is founded on the work of all those people who came before us. Never think the research you’re doing is not important. Everything that we do is another step.” 

Marcia Cruz-Correa, M.D., Ph.D., gave the Frank D. Pendleton Memorial Lecture

Cruz-Correa also shared excitement about a memorandum of understanding between Massey and the University of Puerto Rico Comprehensive Cancer Center, noting that both put community at the center of everything.

“We have a lot of things in common and together we can achieve much more than each of us alone,” she said. “We hope that this will serve as a model for many other cancer centers.”

Closing the day on a high note, Massey leadership announced the day’s poster winners and presented awards to Massey staff and faculty.

Poster winners

• Developmental Therapeutics: Cynthia Ong, in the lab of Kandace McGuire, M.D., chief of breast surgery at Massey and professor in the Department of Surgery at the VCU School of Medicine
• Cancer Prevention and Control: Katelyn Schifano, in the lab of Maria Thomson, Ph.D., director of Community Engagement in Research at Massey and associate professor in the VCU Department of Health Behavior and Policy
• Cancer Biology: Jessanne Lichtenberg, in the lab of Priscilla Hwang, Ph.D., assistant professor in the VCU College of Engineering 
   
Andrew Poklepovic, M.D., and Liz Boyd, R.N., were awarded for their contributions to Massey.

Massey faculty and staff awards

• Clinician of the Year: Andrew Poklepovic, M.D.
• Most Valuable Clinical Professional of the Year: Liz Boyd, R.N., head and neck oncology
• Scientist of the Year: Anthony Faber, Ph.D., co-leader of the Developmental Therapeutics research program and Natalie N. and John R. Congdon, Sr., Endowed Chair in Cancer Research at Massey, and associate professor of Oral and Craniofacial Molecular Biology at the VCU School of Dentistry
• Most Valuable Academic Professional of the Year: Michelle Lin, M.B.A., Chief Administrative Officer