Beyond the findings
How quickly the findings have found their way back to the clinic is remarkable, Jänne comments. "The discovery was first published in April 2004, and four months later it was available to help guide decisions in patient care. I think this completes the circle from bedside to bench and back to the bedside."
Implications go far beyond the case of Iressa and lung cancer. In the wake of these findings, the Kinase Project group is now searching for EGFR mutations in other cancers. These would be logical candidates to treat with Iressa and Tarceva, a newer Iressa-like drug, and future EGFR inhibitors.
The Institute was well positioned, Meyerson says, to take on a challenge that would involve top-level laboratory investigators with strong clinical backgrounds, as well as physicians who treated lung cancer patients and are also grounded in the basic science.
Adds Sellers, "The strength of Dana-Farber lies in a powerful organizational strategy to bring together clinical and scientific research to solve these and other mysteries about cancer."
