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Center for RAS Therapeutics

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    Contact the Center for RAS Therapeutics

    857-215-4727

    The Dana-Farber Center for RAS Therapeutics is a multi-disciplinary initiative that seeks to advance novel treatment approaches to transform the lives of patients with RAS-driven cancers through scientific discovery, translational research, and clinical investigation. The Center for RAS Therapeutics brings together expert clinicians and talented researchers to discover new RAS-targeted therapies and to provide patients with the most promising treatment options.

    Cancer is typically caused by alterations in normal genes leading to the abnormal growth and survival of cells in the body. When mutated, these normal genes become powerful drivers of cancer development. RAS genes are among the most commonly mutated genes in human cancer, with over 20% of all cancers harboring a mutation in one of three RAS genes, including KRAS, NRAS, and HRAS. RAS proteins normally function as a molecular switch that controls cellular growth and survival. RAS mutations in cancer lock this switch in the “on” state, fueling cancer development and progression.

    Our Work With RAS

    Despite RAS being one of the highest priority therapeutic targets in cancer, it has proven to be a significant challenge to develop drugs targeting this protein. However, recent advances in chemistry have led to the discovery of multiple new drugs that can inhibit these cancer-causing RAS mutations. These new RAS inhibitors have shown promising results in the clinic, leading to early FDA approvals for two RAS inhibitors in lung and colorectal cancer. Currently, dozens of new RAS inhibitors are being evaluated in clinical trials in challenging diseases, including pancreatic, lung, colorectal, and gynecologic cancers. Moreover, new approaches to harness the immune system to target RAS alterations in cancer are showing encouraging results, including cellular therapies and vaccine strategies. Together, these new therapies stand to revolutionize the treatment of RAS-driven cancers.

    Our Mission and Goals

    Our overall mission is to discover and develop the most impactful RAS-directed therapies for patients with RAS-driven cancers through:

    • Rigorous preclinical studies to understand RAS biology, test novel therapeutics, and elucidate resistance mechanisms
    • Rational design of efficacious combination strategies to combat resistance
    • Rapid activation and accrual to the most promising clinical trials of RAS-directed therapies
    • Reverse translational studies to learn directly from every patient
    • Robust academic-industry collaborations

    Why Our Research Matters

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    RAS is the most commonly mutated oncogene across human cancers. In fact, 20% of cancer patients have this mutated gene, which translates into 260,000 new cases a year in the United States and 3.4 million new cases a year worldwide. Furthermore, RAS mutations appear to confer worse outcomes in patients based on studies of non-small cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer.

    In the last several years, two inhibitors targeting a specific KRAS mutation, KRASG12C, have been developed for patients with KRASG12C-mutant lung and colorectal cancers. Today, the landscape of RAS therapeutics is highly complex with dozens of new therapies targeting mutant RAS in clinical trials. These new therapies target RAS mutations in different ways, necessitating an integrated approach to understanding these new therapies and advancing them to patients. Dana-Farber is playing a leading role in both the preclinical and clinical evaluation of these new therapies.

    Despite promising early evidence of efficacy for RAS inhibitors, treatment resistance occurs in nearly all patients. Understanding this resistance is key to prolonging the benefit of RAS-directed therapies and to developing effective combination therapies that could lead to cures. The Dana-Farber Center for RAS Therapeutics is committed to leveraging the new RAS-targeted treatments in combination with traditional therapies such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and surgery, as well as investigational therapies, to improve cure rates for patients with RAS-driven cancers.

    Our Specialized Center

    We offer the following:

    • Clinical expertise in the care of RAS-driven tumors through seamless coordination with Dana-Farber treatment centers and the Center for Cancer Therapeutic Innovation.
    • Leaders in clinical trial design and execution who bring the most promising new therapies to our patients.
    • World-class scientists focused on understanding the biology of RAS signaling and its role in cancer, with the goal of identifying treatment vulnerabilities in RAS-driven tumors.
    • Experts in understanding RAS inhibitor resistance and what to do about it.

    How We Help Patients and Families

    New therapies targeting RAS are poised to transform the treatment of patients across multiple cancer types, including lung, colorectal, pancreatic, and gynecologic cancers. Our RAS Center experts are integral members of Dana-Farber care teams and will help you understand if there are clinical trials or other treatments that might be appropriate for you.

    More Information on RAS