NETWise Podcast Episode 20: NET Research, Part II
Episode 20 is part two of our deeper understanding into NET research. Advancing NET research is the core of our mission at NETRF, and it is a crucial need. This episode of NETWise will take a closer look at how scientists do the research that we hope will yield the next generation of effective treatments for NETs. This episode will also look specifically at the vital role NETRF plays in this process and how and why we choose the researchers we support. Listen here.
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Test your knowledge!
Now that you've finished the latest NETWise Podcast, test your knowledge of NET research by taking the LACNETS Quiz here.
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2022 KNOW YOUR NETs Highlights: How to Read Your Pathology ReportsUniversity of Chicago Medicine's Dr. Namrata Setia helps patients and their families make sense of pathology reports which can be confusing and daunting to non-medical readers. Watch her how-to guide here.
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Share your thoughts about SSA Injections
If you receive somatostatin receptor ligand injections (lanreotide or octreotide), a new survey is seeking your thoughts on your injection experience. The survey is designed for NET patients, caregivers, nurses and physicians in Denmark, Norway, Spain and the USA and is available in the respective languages of these countries. The survey is being run by COR2ED, which specializes in independent medical education, supported by an independent educational grant from Ipsen. The International Neuroendocrine Cancer Alliance (INCA) contributed to the Scientific Committee comprising endocrinologists, nurses and World Alliance of Pituitary Organizations (WAPO) patient advocates.
The goal of the survey is to identify the injection device attributes that lead to the best experience for NET patients as well as those with acromegaly. It is hoped the survey will reveal what is important to patients and caregivers about the injection experience and how injection devices may need to change in the future to benefit patients and those providing care.
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Two NETRF-funded Collaborative Grantees announced
NETRF, in association with partnering organizations, is proud to announce two new grantees. Both collaborative grants, funded by NETRF, are designed to support early-career scientists to focus their work on neuroendocrine cancer.
NETRF, in partnership with the Education and Research Foundation for Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (ERF), is pleased to announce that Dr. Patrícia R. Pereira, Assistant Professor of Radiology at Washington University in St. Louis, has been awarded a Nuclear Medicine Pilot Research Grant in Neuroendocrine Tumors. Dr. Pereira will study the membrane density of somatostatin receptors in neuroendocrine tumors to see if membrane trafficking (the process by which proteins are distributed throughout the cell) can be modulated to enhance the efficacy of LUTATHERA. These approaches could enhance LUTATHERA therapy for neuroendocrine tumors and increase the number of patients that benefit from this therapy.
Dr. Eleonora Pelle has been awarded the 2022 Basic/Translational Science Investigator Award. The North American Neuroendocrine Tumor Society (NANETS) selected Dr. Pelle, a post-doctoral researcher at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, for her proposal, Development of a novel anti-SSTR bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE)-like molecule for the treatment of neuroendocrine tumors (NETs). Dr. Pelle’s research will focus on developing a new type of t-cell engager molecule that may be used in the development of immunotherapies to improve the treatment of SSTR-expressing NETs.
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Zebrafish and LungNETs: New research results
The lack of valid laboratory models is a critical obstacle in developing curative therapies for advanced lung carcinoid tumors.
Dr. Giovanni Vitale MD, PhD received a NETRF Pilot Award in 2019 to develop a novel animal model to examine angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels) that tumor cells need to survive. Dr. Vitale and his colleagues have developed the use of the zebrafish as recipient hosts of human lung carcinoid tumors to analyze the angiogenic process as blood vessels grow into the transplanted tumors, and to test whether this model can be used to test the efficacy of drugs that may potentially inhibit tumor-induced angiogenesis.
Dr. Vitale’s work takes advantage of zebrafish embryos which are transparent, allowing the examination of the developing tumor blood vessels in near real-time. The permeability of zebrafish embryos also allows the testing of different antitumor drugs. The successful outcomes of his research have recently been published in a high impact journal, the International Journal of Molecular Sciences, and can be viewed online. Dr. Vitale hopes to exploit this model further to test responses to other targeted therapies.
Read the paper here.
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Minnesota Twins donates to NETRF in honor of Jim Kaat.
Honoring the Hall of Fame career of one of the franchise's all-time great pitchers, the Minnesota Twins officially retired the number 36 worn by Jim Kaat throughout his entire Minnesota tenure (1961-73).
"Jim Kaat Day" was held on July 16th, a week before he was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. The baseball great lost his daughter Jill Kandel to NETs in 2021. To honor Kaat, the Twins presented a $10,000 check to NETRF during the ceremony.
"I am incredibly grateful to the Minnesota Twins for honoring my beloved daughter Jill's memory with this generous donation to NETRF," said Kaat.
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Physician, patient, author:
How one man’s NET journey left a legacy of hope, inspiration, and information for future patients.
“If there ever was a person who thrived on knowledge, research, and discovery, it was my husband,” said Stephanie Shaw, wife of the late Dr. Lewis “Kip” Shaw.
An Emergency Room physician, Kip Shaw was very attuned to his physical body.
“He kept himself in impeccable shape; he ate clean, he exercised daily, he was very much in control of his health,” said Stephanie.
Read more about Dr. Lewis "Kip" Shaw here.
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Shop with Amazon? You can support NETRF!
If you're like a lot of us, we shop Amazon A LOT. Now, you can support NETRF with AmazonSmile every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop with AmazonSmile, you’ll find the same convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to NETRF. Simply search "Neuroendocrine Tumor Research Foundation" on AmazonSmile and select NETRF as your charity. Thank you!
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Welcome Jessica Thomas, LCSW
NETRF's New Director of Patient Education
In early July, NETRF welcomed Jessica Thomas, LCSW, as our new Director of Patient Education. Jessica brings more than 17 years of experience as a clinical social worker specializing in helping patients and caregivers within the areas of neurology, oncology and chronic illness. Jessica has held management and leadership roles in non-profit and for-profit settings. Read more about Jessica's experience here.
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| Special thanks to Advanced Accelerator Applications and IPSEN for sponsoring this E-Update.
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