Dear Colleague,

fisherletterWelcome to Fox Chase NOW, a new platform where we will share with our peers highlights of our work in cancer research and treatment. The pace of change at Fox Chase has been brisk since joining Temple Health. In many ways, we have stayed the same, as we continue to conduct innovative research, create new standards of care, and carry out a robust roster of clinical trials. In other ways, we have changed, welcoming new leadership, new faculty, and new opportunities for collaboration. Count on Fox Chase NOW to keep you informed on a regular basis.

We hope you’ll browse this site to see what’s new at Fox Chase and share with us your comments and ideas for collaboration.

Richard I. Fisher, MD
President and CEO

Drug Developed at Fox Chase Holds Promise for Gastroesophageal Cancer

Above, ligand-dependent activation of HER3 and its subsequent dimerization with HER2 leads to potent activation of the PI3K/Akt pathway, a signaling cascade that plays essential roles in regulating cellular homeostasis. Inappropriate signaling through the HER2/HER3 heterodimer is linked to the formation and progression of a number of cancers, including gastric and breast cancers. MM-111, an anti- HER2/anti-HER3 bispecific antibody, blocks signaling through this critical receptor pair and inhibits the growth of HER2/HER3-driven cancer cells.

A first-of-its-kind drug that emerged from research at Fox Chase Cancer Center is now moving into an important new area: gastroesophageal cancer. “This is a drug that could provide new therapeutic options in a disease that doesn’t have many,” says medical oncologist Crystal Denlinger, MD, who is leading a worldwide study to test the compound’s effectiveness in cancers of the stomach and esophagus. Continue Reading »

Q&A: Henry C. Fung, MD

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Henry C. Fung, MD, a nationally recognized leader in hematologic oncology, has joined the Fox Chase faculty to oversee an expansion of the hematologic malignancy program. Fung, who came to Fox Chase from Rush University Medical Center in Chicago, serves as clinical leader of the blood cancers program and the hematologic oncology service line and a professor of medical oncology, as well as director of the Temple University Hospital Bone Marrow Transplant Program. Continue Reading »