On June 11, Stand Up To Cancer announced the sixth Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for a new cancer therapy supported by SU2C research.

The recent FDA approval of alpelisib in combination with fulvestrant, is the first and only new therapy for a difficult-to-treat form of advanced or metastatic breast cancer in both post-menopausal women and in men. Research by one of SU2C’s inaugural Dream Teams, the SU2C PI3K Dream Team: “Targeting The PI3K Pathway In Women’s Cancers,” contributed to the development of this treatment.

DT Co-leader Gordon B. Mills, MD, PhD

Dream Team Co-leader Gordon B. Mills, MD, PhD, noted, “Stand Up To Cancer Team support provided a unique opportunity for experts from eight institutions to come together and apply our varied expertise to this complex issue of addressing the role of the PI3K pathway mutations and pathway activation across women’s cancers. Many of us continue to pursue research and clinical trials extending from the work initiated by the original Dream Team, yielding additional, compelling findings and adding to the collective impact of this collaboration.” Approximately 40 percent of HR+ advanced breast cancer patients have a PIK3CA mutation. Reacting to news that SU2C research contributed to this approval, Dr. Sharp said, “It’s compelling to see how SU2C’s innovative concept of collaborative, translational research is fulfilling our mission, to move fundamental insights to new effective treatments to save lives.”