By Jenifer Howard
On Wednesday, March 30, Greenwich residents will have the unique opportunity to Zoom into a conversation that touches everyones lives — a conversation on cancer. While this may not be a conversation anyone wants to have, it is an important one. Swim Across America Fairfield County, in partnership with its local beneficiary Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, is hosting an informative discussion with cancer scientist rockstars Dr. Crystal Mackall of Stanford University and Dr. Brian Brown with the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. The Cancer Conversation will focus on immunotherapy, pediatric cancers, lung cancer and treating solid tumors.
Why is this so important? Every 15 minutes, 50 Americans are diagnosed with cancer. Cancer touches everyone — personally, it has touched my own family and my friends. My grandfather and father-in-law sadly passed away from cancer. One of my best friends, a business partner and a beloved member of our Greenwich community succumbed to pancreatic cancer. My father, step mother and step father are survivors. I have friends whose teenage children battled cancer – two survived, one didn’t. Several friends are currently battling cancer. It is sadly all around us. However, my work with both Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy and Swim Across America has given me hope. Hope that a cure for cancer is around the corner. Hope that treatments today are better than they were yesterday, and hope that our loved ones and friends will never have to hear the three dreaded words “you have cancer.”
The March 30 Cancer Conversations is an important conversation to hear. The two scientists are Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy research fellows funded by Swim Across America Fairfield County. Crystal Mackall, MD, is the Ernest and Amelia Gallo Family professor of Pediatrics and Internal Medicine at Stanford University. She serves as the founding director of the Stanford Center for Cancer Cell Therapy, associate director of Stanford Cancer Institute, leader of the Cancer Immunology and Immunotherapy Program and director of the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy at Stanford. Prior to her time at Stamford, she was with the National Cancer Institute as chief of Pediatric Oncology. The Mackall Lab at Stanford University is internationally recognized for its translational research program focused on immune-oncology. Her numerous early phase, first-in-human and first-in-child clinical trials have focused on some of the most promising forms of immunotherapy using T cells to fight cancer. Her group was among the first to demonstrate impressive potential treatments for pediatric leukemia, lymphoma and is leading exciting work with CAR T cell therapy for brain tumors. In addition to receiving numerous awards and serving in leadership positions, she is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy.
Brian Brown, PhD, is another up-and-coming scientist who is tackling lung cancer and solid tumors. He is a professor and associate director of the Precision Immunology Institute at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai New York. Dr. Brown’s work is trying to find out why all patients do not respond to immunotherapies. He has found a cell type responsible for poor responses to immunotherapy against solid tumors. Dr. Brown is working to circumvent this process by equipping a patient’s own T cells to kill the immune-suppressing cells in tumors.
I’ve been involved with Swim Across America Fairfield County and Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy for close to 15 years. I’ve watched the organizations come together to #MakeWaves to #FightCancer and I’m proud to be involved with these two organizations and see the positive impact they have on so many lives. Swim Across America Fairfield County is one of the most inspirational events you will ever experience. Hundreds of swimmers and volunteers come together for one morning to swim in Long Island Sound and share their inspiration and dedication to fighting cancer. Olympians participate and the swim has grown to include more of the community through pool swims, water polo matches, rowing challenges, retail and restaurant days and Sip & Shop events. Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy is truly a world class nonprofit that has funded some of the most promising cancer treatments and research in the nation, including the breakthrough CAR T gene therapy treatments for leukemia and lymphoma and which has led to several other recent FDA approved treatments for cancer. To learn more about the March 30 Cancer Conversations on Zoom, visit swimacrossamerica.org/fc.
