Dr Sanjay Goel, a medical oncologist and researcher at Montefiore Medical Center and Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, New York was awarded the American Society of Clinical Oncology Cancer Foundation’s Advanced Clinical Research Award for a unique approach to his colorectal cancer research. As one of three winners in 2010, he will receive a three-year award totaling $ 450,000 to support original research that is currently not funded.

Dr  oel received the award for his research project titled 'A novel pharmacogenomic based therapeutic approach for patients with KRAS mutant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) using an oncolytic reovirus.' Dr Goel’ s research focuses on the anti-cancer activity of reovirus serotype-3 in combination with irinotecan for the treatment of patients with KRAS mutant mCRC. Reovirus, a common community-acquired virus that causes mild flu-like gastrointestinal and respiratory symptoms, can also infect and cause degenerative changes in cancer cells.

For his work, Dr Goel employed a formulation of the human reovirus known as reolysin, developed by Calgary-based company called Oncolytics Biotech, which is focusing on its use in battling a wide variety of human cancers. Dr Goel plans to use his US$ 450,000 in award money to run clinical trials and do more work on proving the reovirus and reolysin is a valid option to treating to colorectal cancer and needs to be approved for patient use.

“The reolysin-based approach that Dr Goel is using in his colorectal cancer research represents an exciting new way to selectively target cancer cells,” said Dr Brad Thompson, president and chief executive officer, Oncolytics. “ Unlike many current cancer treatments that can harm all cells, this form of treatment can kill tumour cells bearing an activated ras pathway, leaving healthy, normal cells intact,” he added.
 
Colorectal cancer is responsible for 50,000 deaths annually, with the median survival of patients with metastatic disease of 24 months. The most common treatment for mCRC incorporates oxaliplatin and bevacizumab as a frontline therapy, and irinotecan, either alone or in combination with anti-epidermal growth factor receptor antibodies as a second-line therapy. However, these antibodies are ineffective in patients whose tumours test positive for a genetic variation known as KRAS mutation.