Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center Researcher Wins Stanley J. Glaser Award for Colorectal Cancer Immunotherapy
Summary
- Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center researcher Kevin Van der Jeught, Ph.D., received a Stanley J. Glaser Foundation Award to advance mRNA-based immunotherapy aimed at expanding treatment options for colorectal cancer patients.
- The $72,000 award supports mRNA-based research designed to boost systemwide immune responses to anti–PD-1 therapy and target metastatic disease.
- The work aims to expand the number of colorectal cancer patients who can benefit from immunotherapy and advance toward early-phase clinical trials.
In science, progress rarely moves in a straight line. It advances more like a river—branching, looping back on itself, sometimes disappearing underground before resurfacing with new force. For Kevin Van der Jeught, Ph.D., that winding path has led to a moment of recognition. He received a Stanley J. Glaser Foundation Award, honoring his innovative work in colorectal cancer and immunotherapy.
Dr. Van der Jeught, a researcher in the Tumor Biology Program at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and an assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the Miller School, was recognized for a study that pushes the boundaries of how the immune system can be trained to fight cancer. His Glaser Award provides a $72,000 grant to the study, which focuses on improving outcomes for patients with colorectal cancer, one of the most lethal and treatment-resistant malignancies in the United States.
“Colorectal cancer is now the leading cause of cancer death in people under 50,” Dr. Van der Jeught said. “There are dire needs for new therapeutics, and that’s where our research comes into play.”
Reengineering the Immune Landscape
At the core of Dr. Van der Jeught’s research is a deceptively simple idea. If the immune system can be taught to recognize cancer more clearly, it may respond more effectively. But tumors are adept at hiding in plain sight, deploying molecular roadblocks that blunt immune attacks. One such mechanism involves PD-1, an immune checkpoint that acts like a brake pedal, preventing immune cells from becoming overactive.
The Glaser Award–supported study explores how mRNA-based strategies can modify the environment around the tumor in a way that activates the immune system throughout the body. Specifically, Dr. Van der Jeught aims to improve systemwide responses to anti-PD-1 immunotherapy delivered in the window between diagnosis and surgery.
“We’re studying compounds with the idea that, if we target the tumor at one location, the immune system will be able to trace the cancer wherever it is in the body,” Dr. Van der Jeught said. “This can be traces of tumor left behind after surgery, inoperable lesions or metastasis. In colorectal cancer, patients don’t usually die from the primary tumor. It’s usually the metastasis.”
Building on mRNA Innovation
The Glaser Award-funded project builds on Dr. Van der Jeught’s broader body of work, which includes earlier research using mRNA-based strategies to activate immune cells within tumors. Like a set of precise instructions delivered at the right moment, mRNA can guide immune cells to recognize cancer more effectively and respond with greater force.
These approaches reflect a consistent scientific throughline — reprogramming the immune environment so that tumors are no longer able to hide behind biological smoke screens.
Helping More Colorectal Cancer Patients
While the science is complex, the motivation behind it is not. Today’s immune therapeutics can be used in fewer than 15% of patients with colorectal cancer. Many patients, particularly those with advanced disease, have limited treatment options.
“Our goal is to modify the immune system in a way that enlarges the number of colorectal cancer patients who can benefit from these therapeutics,” Dr. Van der Jeught said. “Then, this therapeutic may also be expanded to other cancers, in the same way that immune checkpoint inhibitors showed great promise in melanoma and lung cancer, and then expanded.”
The team aims for its lab research to translate into a phase 1 clinical trial at Sylvester within a few years.
A Culture That Fuels Discovery
Dr. Van der Jeught’s lab works across disciplines, drawing on expertise in immunology, tumor biology and translational research.
“It’s all about bringing something unique to the table,” he said. “If you’re looking at a problem from only one angle, you’ll never solve it. Collaboration is essential.”
The Glaser award is both validation and inspiration for the team.
“It’s a competitive, peer-reviewed award. Experts in the field have deemed our research worth investing in,” Dr. Van der Jeught said. “It’s an important funding mechanism that helps us continue research that we believe is going to be a game changer for patients.”
Tags: cancer research, colon cancer, colorectal cancer, Dr. Kevin Van der Jeught, immune system, immunotherapy, Newsroom, Stanley J. Glaser Foundation, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center