Research and Training Scholarships
GOG Foundation AAOGF Mentored Clinician-Scientist Awardees
This GOG Foundation award, in partnership with the American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, identifies future academic physician leaders in the field of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Recipients
Dr. Floor Backes
The Ohio State University
Awarded in 2020
Phase I/II study of Lenvatinib, Pembrolizumaband weekly Paclitaxel for recurrent Endometrial, Epithelial Ovarian, Fallopian tube and primary Peritoneal cancer
Although response rates to pembrolizumab were very promising in the mismatch repair deficient population (57%), in patients with microsatellite proficient (pMMR) recurrent endometrial cancer response rates were only 13%. Similarly, single agent lenvatinib did not demonstrate significant activity in recurrent endometrial cancer, however, the combination was recently granted FDA approval for treatment of recurrent pMMR endometrial carcinoma (EC). Activity of pembrolizumab has also been seen in recurrent ovarian cancer (ORR 11.5%). Although single agent activity is relatively low, combination therapy with other agents is more promising. Taxanes have significant single agent activity in ovarian and EC.
Read More Our group conducted a phase I study of weekly paclitaxel with lenvatinib in recurrent EC and recurrent ovarian cancer with very encouraging response rates, duration of response and PFS. In order to further improve this, we propose adding pembrolizumab to weekly paclitaxel and lenvatinib. We believe that this will provide synergy as taxanes have been demonstrated to upregulate PD-1 and PD-L1 in preclinical studies, increased CD8+ tumor infiltrating lymphocytes, and activated NF-kB signaling. Thus, we hypothesize that the addition of pembrolizumab to weekly paclitaxel and lenvatinib is safe with manageable toxicities and highly effective in patients with recurrent endometrial cancer and recurrent platinum resistant ovarian, fallopian tube, and primary peritoneal cancer. We will conduct a phase II clinical trial with safety lead in to determine objective antitumor activity of weekly paclitaxel, lenvatinib, and pembrolizumab in recurrent endometrial and platinum resistant ovarian cancer, safety and tolerability, and measure the progression free and overall survival in the study population. In addition, we will explore the baseline tumor genetic and microenvironment parameters predictive of clinical benefit or resistance to the treatment combination and potential mechanisms of resistance through circulating tumor DNA analysis, immune cell population analysis (CyTOF), and evaluation of the tumor microenvironment.
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Dr. BJ Rimel
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Awarded in 2020
Olaparib and Durvalumav in Recurrent Progressive Endometrial Cancer: A proposal for a Novel Arm of the Platform Study, NRG GY012
Despite emerging treatments in endometrial cancer, most women with advanced stage or recurrent endometrial cancer will ultimately succumb to their disease. Common genomic events occurring in endometrial cancer include genes associated with DNA damage repair. Recent data shows that these weaknesses can be exploited with agents the limit the ability of the cancer cell to repair itself. Immunotherapy treatments in endometrial cancer have demonstrated efficacy in a specific population of tumors with another weakness, microsattelite instability.
Read More The combination of two agents to manipulate these features was demonstrated as safe in a phase 1 study of olaparib and durvalumab. Our overarching hypothesis is that women with endometrial cancer (EC) will derive more benefit from rationally designed drug combinations including DNA repair targeting agents and immunotherapy than from single agent therapy alone. We have designed a randomized phase 2 study that includes this combination as part of a larger NRG Oncology study. NRG GY012 is the first platform study in endometrial cancer and the inclusion of the olaparib and durvalumab arm represents a data driven approach to clinical trial development.
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