University of Virginia Health System

UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA CANCER RESEARCHERS RECEIVE $3.9 MILLION GIFT

Cancer researchers at the University of Virginia have received $3.9 million to accelerate clinical trials on a promising vaccine for melanoma, a dangerous form of skin cancer with limited treatment options. The gift, made by long-time U.Va. benefactors Alice and William H. Goodwin, Jr., of Richmond, Va., also will support the development of new vaccines for lung, ovarian, breast and colon cancer.

The U.Va. Cancer Center is breaking ground on a daily basis, said John T. Casteen III, president of the University. The Goodwins' generous commitment will speed clinical trials of new cancer vaccines by giving researchers access to eligible patients more quickly, and therefore allow more rapid collection of information about how the vaccines are performing.

Cancer vaccines work by teaching the body's immune system to identify and destroy cancer cells. In 1994, the U.Va. research team - headed by melanoma specialist Dr. Craig Slingluff, along with immunologist Victor Engelhard and chemist Donald Hunt - developed a technology that identified a molecular cancer marker, or peptide, that appears on the tumorous cells of many melanoma patients. This discovery gave the team a target on which to focus the development of a vaccine. The vaccine combined the peptide with agents that helped the immune system recognize the cancer cells and attack them.

Since 1994, this team has discovered six more new peptides that are characteristic of melanoma, plus one peptide characteristic of lung cancer cells. Phase II clinical trials of the U.Va. melanoma vaccine are being conducted at the University, Duke University, the University of Pittsburgh, and at clinical centers in Europe and Australia.

Through the support of the Goodwins' gift, the vaccine trials now will be extended to other academic medical centers.

That collaboration will bring great minds together, which can only speed our progress toward a cure for melanoma, Slingluff said. This gift will allow us to evaluate several different vaccine preparations that are more complex than any we've used so far, so that we can determine which combinations work best.

The gift will be used to equip research laboratories and to provide the high-quality materials used to manufacture the vaccines. An extensive search for a medical oncologist to help manage the trials will begin immediately, followed by recruitment efforts for additional clinical support staff and two basic science researchers, according to Michael Weber, director of the U.Va. Cancer Center.

We are glad our gift will help U.Va. advance new cures for cancer, as Alice and I have decided to significantly support research for new cures for cancer over the next seven to 10 years, Goodwin said. We believe Drs. Slingluff, Engelhard and Hunt and their staff are outstanding, and we are thankful that we are able to support their efforts at the U.Va. Cancer Center. Like most people, we have seen firsthand the tragic consequences of cancer. We want to do what we can to safeguard future generations against this devastating killer.

Finding effective strategies to fight cancer is the goal of all involved. We are glad that we can help, Alice Goodwin said.

The Goodwins are known for their philanthropic endeavors across the Commonwealth of Virginia, supporting such causes as cancer research, education and religion. They have given generously to the University in the past, including $25 million to the Darden School. William Goodwin, Jr., has been a member of the University Board of Visitors since 1996 and is a 1966 graduate of the Darden Graduate School of Business Administration.

November 14, 2001