Pfizer announces $3 million grant for ASPIRE Breast Cancer Research

New Delhi: Pfizer Inc. has recently announced the recipients of the Advancing Science through Pfizer Investigator Research Exchange (ASPIRE) Breast Cancer Research Awards. Four grants totaling more than $3 million (USD) in funding will be awarded to investigators in the United States (U.S.) to support clinical research projects involving Pfizer compounds in breast cancer. Since 2015, Pfizer has provided more than $16 million in total funding for the ASPIRE Oncology Research Awards Program across the breast and hematologic cancers.

“The ASPIRE awards underscore Pfizer’s commitment to collaborating with investigators to expand scientific knowledge and improve the treatment of breast cancer,” said Lynn McRoy, M.D., breast cancer lead, U.S. Medical Affairs, Pfizer Oncology. "The recipients of the 2018 awards submitted outstanding clinical research proposals that have the potential to advance care for people living with breast cancer.”

Recipients of the 2018 awards were selected through a competitive application process overseen by an independent review panel of experts. The following investigators and studies have been selected to receive grants:

• Dr. Mylin A. Torres, Glenn Family Breast Center, Winship Cancer Institute, Emory University - A Phase 2 Multi-institutional Study of Concurrent Radiotherapy, Palbociclib, and Hormone Therapy for Treatment of Bone Metastasis in Breast Cancer Patients


• Dr Aditya Bardia, Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center - Evaluation of Talazoparib, a PARP Inhibitor, for Patients With Somatic BRCA Mutant Metastatic Breast Cancer in a Genotyping Based Clinical Trial


• Dr. Antoinette Tan, Levine Cancer Institute, Atrium Health - IGNITE-Immunoprofiling of Gedatolisib, a Dual PI3-Kinase and mTOR Inhibitor, in the Neo-Immunoadjuvant Treatment of Early Stage Breast Cancer


• Dr. Kari Wisinski, University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center - Phase 2 Trial with Safety Run-In of Gedatolisib Plus Talazoparib in Advanced Triple Negative or BRCA1 or 2 Positive, HER2 Negative Breast Cancers

Investigators in the U.S. were encouraged to submit proposals for the 2018 ASPIRE Breast Cancer Research Awards that advance knowledge in the treatment and disease management of breast cancer.

Proposals were eligible for IBRANCE® (palbociclib), an oral, first-in-class inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) 4 and 6, for metastatic breast cancer, the most advanced stage of breast cancer (stage IV)1,2; talazoparib, an investigational, once-daily, oral poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor; and gedatolisib (PF-05212384), an investigational, small molecule, dual inhibitor targeting the phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathways in the development of solid tumors.