The Faltas lab was awarded a pilot grant to dissect role of co-occuring FGFR and cell cycle genomic alterations in sensitivity of urothelial carcinoma to combined FGFR-and CDK4/6-inhibition. This funding from the Functional Genomics Initiative co-adminstered with the Englander Institute for Precision Medicine will enable us to pursue a new direction of research. Based on our improved understanding of the molecular changes that drive bladder cancer, we have identified two pathways that are critical for the growth of bladder cancer cells. We designed a strategy to combine two targeted treatments, namely CDK4/6 and FGFR inhibitors that will work in sync to eliminate bladder cancer cells. We will test this combination in new bladder cancer models which we have developed. Ultimately, we hope to translate these findings into a treatment strategy that benefits bladder cancer patients.
You can read the full announcement here:
https://meyercancer.weill.cornell.edu/news/2018-11-15/functional-genomic...