Baylor Research Institute Awarded $1.3 Million NIH Grant to Study Possible Viral Role in Colon Cancer

Study May Lead To Vaccine Against the Disease

(DALLAS, April 8, 2004) - The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Baylor Research Institute a $1.3 million grant to study a common virus suspected to play a role in causing colon cancer. C. Richard "Rick" Boland, M.D., chief of gastroenterology at Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas, will lead the research effort. Colon cancer, one the most common cancers in America, affects about 150,000 people yearly. Although lethal in late stages, with a cure rate less than 10 percent for advanced metastatic cancer, 90 to 100 percent of early stage colorectal cancers are curable.

Colon cancer, one the most common cancers in America, affects about 150,000 people yearly. Although lethal in late stages, with a cure rate less than 10 percent for advanced metastatic cancer, 90 to 100 percent of early stage colorectal cancers are curable.

In the research study, "JC Virus and Tumor Formation in the Human Colon," Dr. Boland will examine the JC virus, a common virus carried by approximately 80 percent of healthy people in their colons. People who carry the virus, which is caught during childhood, show no obvious ill effects.

"Since most of us carry the virus, the virus itself is not the culprit," Dr. Boland said. "It seems to exist in a latent state in most people. But when the virus replicates, it can make mistakes or mutate. We think it very likely causes a problem called chromosomal instability and could be a trigger that starts the process that leads to colorectal cancer."

If the study experiments are successful in determining the role of the JC virus, Dr. Boland plans to propose clinical trials that would seek to develop an immunization strategy for colon cancer. These clinical trials would be conducted in collaboration with Jacques Banchereau, Ph.D., director of the Baylor Institute for Immunology Research in Dallas.

"Ultimately, we hope to develop a vaccine that might delay or prevent the emergence of neoplastic lesions in the colon," Dr. Boland said. "Our success could have significant implications for public health."

Dr. Boland is internationally renowned as an expert in the genetics of colon cancer. Under his direction, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas provides advanced colon cancer treatment and prevention by researching the genes that predispose certain families to cancer risk. Other research studies under way are evaluating medications and foods that may reduce the risk of developing colon polyps, a precursor to colon cancer, and are seeking to better understand how chronic inflammation leads to colon cancer.

Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas is a leading patient care and research center for the Southwest. With more than 900 beds and 900 physicians on staff, Baylor is recognized by U.S. News & World Report among America's best hospitals in a range of medical specialties. Currently, through the Baylor Research Institute, more than 500 research protocols are under way.