In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved lifileucel as a new cancer treatment that uses a person’s own immune cells for treating the most dangerous types of skin cancer. This tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy is the first cell therapy approved by the FDA to treat skin cancer, or melanoma.  

Clinical trials at the OSUCCC – James have shown that this cell therapy is also a promising treatment for patients with advanced stages of lung cancer who have developed resistance to other therapies.   

“Most of these patients, particularly those with stage 4 or metastatic cancer, will eventually develop resistance to immune checkpoint inhibitors,” says OSUCCC – James thoracic oncologist and study lead author, Kai He, MD, PhD, who leads cell therapy in solid tumor in the Cell Therapy Program and Pelotonia Institute for Immuno-Oncology.

“In such situations, the treatment options are limited, and there is a critical need for developing novel immunotherapy treatments to prolong people’s survival and maintain their quality of life. Lifileucel is a step in that direction.” 

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States, accounting for one in five cancer deaths. The second most common cancer in both men and women, it is estimated that nearly 240,000 cases of lung cancer will be diagnosed in 2024 in the U.S.  

The current study is the first global phase 2 clinical trial to use this therapy against lung cancer, with patients in many hospitals across the U.S. and Europe.  

“The results so far are very encouraging and promising,” says Dr. He, adding that the team is conducting the additional clinical trial with larger population of patients to validate the finding. If successful, it will provide evidence for potential FDA approval for using lifileucel to treat non-small cell lung cancer.  

Tanny Crane is a 16-Year Rider and CEO of the Columbus-based investment firm, The Crane Group. This summer, she checked a big item off her bucket list: a 3,400-mile, 49 day, coast-to-coast ride. 

Before she embarked on her cross-country cycling adventure, Tanny set the goal of raising $100,000 for Pelotonia through this experience. Just two weeks into her ride, she had exceeded that goal and has now raised over $273,888!

After 10 weeks of intense endurance training, Tanny and her group of riders dipped their back tires into the Pacific Ocean in Huntington Beach south of Los Angeles to start their journey on May 5.   

After crossing through 15 states, climbing more than 109,000 feet of elevation, and averaging 80 to 100 miles daily, Tanny reached Revere Beach near Boston on June 21, where she enthusiastically dipped her front tire into the Atlantic Ocean and celebrated completing her challenge. 

Tanny shared the experience of this once-in-a-lifetime trip in a daily blog with ride updates, landmarks visited, stories of people she met, and encouragement to support Pelotonia’s mission to fund innovative cancer research.   

In her final blog post, Tanny shared: “The last seven weeks changed my life forever. I accomplished a dream of mine that has been in my head for 13 years. I worked hard every day to educate, improve awareness, and dedicate resources to Ending Cancer.  

I have talked with people in cities and the smallest of towns, and I have shared stories of courage from all walks of life – Survivors and those who have lost loved ones.  

I am immensely grateful to everyone who supported me, prepared me, lifted me up, and contributed financially to Pelotonia on my behalf.”  

Following this odyssey ride, Tanny completed her 16th Pelotonia Ride Weekend and has continued to generate support and dollars for Pelotonia. Congratulations to Tanny Crane, Pelotonia 2024’s top individual fundraiser!

In July, Pelotonia announced a $2 million donation from Jimmy and Dee Haslam and The Haslam 3 Foundation to accelerate scientific research on CLL, supporting Pelotonia’s mission.  

Dee and Jimmy Haslam are managing partners of Haslam Sports Group, a sports and entertainment group with ownership of the NFL’s Cleveland Browns, operating rights to Major League Soccer’s Columbus Crew, co-ownership of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, and investors in the WNBA. The Haslam 3 Foundation is the family’s philanthropic foundation which gives back to community organizations in Ohio and Tennessee.   

“Pelotonia offers hope for so many people impacted by cancer, including my own family,” said Dee Haslam. “Everyone is affected by cancer. My hope is more and more people get involved in Pelotonia – whether they ride on their bikes or make donations. I get excited thinking about all of the ways you can participate. I hope our gift inspires others to support Pelotonia as well.”

The donation will also provide operational support for Pelotonia, adding The Haslam 3 Foundation as a funding partner. Funding partners ensure Pelotonia directs 100 percent of every participant-raised dollar to innovative cancer research.  

“As I’ve spent time with Dee and Jimmy over the past few years, they were eager to understand how Pelotonia was making such a big impact not only on research but engaging in the community in meaningful ways. They wanted to be a part of it,” said Doug Ulman, Vice Chair of the Pelotonia Board and cancer survivor. “I’ve been honored to get to know them as people. We are thankful to have the Haslams as part of the Pelotonia community and for their investment in furthering our mission.”  

Investment for CLL Patients Today and Tomorrow

CLL is a cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow, and lymph nodes. It is the most common form of adult leukemia in the Western Hemisphere, accounting for about one-quarter of new leukemia cases in the U.S.  

The OSUCCC – James is a global leader in research and treatment for hematologic cancers, including CLL.   

Jennifer Woyach, MD, a hematologist-oncologist at the OSUCCC – James, professor in the Division of Hematology, and co-leader of the Leukemia and Hematologic Malignancies Research Program, will lead the work. Woyach is a Pelotonia-funded researcher through both an Idea Grant and Fellow, and was named Pelotonia’s 2021 Researcher of the Year for her work in CLL research and patient care.  

“This funding will help us launch clinical trials for frontline CLL to try to optimize therapy for all patients. As well, we are expanding our research program in immunotherapy for CLL, and this funding will greatly accelerate this work,” said Woyach.  

Future of CLL Treatment through Research

The future of CLL treatment is in creating more novel therapies that are better targeted to a patient’s individual cancer.    

Under Dr. Woyach’s leadership, the OSUCCC – James is positioned to continue making significant advancements in CLL research by exploring areas that include overcoming patient resistance to therapies, working with companies to test new therapies preclinically, performing lab work to identify novel targets, and studying new immune therapies.  

This critical research is accelerated through Pelotonia funding and donations like this from The Haslam 3 Foundation.  

“The beautiful thing about Pelotonia is that the community can participate in ways most meaningful to them. Not only is CLL deeply personal to the Haslam family but it is a very promising area of cancer research in which the OSUCCC – James is a global leader,” said Ulman. “We could not be more grateful for the incredible support of Dee, Jimmy, and The Haslam 3 Foundation. This donation is going to change and save lives.”