GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — A breakthrough came for treating colorectal cancer in the heart of downtown Grand Rapids at Van Andel Institute. March also happens to be Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month.
“This was a very long project,” Dr. Rochelle Tiedemann with the Van Andel Institute said.
Doctor Rochelle Tiedemann has been waiting seven years for this moment. She, along with a team of experts, found a new way to treat colorectal cancer, by combining two already FDA-approved drugs.
“We saw that there was a decrease in tumor growth," Tiedemann said.
The treatment works in a very specific way.
“They make the tumor cell look like it’s been infected by a virus. When the tumor cell looks like it’s been infected by a virus, it can initiate the immune system to say hey we need to kill this tumor cell, something’s not right,” Tiedemann said.
Dr. Tiedemann says developing new treatments for colorectal cancer is important.
“Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death globally. And it’s rising in the young. There’s an increased incidence of it in younger generations,” Tiedemann said.
All of this is in the name of fighting cancer. Tiedemann, and the team at Van Andel Institute are committed to fighting that good fight.
“It’s incredibly rewarding. I mean, especially for me. I got my Ph.D. to do cancer research. It’s awesome to go from these pre-clinical models, working at the bench, and actually seeing where it can take us.” Tiedemann said.
Next steps are already underway to get the treatment into a clinical trial.
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