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The innovative program¡¯s multidisciplinary team-science approach now applies to , (brain cancer), cancers caused by the , , and . These join the original moon shots addressing and , , , , and .

¡°Our goal-oriented moon shot teams, enabled by the deep expertise and advanced technology of our execution-oriented platforms, are poised to accelerate declines in mortality for some of the most common types of cancer,¡± says MD Anderson President Ronald DePinho, M.D. ¡°As the matures, we¡¯re transitioning from the foundational phase to the results phase, and some moon shots already are making practice-changing advances in the clinic and in .¡±

Early results include developing an algorithm to guide the decision on whether to start ovarian cancer treatment with chemotherapy or surgery, cancer prevention educational efforts that supported new Texas laws prohibiting minors¡¯ use of tanning beds and electronic cigarettes and collaborations with pharmaceutical companies to move new first-in-class drugs to clinical trials more quickly.

All 12 moon shots have opened or planned many novel clinical trials of new ¡ª drugs that activate the immune system to attack tumors ¡ª as well as targeted therapies and drug combinations precisely targeting cancer-specific genetic abnormalities. 

In the longer term, collaboration with moon shot platforms and basic scientists will heighten understanding of the molecular details of cancers, treatments and how the two interact. 

The ultimate goal is to apply knowledge gained from this process to all cancers. Moon shot efforts will help support all other cancer research at MD Anderson,
particularly with improved resources and infrastructure. Funding is from
private philanthropy, institutional earnings, competitive research grants and
commercialization of new discoveries.

The Moon Shots Program was announced in 2012 and funded in 2013. Moon shots are chosen via a peer-review process that takes into account the potential to measurably reduce cancer mortality in the near term, the breadth and depth of the multidisciplinary teams and the quality of their scientific plans.

Ten moon shot platforms provide professional expertise and technology in the areas of cancer prevention and control, drug development, genomic and molecular analysis, and big data-driven patient care and research. Many moon shots include prevention and early detection projects with potential global impact.

The six new moon shots began as pilot projects, chosen by internal and external reviewers during the summer of 2014 from among 14 proposals. The pilots received initial funding for researchers to develop their ideas a year prior. Pilots and inaugural moon shots underwent rigorous peer-review by the program¡¯s external Scientific Advisory Board, comprising 11 experts from other cancer centers and biopharma. The board¡¯s feedback helped mold priorities and funding for Fiscal Year 2016. 

New moon shot programs:

B-cell lymphoma ¡ª Lymphoma is the most common form of hematological malignancy, or blood cancer, in the developed world, and Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma are the two main types. Approximately 80,000 new cases of this group of blood cancers are diagnosed each year, with a cure rate of 30%. This moon shot focuses on overcoming resistant disease by developing new predictive tools, finding new targets for therapy and using new immunotherapy drugs, targeted therapies and engineered white blood cells called T cells to attack these lymphomas.

Colorectal cancer ¡ª Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of U.S. cancer-related deaths, with nearly 50,000 deaths each year. Projects focus on improving early detection and prevention as well as testing personalized treatment with immunotherapies before surgery.  Another program builds on leadership by MD Anderson investigators to classify colorectal cancers by subtype based on integrated molecular and genomic analysis to improve targeted treatment.

Glioblastoma ¡ª Of the 15,000 people who annually receive a diagnosis of this most lethal form of brain tumors, only 5-10 % survive five years. This moon shot examines existing and experimental immunotherapy drugs and customized T cells designed to attack specific targets. Other projects include further clinical development of an engineered, cancer-killing virus invented at MD Anderson, identification of new targeted therapies, and looking at how such advances could be combined with immunotherapy.

High-risk multiple myeloma ¡ª Patients with high-risk disease make up about 20% of the estimated 27,000 people expected to receive a diagnosis each year. While new drug combinations and blood stem cell transplants have dramatically improved survival for patients, prospects for those with high-risk disease have lagged. This moon shot focuses on developing risk-prediction models and immunotherapeutic approaches to hit high-risk disease at earlier stages and to treat advanced disease.

Human papillomavirus-associated cancers ¡ª Each year, an estimated 17,500 women and 9,300 men develop a cancer caused by this sexually transmitted virus, which infects 80% of sexually active people during their lifetimes. One goal is to inspire policy and education to increase HPV adolescent vaccination rates to 80% to prevent cervical, throat, anal and other cancers. Other projects extend cervical cancer screening to women in medically underserved communities, seek to develop HPV-related cancer screening for men and aim to more fully characterize HPV-associated tumors across multiple disease sites to develop targeted drugs and immunotherapies.

Pancreatic cancer ¡ª Approximately 49,000 people receive a pancreatic cancer diagnosis each year, and only about 6% of patients survive five years. This moon shot focuses on early detection methods, development of predictive biomarkers to guide pre-surgical targeted therapy and testing of new immune T cell-based therapies. MD Anderson has established its first pancreatic cancer high-risk clinic, where people at increased risk, such as those with multiple family members with the disease or pancreatic cysts or elderly patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, can be screened and advised.

Philanthropy fuels the moon shots

The Moon Shots Program concentrates on translational research, an inconsistently funded research phase that occurs between scientific discovery (mainly funded by federal grants) and late-stage clinical trials (financed by the private sector) where ideas often die before they have a chance to be thoroughly tested.

¡°Improving the efficiency of preclinical research and early clinical trials and cultivating the exchange of knowledge back and forth between lab and clinic are essential to success,¡± says , co-leader of the Moon Shots Program. ¡°Thoughtful, generous philanthropic support provides the foundation for our progress harnessing established knowledge with new, disruptive technologies to dramatically reduce cancer deaths through prevention, early detection and curative treatment.¡±

The Moon Shots Program has received cash gifts, pledges and bequests totaling approximately $342 million since June 2012.

In the fiscal year that ended on Aug. 31, 2015, MD Anderson¡¯s Development Office raised $255 million for the institution, including $73 million for the Moon Shots Program. These philanthropic funds are complemented by grants from the National Institutes of Health and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas as well as by returns from intellectual property, which are plowed back into our mission to end cancer.