Voices of Rolfe: Spotlight on Dr. Alex Muir
How Rolfe Grants are Fueling Pancreatic Cancer Research: A Conversation with Dr. Alex Muir
Dr. Alex Muir knows that medical breakthroughs require bold, new ideas and a willingness to take risks. As assistant professor at the Ben May Department at University of Chicago, he is tasked with studying the unique cells and molecules that compose pancreatic cancer tumors to learn how they operate, adapt and advance. “Once we understand those interactions, we can focus on ways to block them from happening to ultimately prevent pancreatic cancer,” Dr. Muir explained.
“Ambitious Pivots” Fuel Early Detection Research
While the lab’s primary focus is cataloguing tumor cells and molecules, the data has also led to what Dr. Muir refers to as “ambitious pivots”, such as how to use this information to advance early detection research. Aided by a Rolfe Foundation seed grant, Dr. Muir and his extended team – including colleagues at Harvard School of Public Health and the Henry Ford Cancer Center in Detroit — are able to fuel their understanding of the disease. “We need support if we want to take a risk and shift direction. The funds from Rolfe are incredibly helpful because they let us take this information that we’re building for other purposes and be able to apply it to early detection research.”
The Importance of Seed Grants
Getting new cancer treatments and tests to patients is a complicated and lengthy process. Early initiatives that show promising results qualify for the next level of research, but require more funding to broaden the study and sample size. Dr. Muir explained that securing grant money from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for these projects is highly competitive and becoming increasingly difficult. In the past, approximately 10% of applications received funding; more recently, only 4% of applications have been approved. In addition, last year’s federal budget reduction to medical research programs eliminated $15 million that was designated specifically for pancreatic cancer research.
As a result, funding from seed grants – such as Rolfe’s — is more critical than ever, allowing Dr. Muir’s team the opportunity to bolster their research and advance breakthrough findings to the next level. “We’re going to keep working on this as hard as we can with whatever resources we’re given,” Dr. Muir emphasized.
Rolfe Foundation’s Impact
While the current 5-year survival rate of 13% is still “unacceptably low”, Dr. Muir highlighted that, “The growth in the number of people studying pancreatic cancer and the number of new ideas being generated is huge — and that is, in part, because of the efforts of groups like Rolfe, who are bringing people into the community to focus on this issue.”
“I want to say a big thank you to Rolfe,” Dr. Muir emphasized. “We can’t do any of this without all of the work that Rolfe does – it’s the folks that are coordinating this support, donating, going to work every day and then taking some of their earnings and setting it aside so we (researchers) can do this work that truly make the difference.”
Note: Voices of Rolfe showcases the experiences of patients, survivors, family members, and caregivers. If you’re interested in sharing your story to help raise awareness and inspire others, we’d love to hear from you. Please contact Rolfe at info@rolfefoundation.org to learn more.
