The Laughlin Family Foundation Awards $100,000 Grant for the Second Consecutive Year to Dr. Amanda Nickles Fader at Johns Hopkins to Advance Research and Education for Rare Endometrial Cancers
Baltimore, MD - The Laughlin Family Foundation partners with Dr. Amanda Nickels Fader and the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics at Johns Hopkins Medicine for a second consecutive year to fund projects to help advance screening and early detections for gynecologic cancers, as well as to help develop better treatment options for women diagnosed with the rarest, most aggressive endometrial (uterine) cancers.
Amanda Nickles Fader, M.D. is an international leader in endometrial and rare gynecologic cancers, and a deserving recipient of the Laughlin Family Foundation’s funding. Under her leadership at Johns Hopkins, the gynecologic oncology program has become one of the top clinical and research programs in the nation, where women are offered innovative, personalized, and targeted therapies that improve their outcomes. Both the foundation and Dr. Fader have a passion to help those affected by rare gynecologic cancers.
The 2023- 2024 grant will financially support the following:
Growing the Endometrial Cancer Precision Medicine Center for Excellence, the only research center of its kind in the world
Research work involves using novel PapSEEK technology (developed at Johns Hopkins) to detect tumor driver mutations in the vaginal/cervical cytology of women. Dr. Fader is one of the principal investigators of this ground-breaking work on Evaluation of liquid from the Papanicolaou test and other liquid biopsies for the detection of endometrial and ovarian cancers
Reduce the incidence of endometrial cancer through cancer prevention by continuing research in developing endometrial screening test
Improve survival rates of women with advanced or recurrent endometrial cancer through novel molecular tumor testing strategies that will help personalize treatments for patients and match their tumor mutations to therapies
Advance survival outcomes for women with uterine serous and carcinocarcoma
Dr. Fader is co-principal investigator of the first upfront, international randomized controlled trial in women with uterine serous or carcinosarcoma. This National Cancer Institute trial is launching in seven countries and Johns Hopkins plan to enroll more than 450 patients. It was just approved in the U.S. for launch in summer 2023: A Phase II/III Study of Paclitaxel/Carboplatin Alone or Combined with Either Trastuzumab and Hyaluronidase-oysk (HERCEPTIN HYLECTA) or Pertuzumab, Trastuzumab, and Hyaluronidase-zzxf (PHESGO) in HER2 Positive, Stage I-IV Endometrial Serous Carcinoma or Carcinosarcoma
The 2nd Annual Johns Hopkins endometrial Cancer Symposium, the only one if its kind in the world
This is the second consecutive year that The Laughlin Family Foundation has supported Dr. Fader and her groundbreaking work at Johns Hopkins. Last year, with the financial support of the Laughlin Family Foundation, Dr. Fader accomplished the following:
Grew the Center for Rare Gynecologic Cancers to benefit nearly 500 patients under her care
Submitted a Johns Hopkins Precision Medicine Center of Excellence application focused on Endometrial Cancer, the only center of its kind in the world.
Worked with Duke University to help establish a national clinical rare tumor registry, including uterine serous carcinoma, to provide key data for researchers.
Sustained TWO critical studies and trials on endometrial tumors, including uterine serous carcinoma.
Published NINE peer-reviewed manuscripts and review articles on endometrial cancer care and research.
Planned and executed the 2022 Inaugural Johns Hopkins Endometrial Cancer Symposium, which brought 40 of the leading scientists and clinical trialists in the world together to review the “State of Science” with endometrial cancers, particular for rare subtypes (the only meeting of its kind in the world). The smposium brought together 150 physicians and scientists attend from 15 countries, and led to TWO research publications and numerous collaborations.
Led a workshop of the leading endometrial cancer scientists in the world to develop FIVE white papers in the field and define the most critical unanswered research questions
