SAMUEL WAXMAN, M.D.

A Pioneer in Medical Research

By Norah Bradford

Samuel Waxman, M.D., Founder and CEO of the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF), has dedicated his entire career as an oncologist/hematologist to developing scientific-based minimally toxic therapies for patients with cancer. Dr. Waxman, in collaboration with other scientists, found a cure for acute promyelocytic leukemia, which once was 100 percent fatal but now has a 95 percent cure rate. This was based on his research that cancer cells can be reversed in behavior with minimally toxic treatment.

Dr. Waxman founded the SWCRF and its unique concept of the Institute Without Walls™ to rapidly bridge the gap between the bench and bedside research by funding multi-disciplinary collaborative grants. SWCRF scientists have made significant breakthroughs in cancer research, including identifying pathways to deliver drugs and novel therapies to treat cancer. More recently, Dr. Waxman and members of his lab have demonstrated that triple-negative breast cancer, an aggressive cancer that is more likely to occur in young women with Ashkenazi, Hispanic and African American ancestry, can be reprogrammed with targeted treatment, so it loses its ability to spread. They hope that this will be tested in clinical trials in the near future.

A BETTER UNDERSTANDING
Another area of focus for Dr. Waxman and SWCRF is to better understand cancer as a disease of aging. Cancer incidence rises dramatically above age 40 and research in this area remains understudied. Dr. Waxman has directed the SWCRF to a successful collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to pool their expertise and fund collaborative aging and cancer research. The collaboration will fund research that addresses how aging affects cancer development and how to develop preventative protocols and treatments.

Throughout his career, Dr. Waxman has authored hundreds of scientific papers and was among the first scientists to study differentiation as a cancer therapy. He has also contributed chapters to textbooks on hematology, chemotherapy, and nutrition, as well as authored two books—Differentiation Therapy and The Leukemia Cell. Dr. Waxman is a Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Oncologic Sciences at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. He is also an Honorary Professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. Dr. Waxman helped found the International Conference on the Differentiation Therapy of Cancer, which brings together researchers from around the globe every two years.

A GLOBAL EFFORT
Presently, the SWCRF Institute Without Walls™ funds 30 outstanding research scientists at cancer research institutions throughout the world. Dr. Waxman continues to work closely with academic and clinical leadership at the highest levels in China and will move forward with future collaborations. Only through shared effort will scientists come to understand the common denominators that all cancers share, enabling them to speed cures to patients. It is the goal of SWCRF to develop therapies for all types of cancers—and to eradicate the disease as we know it. Since its inception in 1976, the Foundation has awarded more than $100 million to support the work of more than 200 researchers across the globe.

Much of the support for the SWCRF cancer research funding comes from events such as The Hamptons Happening cancer research benefit held each summer, the Annual Golf Tournament and the Waxman Gala. This year, the 21st Annual Waxman Gala will be held this coming fall on November 15th at Cipriani’s in New York City.

For more information on SWCRF, visit waxmancancer.org.