Swim Across America grant funding helps lead to trial with 100% cancer remission

The New England Journal of Medicine published a paper on June 5, 2022 stating that 12 patients completed a phase 2 clinical trial for advanced rectal cancer and showed a 100% clinical complete response to dostarlimab, an immunotherapy treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline. The clinical trial was conducted at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) with early-stage grant funding from Swim Across America.

“I believe this (a 100% response) is the first time this has happened in the history of cancer,” commented Dr. Luis Diaz, co-author of the New England Journal of Medicine paper along with Dr. Andrea Cercek. Both are oncologists at MSK Cancer Center, which Swim Across America, including the Long Island Chapter, supports annually.

The cost to run a clinical trial can run into millions of dollars. Early-stage sponsors such as Swim Across America are necessary to fund the costs. Swim Across America’s grant for the MSK clinical trial helped fund the science and speed of sharing the information.

The Swim Across America grant agreement with beneficiaries such as MSK requires that 100% of an SAA grant must be spent on approved research and clinical trial programs. In 35 years, SAA has granted nearly $100M to innovative and otherwise unfunded ideas so the time of oncologists such as Dr. Cercek and Dr. Diaz is protected to make progress and develop new treatments.

Swim Across America has a proven track record of identifying and funding early-stage ideas of promise. SAA grants have played a major role in clinically developing FDA-approved immunotherapy treatments ipilimumab (YERVOY), nivolumab (OPDIVO), pembrolizumab (KEYTRUDA), and atezolizumab (TECENTRIQ).