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Matt Hiznay, a graduate student studying at Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner Research Institute, passionately believes in funding for medical research. “Laboratory research has the potential to explode into something that can save people’s lives,” he says. “The research on the type of cancer I have started around 2007. In 2011, the inhibitor drug resulting from that research was approved by the FDA, and two weeks later, I started taking it.

“It saved my life.”

In August 2011, 24-year-old Matt was eager to begin his second year of medical school at the University of Toledo College of Medicine. A persistent dry cough sent him to his family doctor, who made a preliminary diagnosis of a lung disease — sarcoidosis — and referred him to Cleveland Clinic.

Nathan Pennell, MD, PhD, a thoracic oncologist at Cleveland Clinic’s Taussig Cancer Institute, diagnosed stage IV anaplastic lymphoma kinase (ALK)-positive non-small cell lung cancer, an aggressive form of the disease caused by a genetic mutation that leads to the abnormal fusion of two proteins.

“I was thinking, ‘I’m 24. I’m a lifelong nonsmoker. It’s not cancer. I’m not supposed to get cancer,’” Matt says.

In a twist of fate, the same day Matt learned he had cancer, a new drug, Xalkori, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In clinical trials, Xalkori targeted his specific form of lung cancer by inhibiting the mutated ALK protein causing the cancer.

It worked. By November, Matt’s cancer was in remission.

But in May 2012, the night before one of his regular checkups with Dr. Pennell, Matt noticed a swelling in his left shoulder. “In the deepest and darkest part of my mind, I knew what it was,” he says. A biopsy confirmed that the cancer had returned.

Dr. Pennell investigated treatment options and helped to facilitate Matt’s enrollment in a Phase 2 clinical trial of a new drug at University of Colorado Hospital in Aurora, CO. Although the tumors diminished, the treatment didn’t lead to remission, and so in November 2013, Matt began intravenous chemotherapy at Cleveland Clinic. The cancer went into remission and remained that way until April 2014 — two months before his wedding. Matt decided to undergo a six-week course of radiation treatment, which meant no honeymoon. By August, the radiation treatment had destroyed the cancer, except for one area.

“There’s a theory that cancer can sometimes ‘forget’ that it’s been targeted with a specific inhibitor, like the drug Xalkori, which saved my life. Researchers call it a drug holiday,” says Matt, who began taking Xalkori again with good results. The cancer was in remission until March 2015.

Now, Matt is enrolled in a Phase 1 clinical trial at Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville testing a second generation ALK inhibitor. A Phase 1 trial means there is no knowledge yet about potential side effects or drug toxicity.

“You know, I wasn’t scared,” he says about taking part in the Phase 1 trial. “There’s not much that can scare me anymore. I have a lot of faith in these types of drugs and therapies, and I’ve been fortunate that I’ve responded.”

Setting New Goals

When cancer recurred in 2012, Matt realized that he wouldn’t be able to attain his goal of becoming a physician. “With the recurrence and the intensity of my battle, I didn’t think that the stress and time commitment of med school would help the fight,” he says. “Plus, it hit a little too close to home. I had been phasing out of being in patient mode and suddenly was right back in it.”

Today, Matt is enrolled in Cleveland Clinic’s Molecular Medicine PhD program, working in the lab of Richard Padgett, PhD, researching cancer and genetics. Dr. Padgett’s lab has been studying gene expression, the process by which information encoded in a gene is used to direct the assembly of a protein molecule.

“This is really basic science,” Dr. Padgett says. “I figured if gene expression was blocked, the cells would just die and you would never see any disease come out of it, but I was wrong. It turns out that the very specific mutations that occur in cancers, in particular blood cancers and a type of leukemia called AML, affect this process. We don’t understand how yet.”

Matt’s project and others in the lab are focused on discovering what these mutations are doing. “What’s striking is how common they are in this particular type of blood cancer and how rare they are in other types of cancers,” Dr. Padgett says. “I don’t know yet what that’s telling us, but it’s pointing out that there’s something very specific about these types of cells — the precursor cells that give rise to cancer.”

Pedaling for a Cure

Cancer is among the most pressing health concerns in the United States. Approximately one in three women and one in two men will be diagnosed with cancer in their lifetime. Despite these statistics, government funding for cancer research has remained flat in recent years.

“Funding is tough all around,” Dr. Padgett says. “But without it, there’s no science.”

That’s why Dr. Padgett, a cycling enthusiast, decided to participate in this year’s VeloSano, Northeast Ohio’s annual cycling event benefiting cancer research at Cleveland Clinic. He was part of a team representing the Lerner Research Institute.

When Matt learned that his boss was training for VeloSano’s 50-mile ride, he offered to send out personal emails to his family and friends to help raise funds. “I was very moved when I saw he’d written on his fundraising webpage that he rides for ‘Matt and cancer researchers everywhere.’” The team raised more than $2,000, contributing to VeloSano’s fundraising total of $3 million.

The day before the VeloSano event, Matt received good news. “I found out that again the cancer had gone into remission, and it remains that way to this day,” he says.

Dr. Padgett admits it was a tough ride but appreciates that Matt and his wife, Ally, were at the event to cheer him on. He’s already committed to riding in next year’s VeloSano.

“This is about all the people who are living their lives because of cancer research,” Dr. Padgett says. “We don’t know what’s going to happen. We do know that more and better therapies are being developed all the time, and even an extra year of survival can mean a new treatment. Every year brings more potential ways to beat cancer.”