A year in review, impact report

At the Hoag Family Cancer Institute, clinical leaders and physician-scientists are conducting cutting-edge clinical trials, setting out to make discoveries at the forefront of cancer care and improve treatment options for patients in Orange County and around the country. Hoag’s generous donors are helping to make it happen.

Continued expansion of Hoag’s cancer research capabilities has accelerated under the leadership of Carlos Becerra, MD, Margaret Givan Larkin Endowed Chair in Developmental Cancer Therapeutics and medical director of cancer research. A nationally recognized expert in early phase clinical research, Dr. Becerra’s focus is on cellular therapies.

From activated antibodies and T cells to fluorescent dyes and modified bacteria, cellular therapies use a range of technologies designed to target and kill cancer cells by enhancing the body’s own immune system. Patients for whom traditional treatment options have been exhausted can find hope in cancer research on the most promising novel therapies. In some cases, Hoag is one of only a few sites in the world to offer such trials.

Under Dr. Becerra’s leadership, Hoag’s cancer research program saw tremendous growth in 2023.

67 new clinical trials

17 trials in the pipeline

83 patients enrolled

In August 2023, Dr. Becerra was inducted into Hoag’s Endowed Chair Program, assuming the Margaret Givan Larkin Endowed Chair in Developmental Cancer Therapeutics from esteemed colleague, mentor, and friend Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, an internationally renowned leader in cancer research.

A Snapshot of Cancer Research Across Specialties

• Lung cancer

• Lymphomas

• Pancreatic cancer

• Prostate cancer

• Bladder cancer

• Breast cancer

• Colon and rectal cancers

• Head and neck cancers

Pictured above: Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, Dr. Carlos Becerra, Margaret Givan Larkin Endowed Chair in Developmental Cancer Therapeutics, and Dr. Burt Eisenberg, Grace E. Hoag Executive Medical Director Endowed Chair, Hoag Family Cancer Institute.

Donors Help Advance Industry Partnerships

When recruited to Hoag in 2022 from Baylor Scott & White Health in Dallas, Dr. Becerra brought with him long-established relationships in the pharmaceutical industry, solidifying Hoag’s reputation among clinical trial sponsors. Made possible by philanthropic funding for endowed chairs, fellowship programs, research, and innovation, Hoag’s unique combination of academic rigor in a nimble community hospital setting allows trials to be approved and implemented faster than at university hospitals and other competitors. While it takes approximately nine to 12 months to open a trial at an academic medical center, Dr. Becerra and his team have streamlined this process to roughly 90 days.

More intensive and involved than phase II or phase III clinical trials, which take place further along in the research process, phase I trials require greater infrastructure and expertise to run. With donor support for technology, facilities, personnel, and more, Hoag’s infrastructure for running complex phase I trials is strong, allowing Dr. Becerra and his team of investigators the opportunity to work directly with sponsors to design studies, develop new drugs, and eventually establish new standards of care. For Hoag patients and the community, this means direct access to the most innovative developments in cancer care.

Hoag’s Cancer Research Team

Tiffany Beck, MD, MPH, FACOG Gynecologic Oncologist

David Benjamin, MD Hematologist-Oncologist

Yaser Homsi, MD Medical Oncologist & Hematologist

Simon Khagi, MD Director, Neuro-Oncology

Chaitali Nangia, MD Co-Director, Cellular Therapy

Tara Seery, MD Co-Director, Cellular Therapy

Gary Ulaner, MD, PhD, FACNM

James & Pamela Muzzy Endowed Chair in Molecular Imaging and Therapy Director, Molecular Imaging and Therapy

Empowered by Philanthropy

Sustaining cancer research at Hoag is made possible thanks to community support, which funds endowed chairs, data coordinators, and other research personnel who ensure the functionality and efficiency of clinical trials during the regulatory process and throughout the length of the trial.

Because of you, Hoag’s cancer research program is attracting the best physicians in the country by offering the resources to not only practice medicine but move it forward. Thank you.

“Philanthropy is crucial to attracting the best clinical research talent by funding endowed chairs and research programs such as cellular therapy, precision medicine, and more. We’re very grateful for all that our donors are helping us accomplish.”

– Dr. Carlos Be cerra Margaret Givan Larkin Endowed Chair in Developmental Cancer Therapeutics

For more information about how to support cancer research at Hoag, please contact Laurice Antoun-Becker, senior director of development, at (949) 764-1818 or Laurice.Antounbecker@hoag.org.