Florida Invests $2 Million to Expand FIU's Functional Precision Oncology Program for Treatment-Resistant Cancers
核心洞察
The Florida Legislature has allocated $2 million to expand FIU's myFORCE program (搜索), which personalizes cancer treatment by testing FDA-approved drugs directly against a patient's own tumor cells.
Led by Dr. Diana Azzam, the program previously demonstrated an 83% improvement rate in children with difficult-to-treat cancers in a Nature Medicine-published study conducted with Nicklaus Children's Hospital.
The funding will support core operations, laboratory teams, data analysis, and expansion of the clinical trials network to enable larger multi-institutional studies.
The State of Florida has committed $2 million to expand Florida International University's Functional Oncology Rapid Cancer Elimination (myFORCE) Program, an initiative that offers personalized cancer treatment recommendations by testing FDA-approved therapies directly against a patient's own living tumor cells. The investment, secured through the Florida Legislature, aims to broaden access for both pediatric and adult cancer patients who have limited options after exhausting standard treatments.
The myFORCE Program (搜索) operates under the FIU Center for Advancing Personalized Cancer Treatments (CAPCT) and is led by Diana Azzam, a professor and researcher at FIU's Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work. The program is designed to help physicians identify effective — and often less toxic — treatment options for patients whose cancers have returned, resisted treatment, or exhausted standard therapies.
"Every family deserves hope in the fight against cancer, and I am proud to have secured this funding to support FIU's Functional Oncology Rapid Cancer Elimination (myFORCE) Program, an initiative advancing personalized treatment options for pediatric and adult cancer patients," said Florida state Senator Alexis Calatayud. "By investing in groundbreaking research here in Miami, we are empowering scientists to accelerate lifesaving discoveries and transform the lives of families across Florida."
Clinical Evidence and Methodology
Azzam's research gained national attention through a clinical study conducted in partnership with Nicklaus Children's Hospital. In that study, researchers tested tumor samples from children with difficult-to-treat cancers against more than 120 medications. The results, published in Nature Medicine, showed that 83% of patients who received treatments guided by Azzam's functional precision oncology approach demonstrated improvement.
The methodology goes beyond traditional genomic analysis of a tumor's genetic characteristics. Azzam's team collects living cells from a patient's cancer and exposes them to FDA-approved drugs and drug combinations to determine which treatments appear most effective against that individual tumor. The findings are then shared with the patient's oncologist, who determines whether they can help guide treatment decisions.
Funding Allocation and Strategic Expansion
The state appropriation will support the program's core operations, including clinical and laboratory teams, supplies, and data analysis. Critically, the funding will also expand the center's clinical trials network and open the door to larger, multi-institutional studies — positioning Florida as a global leader in functional precision oncology.
"I am proud to have secured $2 million in funding for Dr. Azzam and FIU's Functional Oncology Rapid Cancer Elimination (myFORCE) program," said Florida state Representative Omar Blanco. "These funds will provide personalized treatment options for pediatric and adult cancer patients across our community. This cutting-edge technology positions Florida as a global leader in precision oncology, and I'm proud to have fought for the resources that make it possible."
Addressing Unmet Need in Relapsed and Resistant Cancers
The myFORCE approach is especially valuable for patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant cancers (搜索), who often face limited options and little time. By testing therapies directly against living tumor cells, the program aims to identify effective treatments that might otherwise be overlooked, potentially sparing patients from ineffective and toxic regimens.
"This funding gives us the capacity to move into the next phase of our work, strengthen the infrastructure needed to serve more patients and continue building the evidence behind this approach," Azzam said. "We are incredibly grateful to our Florida legislators for investing in the future of cancer treatment."
FIU President Jeanette M. Nuñez emphasized the program's significance for patients who have run out of conventional options, while Tomás R. Guilarte, dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work, noted that Azzam's work reflects the core mission of public health: "using science to improve outcomes, expand access and help innovative care reach the people who need it most."