Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America – Tampa community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, at swimacrossamerica.org/tampa.
Revolutionary CRISPR Gene Editing and Other Cell and Gene Therapy Editing Takes Center Stage in Finding Ways to Effectively Treat Cancer
Swim Across America, the nonprofit funding innovative clinical trials and patient-centered programs for cancer,is proud to announce the award of two $450,000 grants to two of its beneficiaries, Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy(ACGT) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, to support the work of novel gene and base editing techniques used in advanced cancer research, including targeted therapies, immunotherapies and cellular therapies. The two-year grants will specifically support the work of scientific investigators Joseph Fraietta, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania through ACGT, and Pietro Genovese, PhD, at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, for their work in groundbreaking cell and gene therapy cancer research. This financial support paves the way for more effective therapies across many cancer types including solid tumors, offering potential new hope for patients with hard to treat cancer types or limited treatment options.
“Gene editing, including CRISPR, are some of the most promising frontiers in cancer research allowing for advances in targeted therapies, immunotherapies, CAR-T cell therapy and early/minimal residual disease detection, diagnostics and cancer vaccines,” said Rob Butcher, CEO of Swim Across America. “These grants to Dr. Fraietta through ACGT, and Dr. Genovese at Dana-Farber, will help accelerate the advancement of potential gene-edited cancer treatments that could transform how we treat patients and their quality of life. Just as our previous funding has helped develop immunotherapy treatments that are saving lives today, we believe these pointed investments will help accelerate the next generation of cancer breakthroughs.”
Joseph Fraietta, PhD
Joseph Fraietta, PhD, through Swim Across America–Fairfield County beneficiary Alliance for Cancer Gene Therapy, is developing an innovative “off-the-shelf” cell therapy for aggressive cancers. His research uses a precise gene-editing tool called a “base editor” to create more effective CAR T cells that can target cancers with KRAS mutations, found in 20-25% of all cancers including lung, colon and pancreatic cancer. His team is also developing “micropharmacies” – immune cells engineered to release powerful cancer-fighting signals directly at tumor sites while minimizing side effects.
Pietro Genovese, PhD
Pietro Genovese, PhD, at Dana-Farber, is taking a revolutionary approach to treating acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Rather than targeting cancer cells directly, his team is creating “stealth” healthy blood cells engineered to survive cancer treatments while allowing the selective elimination of cancer cells. This innovative strategy could provide less toxic treatment options for AML and other blood cancers where traditional therapies often harm healthy cells along with cancerous ones.
“With the current funding landscape and resources potentially constrained, nonprofit organizations play a vital role in ensuring innovative cancer research moves forward,” said Evan Vosburgh, MD, Research and Grants committee chair for Swim Across America. “These targeted grants support precisely the kind of high-risk, high-reward research that could revolutionize cancer treatment, but might otherwise go unfunded. By supporting early-stage research in cell and gene therapy, we’re helping bridge critical funding gaps and accelerating the development of potentially life-saving treatments.”
Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million for cancer research since its founding in 1987 and has a strong track record of funding transformative research, including clinical trials that led to FDA-approved immunotherapy medicines Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy and Tecentriq. The organization was also a grant funder of Memorial Sloan Kettering’s landmark clinical trial that achieved a 100% success rate treating advanced rectal cancer patients with dostarlimab.
About Swim Across America Swim Across America hosts open water and pool swims in numerous communities nationwide, from Nantucket to under San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. More than 150 Olympians support the organization, including Michael Phelps, Kate Douglass, Missy Franklin and Ryan Lochte. The organization supports more than 60 cancer research projects annually and has ten named Swim Across America Labs at major institutions nationwide. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org or follow on social media @SwimAcrossAmerica on Facebook and @SAASwim on Instagram.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Nashville community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, at swimacrossamerica.org/nashville.
Wilcox and Buttigieg Bring Biotech, Science, Financial, Hospitality and Real Estate Expertise to Help Grow Swim Across America’s Impact and Mission
Harry Wilcox and Tim Buttigieg have been appointed to the Swim Across America board of directors.
Swim Across America, a national nonprofit dedicated to funding cancer research and patient programs through funds raised with charity swims, is pleased to announce the appointment of two distinguished leaders to its board of directors: Harry Wilcox, a life sciences entrepreneur, and Tim Buttigieg, a hospitality and real estate executive. Their extensive backgrounds in science, business, finance and community engagement will help advance Swim Across America’s mission and expand its impact.
Wilcox, based in Boston, has spent more than 30 years in executive leadership roles in the biotech, life sciences and financial sectors. His career includes positions with Exact Sciences, Cambridge NeuroScience, Charles River Ventures, BG Medicine, and YourBio Health Inc. Most recently, he served as general partner with Flagship Pioneering, a $14 billion life sciences company creation firm, where he oversaw financial operations and investments in biotechnology, health, and sustainability companies, including Seahorse Bioscience, Indigo Agriculture, and Novomer.
“My college roommate Jim Meehan and my wife, Patricia Hambrick, are both Swim Across America participants who introduced me to the organization,” Wilcox said. “I admire the approach Swim Across America takes in awarding grants that drive innovation in cancer research and detection. At this stage in my life, I’m excited to offer my time, experience, and resources to make a meaningful impact on the mission of helping innovate new treatments for cancer. I am delighted to join the board and work closely with leadership in accomplishing this goal.”
Buttigieg, based in New York City, has an extensive background in hospitality and real estate. His career includes roles with Brookfield Asset Management and previously PwC. Additionally, he chairs Swim Across America’s associate board, a group of emerging leaders dedicated to supporting the organization’s mission. Buttigieg has been involved with Swim Across America for more than a decade, starting as a participant and fundraiser in his teenage years.
“The impact of Swim Across America’s grants has benefited individuals I personally know,” Buttigieg said. “As my professional career has grown, I’ve wanted to give back more to this community, and leading the associate board has been an honor. I look forward to continuing my contributions as a member of the board of directors.” Swim Across America CEO Rob Butcher welcomed both new board members, highlighting their expertise and dedication to the cause. “Harry has been a committed volunteer and supporter of Swim Across America, and his entrepreneur energy and relationships will help us make a bigger impact,” Butcher said. “Tim’s deep understanding of hospitality and customer experience aligns with our mission of offering best-in-class charity programs. His leadership of the associate board has brought in a new generation, and we are thrilled to have him join the board of directors.”
Founded in 1987, Swim Across America has raised more than $100 million to fight cancer. In its 37 years of making waves, thousands of swimmers and Olympians have swum the circumference of the earth three times uniting a movement to fight cancer that has created a groundswell of support spanning all generations. Today, more than 24 communities hold charity swims each year, which support innovative cancer research, detection and patient programs.
Swim Across America grants helped support the research and clinical trials for FDA approved immunotherapy medicines: Keytruda, Opdivo, Yervoy, and Tencentriq. Swim Across America is also a grant funder of the successful clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering that was published in The New England Journal of Medicine and showed a 100 percent success rate in treating patients in a phase 2 clinical trial for advanced rectal cancer with dostarlimab, an immunotherapy treatment produced by GlaxoSmithKline. Swim Across America awards grant to more than 60 projects each year and there are ten named Swim Across America Labs at major institutions including: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, John Hopkins Medicine Baltimore, Rush University Medical Center Chicago, Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center in Dallas, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center New York, Infusion Center at Nantucket Cottage Hospital, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and San Francisco, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, The Swim Across America Pediatric Research Lab at Columbia University Medical Center New York, and at Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.
To learn more about Swim Across America or to register for a community charity swim, you can visit swimacrossamerica.org.
For 15 years, Swim Across America has fueled innovative early-stage research at Fred Hutch Cancer Center and UW Medicine and helped launch the careers of dozens of young scientists. We’re proud to share details about the six most recent projects made possible through funds raised in 2022 and 2023 by Swim Across America – Seattle and the dedicated swimmers who participated. From improving patients’ quality of life to overcoming tumors’ resistance to immunotherapy, these innovative projects have the potential to dramatically enhance cancer treatment.
Inspired to Make Waves to Fight Cancer this year? Swim, volunteer or donate to SAA-Seattle at swimacrossamerica.org/seattle.
Kate Markey, MBBS, PhD, FRACP | Stem cell transplantation
Assistant Professor, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine
Project: Restoring the gut microbiome after blood stem cell transplant
Dr. Kate Markey
Background: Fred Hutch researchers have shown that while blood stem cell transplantation continues to be the most effective treatment for multiple myeloma, it can also severely damage patients’ gut microbiome, leading to strong gastrointestinal side effects and poor outcomes. Dr. Markey, a medical oncologist who studies the gut microbiome and its role in recovery from transplant, developed a study to examine whether a five-week, plant based, whole-food diet can restore patients’ beneficial gut bacteria and improve immune function and outcomes.
2024 progress statement: Dr. Markey and her colleagues opened the trial in October, and by the end of the following month they had enrolled seven patients, or one-third of their goal. They are collecting stool and blood samples and plan to analyze all of them once the trial is complete. If all goes as expected this summer they intend to use the resulting data to apply for a federal research grant to support a much larger, randomized clinical trial.
Alexandre Hirayama, MD | Blood cancers
Assistant Professor, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine
Project: Understanding how large B-cell lymphoma evades CAR T-cell therapy
Dr. Alexandre Hirayama
Background: Less than half of patients who undergo CAR T-cell therapy for large B-cell lymphoma (LBCL) enjoy long-lasting remission. We’re not sure why, but the answer may lie in the tumor microenvironment. There’s still so much we don’t know about this collection of cells, stroma, and blood vessels that surround and support the tumor, including how it might suppress cancer therapies. Dr. Hirayama, who specializes in treating patients with B-cell malignancies, is studying the tumor microenvironment in minute detail to help identify and explain how patients’ tumors may mute CAR T cells’ effectiveness.
2024 progress statement: Dr. Hirayama has gathered the necessary tumor samples for these studies and refined the techniques and technologies that will allow him to study immune, stromal, and tumor cells in the tumor microenvironment. He expects to begin studying the samples in summer 2025.
Diane Tseng, MD, PhD | Lung cancer
Assistant Professor, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine
Project: Reducing inflammatory effects of immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer
Dr. Diane Tseng
Background: Many patients with lung cancer who are treated with checkpoint inhibitors experience a condition called checkpoint inhibitor pneumonitis (CIP). If left untreated, CIP can cause irreversible damage. Recent research shows that immune cells called napsin A–specific T cells may be involved in mediating CIP. Dr. Tseng, an oncologist who specializes in treating patients with lung cancer, is working with McGarry Houghton, MD — a Fred Hutch and UW Medicine professor and holder of the Satya and Rao Remala Family Endowed Chair — to study napsin A–specific T cells’ role in CIP and exploring strategies for muting it.
2024 progress statement: Dr. Tseng’s work has focused on 1) developing a method for detecting napsin A– specific T cells in donor blood; 2) developing a method for taking those cells and growing more of them in the lab; and 3) creating a test to determine whether a different T cell can eliminate them. This work will establish the foundations for understanding the function of napsin A–specific T cells and the role they might play in CIP.
Emily Liang, MD | Blood cancers
Hematology/oncology Fellow, Fred Hutch and UW Medicine
Project: Mitigating serious side effects of CAR T-cell therapies in patients with blood cancers
Dr. Emily Liang
Background: While CAR T-cell therapy has revolutionized treatment for patients with blood cancers like lymphoma and multiple myeloma, it also comes with a high risk of fever, fatigue, body aches, and even neurologic impairment. Though these conditions are reversible, they can be life-threatening and prevent older and frailer patients from receiving CAR T-cell therapy at all. Dr. Liang, who specializes in acute leukemias and CAR T-cell therapy, and her mentor, Jordan Gauthier, MD, MSC, a Fred Hutch and UW professor and former Swim Across America funding recipient, want to make these treatments accessible to a wider range of patients. So, the pair launched a first of-its-kind trial to study whether a drug typically prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis called anakinra can prevent these inflammatory responses.
2024 progress statement: After treating more than 30 patients in their clinical trial, Drs. Liang and Gauthier found that prophylactic administration of anakinra did not seem to be effective in preventing cytokine release syndrome, a side effect associated with a high level of inflammation in the blood. However, prophylactic anakinra did seem to reduce the severity and duration of neurologic side effects as well as the need for steroids. Importantly, Drs. Liang and Gauthier also found that anakinra may impair the treatment’s effectiveness against tumors. Now, the pair are planning to study how anakinra mitigates inflammation in the brain, whether there may be alternative prevention strategies, and how anakinra impacts CAR T-cell function.
Saurav Kumar, PhD | Colorectal cancer
Postdoctoral Fellow, Fred Hutch
Project: Exploring new uses for existing drugs to treat colorectal cancer
Dr. Saurav Kumar
Background: Colorectal cancer is one of several cancers driven by a process called gene fusion, in which two independent genes combine incorrectly and begin producing proteins that can lead to cancer. And though a range of drugs have been developed to target these fusions and stop the mechanism that promotes cancer growth, they’ve so far been ineffective against colorectal cancer. However, Dr. Kumar, who studies metastasis, recently discovered that patients with colon cancer who receive TRK inhibitors (TRKi) experience a drop in TRK fusion protein levels, suggesting that these inhibitors may be degrading the cancer-causing fusion proteins. He plans to study the interaction that causes this protein degradation with the goal of one day using TRKi to create more effective therapies for patients with this form of cancer.
2024 progress update: Dr. Kumar and his colleagues have developed three protein degraders, called PROTACs, based on an FDA-approved TRKi. Now they plan to begin testing them on colorectal cancer cells in the lab to better understand the mechanism that leads to TRK fusion protein degradation — which could one day inform the development of targeted therapies for patients with these cancers.
Yapeng Su, PhD | Pancreatic cancer
Postdoctoral Fellow, Fred Hutch
Project: Overcoming solid tumors’ resistance to immunotherapies
Dr. Yapeng Su
Background: Pancreatic cancer is notoriously difficult to treat. Though we’ve found a protein on tumor cells that would seemingly make for a good immunotherapy target, treatments that have been studied and validated in the lab fail in patients — likely due to unique characteristics of the tumor microenvironment. Using technology that allows us to see the interaction of cells within tumors and better understand how they influence one another, Dr. Su, who studies adoptive cellular immunotherapy, is examining the mechanisms that cause immunotherapies to fail and exploring techniques to overcome them.
2024 progress statement: After completing a detailed study of samples from tumors previously treated with adoptive T cell therapy, Dr. Su found that they contained several cell types that were both potentially immunosuppressive and arranged in distinct patterns throughout the tumor microenvironment. He also identified several subtypes of T cells (whose role is to attack cancer cells) that no longer functioned properly. In the coming months, Dr. Su plans to further analyze the T-cell subtypes and their placement within the tumor microenvironment to better understand why they stop working. What he finds could one day help us better engineer T cells to overcome those immunosuppressive forces.
Swim Across America is proud to announce a partnership with the American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) to sponsor a scholarship for a deserving coach to attend the 2025 ASCA World Clinic in Reno, Nevada, September 2-5.
The Swim Across America Scholarship provides full registration for the ASCA World Clinic and covers accommodation at the Peppermill Reno hotel and up to $500 for travel.
The ASCA World Clinic, now in its 58th year, is the largest and most comprehensive annual gathering in the sport of swimming. The event features 50 speakers covering a wide range of topics, an expansive exhibition hall, coaching demonstration at an Endless Pool, and numerous socials and networking opportunities.
This initiative is part of SAA’s commitment to supporting ASCA advancing the sport of swimming and the professional growth of dedicated coaches across the nation.
Applicants must be ASCA members who have never attended a World Clinic. Interested candidates are encouraged to complete the online application by February 28, 2025. The scholarship recipient will be notified by March 31, 2025.
“We deeply appreciate Swim Across America for their generosity and dedication to supporting the coaching community,” said ASCA CEO Jennifer LaMont. “This scholarship underscores their acknowledgment of the critical role coaches play in developing athletes and teams. We can’t wait to welcome the scholarship recipient to Reno this September.”
For more information about the ASCA World Clinic and the Swim Across America scholarship, and to apply, go to www.ascaworldclinic.com.
About Swim Across America Swim Across America is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for cancer research through swimming-related events. Since its inception in 1987, Swim Across America has raised over $100M to fund groundbreaking cancer research and clinical trials. Learn more at www.swimacrossamerica.org.
About ASCA The American Swimming Coaches Association (ASCA) is the professional association for swim coaches dedicated to inspiring, supporting, and advocating for coaches in the US and worldwide. Through education, certification, and professional development, ASCA empowers coaches to lead swimmers toward excellence while advancing the sport of swimming. Learn more at www.swimmingcoach.org.
Swim Across America (SAA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2024 SAA College Cup. More than 45 collegiate, club, and alumni teams and over 1,400 participants all united to make waves in the fight against cancer through swimming and friendly competition.
Swim Across America awarded the top fundraising team, the top collegiate fundraiser, and a bonus team chosen at random.
Congrats to the top fundraising team, Team Tar Heel! The top team is led by co-captains, Georgia Nel and Sue Walsh, and raised more than $96,000. Funds raised by Team Tar Heel supported the Swim Across America – Carolina community.
Team Tar Heel from the SAA-Carolina community is the winner of the Swim Across America College Cup. Congrats!
For Olympian and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alum, Sue Walsh, Swim Across America’s mission is deeply personal.
“My involvement became even more personal when I heard the words myself, ‘You have metastatic colon cancer.’ As someone who spent most of her life committed to the sport of swimming, it made perfect sense to partner with SAA in the fight against cancer, including my own.”
Congrats to the top collegiate fundraiser, Alyssa Corb, who raised over $24,000! Alyssa is a student at the University of Tennessee, Swim Across America – Nashville co-event director, and long-time supporter of Swim Across America – Baltimore. Over the years, Alyssa and her family have raised more than $200,000.
Alyssa Corb and her mother, Jennifer, at the 2024 SAA-Nashville community swim.
“My main inspiration for swimming is my brother Michael, who passed away from mixed lineage leukemia when he was nine months old,” shared Alyssa.
“I was 2 when he was born and 3 when he was diagnosed and died. I don’t remember every second but I do remember loving every minute with him, and his face lighting up whenever I walked into his room. To me, Swim Across America is not just about raising money to find a cure, it’s to honor and remember those who fought their battle and prevent other parents, siblings, and families from going through the loss of a loved one.”
SAA also recognized a collegiate team chosen through a random drawing: Providence College Swimming and Diving team from Providence Rhode Island. The team of more than 100 swimmers raised more than $64,000 and were awarded a Vasa Trainer Pro. Funds raised by the team from Providence College Swimming and Diving supported Swim Across America – Rhode Island.
The Swim Across America College Cup was announced in 2023 and invited college teams, athletes, and alumni to join the organization’s mission of funding cancer research, clinical trials, and patient care programs through community charity swims. Teams participated by registering for one of Swim Across America’s open water charity swims, joining or starting a pool swim, or participating virtually through the SAA My Way program. Participants affiliated with a U.S-based college or university were eligible to compete in the College Cup. Teams consisted of current college students, alumni, or a mix of both, and could be small as one person.
The Swim Across America College Cup was supported through partnerships with CSCAA, Vasa, and GoSwim.
About Swim Across America
Swim Across America, Inc. (SAA) is dedicated to raising money and awareness for cancer research, prevention, and treatment through swimming-related events. With the help of hundreds of volunteers nationwide and past and current Olympians, Swim Across America is helping find a cure for cancer through athleticism, community outreach and direct service. To learn more visit swimacrossamerica.org or follow on Facebook @SwimAcrossAmerica or on Instagram @SAASwim.
About CSCAA
Founded in 1922, the CSCAA is the nation’s first professional coaching association for intercollegiate athletics. The CSCAA boasts more than 2,000 member coaches and assistant coaches, recognizes All-American swimmers and divers, NCAA record-breakers and Scholar All-America athletes and teams, as well as outstanding coaches and contributors, and helps oversee the welfare of collegiate swimming and diving. Learn more about CSCAA at cscaa.org.
About Vasa
Vasa empowers swimmers, surfers, and triathletes to become stronger, better, faster in sports, fitness, and injury rehab. Vasa offers specific equipment such as swim ergometers, trainers, sport benches and other accessories to provide athletes with safe, effective training methods. Founded by Rob Sleamaker, an acclaimed exercise physiologist and author, who has worked with Olympians, biathletes, and triathletes as well as some of the world’s most respected swim coaches to reinvent their training practices. Learn more about Vasa at vasatrainer.com.
About GoSwim
GoSwim creates content that helps people of all ages and backgrounds to swim better and reach their full potential in the sport. GoSwim’s videos are acclaimed and unsurpassed for clarity of filming and clarity of content and commentary. GoSwim was founded in 2002 by Olympian Glenn Mills and business colleague Barbara Hummel. Learn more at goswim.tv.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Charlotte community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, Levine Cancer Institute and Levine Children’s Hospital, at swimacrossamerica.org/charlotte.
In August 2024, Charlotte resident, Julia Brookshire, completed the Hellespont-Dardanelles swim through a partnership between Swim Across America and SwimTrek Swimming Holidays. She also celebrated retirement, a serendipitous new career, and being in deep remission from Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. Find media highlights from Julia’s adventure here.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-San Francisco community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals (Oakland and San Francisco), at swimacrossamerica.org/sanfrancisco.
Swim Across America – San Francisco participant, Maya Merhige, successfully completed the English Channel swim in July 2024. Maya is a top fundraiser for SAA-SF, a member of the Junior Advisory Board, and a high school junior in the Bay Area. To read media highlights from Maya’s historic swims, click here.
Read or watch local stories featuring the Swim Across America-Louisville community to learn about their impact. Learn more about the event and beneficiary, UofL Brown Cancer Center, at swimacrossamerica.org/louisville.
Swim Across America 