A $2 million investment from the Florida Legislature will expand FIU's Functional Oncology Rapid Cancer Elimination (myFORCE) Program, giving more cancer patients access to personalized treatment recommendations based on how their own tumor cells respond to FDA-approved therapies.
As part of the FIU Center for Advancing Personalized Cancer Treatments (CAPCT), myFORCE is dedicated to finding the right treatment for each individual patient by testing therapies directly against that patient's own cancer cells. Led by FIU's Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work professor and researcher Diana Azzam, 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."
Azzam's research first gained national attention through a clinical study conducted with Nicklaus Children's Hospital. Researchers tested tumor samples from children with difficult-to-treat cancers against more than 120 medications. In results published in Nature Medicine, 83% of the patients who received treatments guided by Azzam's approach showed improvement.
"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."
The state appropriation will support the program's core operations, including the clinical and laboratory teams, supplies and data analysis. It 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.
"We are deeply grateful to Representative Blanco, Senator Calatayud, and the Florida Legislature for their investment in Dr. Azzam's innovative cancer research that gives patients and families hope when conventional treatment options have run out," said FIU President Jeanette M. Nuñez.
Azzam is a national leader in functional precision medicine. The approach goes beyond analyzing a tumor's genetic characteristics: Her 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 shared with the patient's oncologist, who determines whether they can help guide treatment decisions. The approach is especially valuable for patients with relapsed or treatment-resistant cancers, who often have limited options and little time.
"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."
"At its core, Dr. Azzam's work reflects the mission of public health: using science to improve outcomes, expand access and help innovative care reach the people who need it most," said Tomás R. Guilarte, dean of the Robert Stempel College of Public Health and Social Work.
