Novel Therapeutics Clinic | Cleveland Clinic

Overview

Do you have cancer that’s becoming difficult to control? Or do you need a cancer treatment that uses “out-of-the-box” thinking? You might be interested in options we call novel therapeutics. This means a therapy that’s new — in the early part of clinical testing and not yet available to the general public.

These options are available as early-phase clinical trials (or what you might also hear called phase I, phase II or basket clinical trials). They’re sometimes the first step in finding out if any therapy is a scientific breakthrough. Then, they might become widely available.

Maybe you have a cancer diagnosis with a genetic mutation that makes you a good candidate for a targeted therapy. Or maybe you’ve tried all available options and they haven’t worked. Our Novel Therapeutics Clinic is here for you. We can help you get enrolled in one of these early-phase clinical trials if you have a solid tumor affecting your:

Bones or soft tissues.
Brain.
Blood and lymph glands.
Breasts.
Digestive system.
Head or neck.
Lungs.
Skin.
Urinary tract.
Reproductive organs.

Types of Novel Therapies

What types of novel therapeutics are available?

Novel therapeutics can include any of the following:

Immunotherapies — A cancer treatment that trains your body’s immune system to find and kill cancer cells.
Cell and gene therapies — Using modified cells or genetic material to restore diseased and damaged areas of your body affected by cancer.
Small molecule drugs — Drugs that attach to specific targets on cancer cells. This prevents the cancer cells from growing or destroys them.
New radiation therapy methods — Using radiation (usually high-power X-rays) to kill cancer cells.
Viral therapy — A treatment that uses a virus (changed in the lab) to find and destroy cancer cells.
Antibody drug conjugates — New ways of delivering very potent chemotherapy only to cancer cells.
Theranostics – Using a drug that is designed to deliver radiation to the cancer cells while trying to avoid or lessen the damage to the normal part of your body.

What To Expect

How does the Novel Therapeutics Clinic work?

Instead of going from clinic to clinic to see different providers, we’ve brought everyone you need together in one spot.

You can see everyone on your care team in one place — located in the Taussig Cancer Center on our main campus in Cleveland, Ohio — including:

Cancer specialists.
Nurses.
Pharmacists.
Your research coordinator.
Palliative care physicians and nurses, if needed, for help managing your symptoms.

We know that it’s not always easy traveling to appointments, especially if you’re far from Cleveland. We’re trying to make it more convenient for you. You can often have your first consult by phone or a virtual visit. And when possible, we’ll try to reduce how many in-person visits you need to participate in an early-stage clinical trial.

Questions about insurance coverage or need help paying for care?

You can call our Cancer Answer Line at 866.223. 8100. Our team can help you Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST). We have dedicated care coordinators and financial navigators to help with:

Reviewing and helping you understand your insurance benefits.
Figuring out the best insurance for your needs.
Checking for insurance approvals.
Finding any possible help for the cost of your medications, housing or utilities.

Our Team

Meet our expert team

Our team includes physicians who are experts in pharmacology, immunotherapy and regulatory science. They also have expertise in rare cancers. Plus, we have pharmacists, research nurses and nurse coordinators who only focus on these novel therapeutics.

Together, they’ll review your options. They’ll help identify the most appropriate trial for you based on the type of tumor you have — and any genetic or structural abnormalities.

From there, we’ll work with your cancer specialist to develop a treatment need that’s personalized for your specific needs.

Physicians

Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD Lung cancer, translational research, phase 1 trials	Joseph Wooley, MD Sarcoma, phase 1 trials	Azka Ali, MD Breast cancer, phase 1 trials
James Isaacs, MD Melanoma, phase 1 trials	Wen Wee Ma, MBBS Gastrointestinal cancers, phase 1 trials	Michael Menefee, MD Regional provider
Joel Saltzman, MD Regional provider

Research Nurses

Julianna Arendash RN	Selena Fluker BSN, RN	Sonya Mihalus BSN, RN
Jake Nestor BSN, RN	Shannon Perkins, CNP	Jonathan Reitinger BSN, RN
Sarah Whalen-Cohen MN, RN

Clinical Research Coordinators

Christina Chukri	Josiph Pranjeta	Mingo Rolince
Helen Sweeney	Karen Spies

Research Pharmacists

Matthew Brignola, PharmD, BCOP

Emily Cheng, PharmD, BCOP

Anita Lammers, PharmD, BCOP

How to Get Started

Ready to take the next step?

We realize deciding if an early-stage clinical trial is right for you is a big decision. But we’re here to answer all of your questions — and guide you every step of the way. If you’re interested in learning more, call our Cancer Answer Line at 866.223.8100.