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A family's commitment bolsters faculty and fuels research

After years at Massachusetts General Hospital and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute conducting postdoctoral research into improving brain cancer treatment, Tyler Miller, MD, PhD (GRS ’16, pathology; MED ’18), was being recruited to top-tier medical research centers to lead his own lab and team.

Having studied at �Ǹ���� School of Medicine for his MD and PhD in pathology/cancer biology degrees, Miller knew the innovative culture of CWRU would allow him to expand and build upon his research into immunotherapy, which focuses on how the immune system can identify and control diseases such as cancer.

And, thanks to the establishment of the Paul and Betsy Shiverick Professorship in Immuno-Oncology, Miller is now back at CWRU, accelerating his research.

“The foresight and commitment from the Shiverick family to help expand immunotherapy research at Case Western Reserve through the creation of a professorship in immuno-oncology directly led to my recruitment back to my alma mater,” said Miller. “Paul has long been a champion of cancer immunotherapy, and I am honored to hold this Shiverick Professorship. Paul and Betsy’s generous donation will provide invaluable support for our work and enable us to accelerate our efforts to develop impactful new treatments for brain cancer patients.”

The Shivericks’ support of cancer research at CWRU began with Asa and Patricia, who established the Asa and Patricia Shiverick–Jane B. Shiverick (Tripp) Professor of Hematological Oncology, held by Dean Stan Gerson, MD.

“We wanted to continue the legacy of our family’s commitment to cancer research at �Ǹ���� School of Medicine,” said their son, Paul Shiverick. “In consultation with Dean Gerson, we were waiting to find the right person and, after meeting Tyler, we were so impressed and knew he was someone who could help move this institution forward.”

Miller was drawn back to his alma mater in part because of the endowed professorship and also because of the pioneering cancer initiatives being led by Gary Schwartz, MD, director of the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center—work that aligns well with Miller’s efforts.

Focus on finding a cure

While immunotherapy has proven to be an effective treatment for many different cancers, it has not yet proven effective in treating brain tumors.

During his clinical pathology residency and research fellowship, Miller sought to uncover why—and identified a potential solution.

Miller discovered that a major obstacle in developing effective immunotherapies for brain tumor patients is the large number of myeloid cells in the tumor that suppress the immune system’s ability to attack and destroy glioblastoma cells—allowing tumor cells to thrive and multiply. It’s not just the sheer quantity of myeloid cells that’s a problem, he explained; it’s the diversity of their types and functions. Miller’s research focuses on identifying the specific myeloid cell functions that suppress the immune system, helping the tumor grow, and creating therapeutic strategies that target these harmful myeloid cells and turn them back into myeloid cells that enable immunotherapies to be effective.

With a lack of effective therapies for brain cancer patients, Miller emphasizes the need for every patient to be enrolled in a clinical trial. Clinical trials help determine which drugs (immunotherapies) can turn the Accelerating breakthroughs A family’s commitment bolsters faculty and fuels research immune system against the tumor.

“The rapid progression of glioblastoma means we get data and insights from clinical trials much faster than in many other cancer types,” said Miller. “To make real progress against this devastating disease requires an iterative process of taking what we learn from patients back to the lab and rapidly translating our findings into new strategies for the next trial.”

For Miller, returning to Case Western Reserve—and joining the Case Comprehensive Cancer Center, which combines clinical and basic research efforts from physicians and researchers at CWRU, Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals— was an ideal destination.

“Dr. Miller’s expertise in using cutting-edge technologies to study brain tumors and develop new immunotherapy approaches makes him a perfect fit for our vision,” Schwartz said. “We are thrilled to have recruited Dr. Miller back to Cleveland, and I’m confident his work will lead to meaningful advances in treating these devastating diseases.”

The cancer center—and the innovative initiatives Schwartz is leading there—creates “the perfect environment to start a lab with a mission to revolutionize the treatment for brain cancer patients through the development of innovative immunotherapies and finally find a cure for this disease.

Originally published in the winter 2024-2025 issue of Forward Thinking magazine