Last November, Mikaela Knapp was diagnosed with an aggressive strain of kidney cancer, which metastasized to her brain. Knapp is 25.
Prior to her diagnosis, Knapp had worked as an account coordinator at SparkPR, a technology-focused public relations outfit in San Francisco. At Spark, Knapp developed an affinity and appreciation for technology. Meredith Obendorfer, who worked closely with Knapp, describes her as “a typical AC — bright, bubbly and eager to develop her media relationships.”
In the wake of her diagnosis, Knapp’s family and former colleagues have banded together to rally the media. The goal is to put pressure on Merck, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, to include Knapp in a potentially life-saving clinical trial.
As Obendorfer puts it: “We’re fortunate to possess skills that help spread impactful stories fast and far. Mikaela’s struggle with cancer and her fight to get the drugs she needs to survive popped up over social media and quickly gained momentum, particularly given the social nature of our community.”
After six months of treatment, Knapp is running out of FDA-approved therapies. After perusing the Internet, her husband (and high school sweetheart) Keith stumbled upon research into new therapies that can attack cancer by inhibiting a cloaking mechanism that tumors use to disguise themselves from the immune system. These drugs, called anti-PD-1 or anti-PD-L1, are under development by pharma giants, like Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, and Genentech.
More: http://venturebeat.c...-kidney-cancer/
