According to a public post shared on X by Alex Strudwick Young, Assistant Professor at UCLA Human Genetics, he was diagnosed with stage IV rectal cancer with a liver metastasis in March 2024 at the age of 35. Despite having no family history and experiencing no early suspicion from doctors, Young underwent extensive treatments including total neoadjuvant therapy, surgeries, and multiple rounds of chemotherapy, and is now seeking funding for a personalized cancer vaccine.
Stage IV Rectal Cancer Diagnosis and Initial UCLA Treatment
Following his diagnosis in March 2024, Young received total neoadjuvant therapy at UCLA, according to his published account. The initial regimen comprised six weeks of radiation combined with chemotherapy using Xeloda. This protocol was followed by six rounds of oxaliplatin infusions and additional Xeloda treatments.
Despite the grueling schedule, Young reported tolerating the therapy unusually well. During this treatment phase, he managed to hike above 11,000 feet in the Sierras multiple times. He also finalized the main text of a 72-author meta-analysis paper, which he submitted to Nature, where it remains in review.
Did you know? Personalized cancer vaccines are designed to target specific neoantigens unique to an individual’s tumor, training the immune system to recognize and attack mutated cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.
Surgical Interventions and Recurrence Markers
Showing a positive clinical response, Young underwent a nine-hour surgery at the end of October. Surgeons removed a portion of his rectum, one-third of his liver, and placed a temporary ileostomy. He described waking up from the large dose of anesthesia as a disorienting experience accompanied by wild hallucinations.
After a reversal of the ostomy in January, Young received a positive circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) result from Natera’s Signatera test. By July 2025, ctDNA levels had risen, and imaging revealed a new lesion in a lymph node near his liver, known as a periportal lesion. Subsequent treatments with irinotecan and panitumumab infusions, alongside MRI-guided SBRT radiation, temporarily lowered ctDNA levels before they began rising again.
Gastrointestinal Complications and Intensive Care
While managing ongoing oncological therapies, Young developed severe stomach pain and digestive symptoms. He collapsed while vomiting blood in Santa Monica and was rushed to an emergency room, where doctors identified and treated a bleeding duodenal ulcer caused by an H. pylori infection.
Weeks later, extreme weakness led to a second ambulance trip to the emergency room, where his hemoglobin dropped to a dangerous 5g/dL, compared to normal levels exceeding 13.5g/dL. After multiple blood transfusions failed to stabilize his blood loss, an emergency intensive care endoscopy successfully clipped and sprayed the bleeding ulcer, allowing for his discharge after three nights.
Current Immunotherapy and Fundraising Efforts
The bleeding incident triggered a rapid spike in ctDNA and the appearance of three new disease sites in abdominal lymph nodes, verified via PET-CT imaging. After recovering sufficiently to restart irinotecan and panitumumab, Young achieved an excellent imaging response, though ctDNA remained detectable.
Young has since started bot/bal immunotherapy—a treatment not yet approved that is showing strong results for microsatellite stable colorectal cancer—thanks to an anonymous donor. However, to prevent future recurrence, he is seeking financial help to secure a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine. Because the vaccine is unapproved, the design, manufacture, and administration costs total $104,133, prompting him to launch a GoFundMe campaign while continuing to lead his statistical genetics research group at UCLA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a personalized neoantigen cancer vaccine?
According to medical researchers, personalized neoantigen vaccines are custom-made treatments engineered from a patient’s specific tumor mutations to stimulate an immune response against cancer cells.
Why are personalized cancer vaccines expensive?
Because these vaccines are not yet FDA-approved standard treatments, the costs associated with sequencing individual tumors, manufacturing the bespoke doses, and administering them are typically paid out-of-pocket.
What is ctDNA testing?
Circulating tumor DNA tests, such as the Signatera assay mentioned by Young, detect fragments of DNA shed by tumors into the bloodstream to monitor treatment response and detect potential recurrence early.
Call to Action: If you want to support Alex Strudwick Young’s ongoing research and medical treatments, please consider sharing his story or visiting his official GoFundMe page to contribute.
Keep reading