Worldwide Scientific Community Presents Newest Findings of Collaborative Cancer Research

Abstract

Scientists affiliated with leading cancer research institutions throughout the world assembled in New York to participate in an Annual Scientific Review sponsored by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF), a non-profit international organization providing grants supporting research to develop targeted cancer cell-specific therapies.In a May 7th evening program researchers in the Foundation's global collaborative research program "Institute Without Walls" shared their newest findings with fellow scientists and donors.Included in the more than three dozen participating organizations were Memorial Sloan-Kettering, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Center for Cancer Research (National Cancer Institute), National Institutes of Health, Johns Hopkins University, The Salk Institute, GlaxoSmithKline, Shanghai Institute of Hematology, New York University, Dartmouth College, Weizmann Institute - Israel, and the Institute of Cancer Research - London.Dr. Samuel Waxman, noted oncologist, professor of medicine at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Founder and Scientific Director of the Foundation, chaired the event, and observed that "scientific advances in the 21st century have radically changed the face and pace of cancer research and have started to deliver the cure."Following are a few highlights of this year's research presentations:- "Developing Epigenetic Therapy in Colon Cancer" - Dr. Stephen Baylin, M.D., Department of Oncology/Cancer Biology, Johns Hopkins University- "Molecular Targeted Therapy in Prostate Cancer" - Dr. Charles Sawyers, M.D., Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center- "Breast Cancer Stem Cells" - Dr. Benjamin Neel, M.D., Princess Margaret Hospital, (Toronto)- "Melanoma Immune-Gene Therapy" - Dr. James Economou, M.D., Ph.D., Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, UCLA School of MedicineThe work of "Institute Without Walls" researchers is evaluated annually by an independent committee comprised of eminent research leaders.*"We must start thinking about cancer as a disease that is preventable, treatable, and increasingly curable," Dr. Waxman said. "New, less toxic drugs and cell-specific treatments emerging from years of intensive research are now migrating from our laboratories to patients. The results we see indicate that cancer patients can realistically expect to live with their disease and enjoy many years of normal, productive life."About the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research FoundationNow in its 32nd year, the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation (SWCRF) is a unique non-profit international organization dedicated to supporting focused concept-driven research to develop targeted cancer cell-specific therapies with minimal toxicity, such as differentiation therapy. Two drugs developed through Foundation-supported research, and now used worldwide, have proven the effectiveness of non-toxic differentiation in the treatment of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL), which has helped cure 50,000 people.Since its inception, SWCRF has trained and supported more than 170 scientists with research grants exceeding $60 million. Based in New York City at The Mount Sinai Medical Center, the Foundation funds highly collaborative basic, translational and clinical research groups throughout the United States, Canada, China, Europe and Israel. SWCRF grant applicants are established investigators who agree to collaborate with other SWCRF investigators on research projects funded by the Foundation.Functioning as an "Institute Without Walls" the Foundation currently enables the collaboration of accomplished scientists in 28 different world-renowned cancer research centers. SWCRF hosts international conferences that bring together differentiation therapy investigators in a major forum to share their findings with the scientific community. Foundation-supported projects are reviewed and evaluated annually by an independent external committee of eminent scientists.The Foundation derives most of its support from individual contributions. For the third consecutive year, Charity Navigator has awarded SWCRF its coveted four-star rating, indicating that the Foundation operates in the most fiscally responsible way possible to utilize its resources to attain its goal of a world without cancer.For more information, visit www.waxmancancer.org*Samuel Waxman Cancer Research FoundationScientific Advisory CommitteeI. David Goldman, M.D.Professor of Medicine and Molecular Pharmacology,Director, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Cancer Research Center.Franco M. Muggia, M.D.Ann Murnick & David Cogan Professor of Oncology,Director, Division of Medical Oncology, Kaplan Comprehensive Cancer Center.New York University.Frank J. Rauscher, III, Ph.D.Professor and Chairman, Molecular Genetics Program. Deputy Director, Wistar Institute Cancer Center.Editor-in-Chief, Cancer ResearchBarbara L. Weber, M.D.Vice President, Discovery and Translational Medicine, Oncology, GlaxoSmithkline.I. Bernard Weinstein, M.D.Professor of Environmental Health Services, Mailman School of Public Health,Professor of Genetics and Development, College of Physicians and Surgeons,Frode Jensen Professor of Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons,Columbia University.Stuart Yuspa, M.D. Chief, Laboratory of Cellular Carcinogenesis and Tumor Promotion. Deputy Director, Center for Cancer Research. National Institutes of Health, The National Cancer Institute.