September 13, 2022:

The University of Nebraska Medical Center, along with its partner Nebraska Medicine, will have additional resources to aggressively pursue the development and testing of new therapies for pancreatic cancer following state support that was approved earlier this year.

The state funding for the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium member included support for the UNMC Pancreatic Cancer Center of Excellence, led by Sunil Hingorani, MD, PhD, a highly accomplished and internationally recognized pancreatic cancer researcher and clinician. Dr. Hingorani joined UNMC in May, calling it a “a unique time in pancreas cancer research and clinical care.”

The field has developed a much deeper understanding of the many ways in which the disease evades detection and diagnosis, Dr. Hingorani said. “The timing could not be more perfect to capitalize on our new understanding of the disease through this extraordinary commitment and show of faith by the University of Nebraska, Nebraska Medicine, the state of Nebraska, the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center and numerous highly motivated individuals.” 

UNMC Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, MD, said the state support would provide UNMC with critically important new resources for its scientists and physicians to develop and test new screening modalities and therapies for pancreatic cancer — which in many cases will be applicable to other solid tumors such as breast, prostate and ovarian cancer. The support builds on existing strengths at the center, which include strong clinical care teams and innovative research.

Dr. Hingorani said the goal of the new center will be to truly transform what is considered state-of-the-art in the early detection, diagnosis, chemoprevention and treatment of pancreas cancer. 

“Coalescing the outstanding talent already present at UNMC and Nebraska Medicine, complemented by additional recruits as necessary, around a new facility together with sufficient resources, should enable us to succeed,” Dr. Hingorani said.

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten cancer centers united to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative clinical trials and observational studies that seek to improve the lives of cancer patients in the diverse communities we serve by leveraging the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium creates a unique team-research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to treatment and prevention. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow.

About the Big Ten Conference:The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to more than 9,800 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.

July 8, 2022: 

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights University of Illinois Cancer Center (UIC) as our featured member. UIC members Kent Hoskins, MD, Oana Danciu, MD and Yu “Tom” Gao, PhD, have been collaborating on BTCRC-BRE15-016, a trial identifying exosome protein biomarkers in patients with advanced hormone receptor-positive breast cancer treated with palbociclib and tamoxifen. Read More

April 20, 2022:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J, Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC) as our featured member. OSUCCC – James member Dwight Owen, MD, MSc is a medical oncologist and member of the Translational Therapeutics Program at the OSUCCC- James. Dr. Owen is a member of the Big Ten CRC’s correlative sciences clinical trial working group and a co-chair of the thoracic clinical trial working group. Dr. Owen shares why he is glad to be part of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. Read More

April 13, 2022:

When I was recruited to Ohio State in 2009 as director of the Department of Radiation Oncology, one of our long-term goals was to extend our therapeutic reach by establishing central Ohio’s first proton therapy center in partnership with nearby Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

The center would enable both adult and pediatric patients to receive the very latest radiotherapy – namely proton therapy – in one facility that is closer to their homes, making it a less disruptive life experience. Proton therapy uses protons, or positively charged particles found within atoms, instead of X-rays to kill cancer cells. Because it more precisely targets tumor cells, it limits radiation exposure and potential damage to surrounding tissue and organs, reducing the chance of short- and long-term side effects. This is especially important for pediatric patients, whose bodies are still developing. Read More

March 10, 2022: 

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) highlights the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center as our featured member. Rogel Cancer Center member Ryan Wilcox, MD, PhD, is an associate professor of hematology/oncology at Rogel and a member of the Big Ten CRC’s lymphoid malignancies clinical trial working group. He has participated in two Big Ten CRC trials. Dr. Wilcox shares why he’s glad to be part of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. Read More

February 24, 2022:

Just over 50 years ago, President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act – more commonly known as the “War on Cancer.” While harnessing the resources of the federal government was an important step forward, many have commented (including current NCI director Dr. Ned Sharpless) the effort was simultaneously ambitious and naïve. Naïve in the sense that we did not yet understand our enemy. About 25 years into the “war,” the New England Journal of Medicine published an article entitled, “Cancer Undefeated” wherein declining death rates were attributed to changing incidence rates and early detection practices (Bailar, et al. N Engl J Med 336:1569 1997 PMID: 9164814), not because of advances in therapy. Read More

February 23, 2022:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights the Masonic Cancer Center at the University of Minnesota and physician-scientist Emil Lou, MD, PhD, FACP.

Investigator Spotlight: Emil Lou, MD, PhD, FACP (@cancerassassin1), Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation, Department of Medicine and Graduate Faculty Program member in the Integrative Biology and Physiology Program (IBP) at the University of Minnesota; and Medical Director of the UMN Masonic Cancer Center’s Clinical Trials Office (CTO)-Solid Tumor Unit. Read More

December 7, 2021:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights UW Carbone Cancer Center and Jeremy Kratz, MD, a medical oncologist and researcher at the cancer center. Dr. Kratz is a member of the Big Ten CRC’s Gastrointestinal Clinical Trial Working Group.

For Dr. Kratz, pushing cancer care and research forward is much more than an academic pursuit. It’s personal. Read More

November 7, 2021:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium features our member institution University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center and medical oncologist Margaret Byrne, MD, MS, clinical assistant professor of Internal Medicine-Hematology, Oncology, and Blood and Marrow Transplantation at the Carver College of Medicine.

Dr. Byrne’s research interests include early-phase clinical trials of adjunctive therapies to enhance the efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors in patients with head, neck, and lung cancers. Her clinical expertise includes thoracic malignancies and head and neck cancer. Read More

October 4, 2021:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium features our member institution The Cancer Center at Illinois at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Neha Gothe, MA, PhD, associate professor of kinesiology and community health at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who serves as director of the university’s Exercise Psychology Lab.

She is taking her expertise in kinesiology and behavioral psychology to explore the benefits of non-traditional forms of movement, such as yoga, in cancer survivors.

Read More