February 3, 2021:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University as our featured member. Daniela Matei, MD, the Diana, Princess of Wales Professor of Cancer Research, professor of Hematology / Oncology and Gynecologic Oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and co-leader of the Translational Bridge Program at the Lurie Cancer Center, was featured in the story, “From Behind the Iron Curtain to a Career in Gynecologic Cancer Research,” in the ASCO Post.

Read the full story in the ASCO Post.

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative, hypothesis-driven, highly translational oncology trials that leverage the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The goal of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium is to create a unique team-research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to new approaches to cancer treatment. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow with the unified goal of improving the lives of all patients with cancer.

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.

February 1, 2021:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium recently appointed Elisavet Paplomata, MD, assistant professor of hematology/oncology at University of Wisconsin School of Medicine, and Eugenia Girda, MD, FACOG, assistant professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, as new co-chairs of the Big Ten CRC’s Gynecologic Clinical Trial Working Group.

Their leadership will support collaboration and mentoring opportunities within the working group, and will guide the development of Big Ten CRC gynecologic clinical trials, from initial LOI submission, review, and approval, to expert feedback throughout the life of each ongoing study, and final publication. Read More

January 24, 2021:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights emerging research, new appointments and initiatives that support advancement in the health and treatment of those with cancer.

Read More

January 8, 2021:

Monika Joshi, MD, MRCP, associate professor of medicine at Penn State College of Medicine and a medical oncologist at Penn State Cancer Institute, has been appointed as the chief scientific officer of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. She succeeds Ruth O’Regan, MD, who now serves as chair of the Department of Medicine at the University of Rochester.

The Big Ten CRC announced Dr. Joshi’s appointment during the consortium’s Virtual Summit on January 8. She will serve a three-year, renewable term in her new role.

“I’m excited and very honored to be appointed as the CSO for the prestigious Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium,” Dr. Joshi said. “I want to thank my predecessor, Dr. O’Regan, who has done a wonderful job for the Big Ten CRC. Our hope is that we will continue to build upon the growth of the consortium. I also want to thank the Big Ten CRC administrative team and the cancer center directors for placing their trust in me. Additionally, I am grateful to my mentors and my family, who continue to support my career growth.” Read More

January 8, 2021:

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) honored Indiana University and Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr., MD, director of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center, with two new awards during the Big Ten CRC Virtual Summit, hosted by the Cancer Center at Illinois, on Friday, January 8.

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Institutional Leadership Award is a new award that will be presented annually to the member institution that provides the greatest overall contribution to the success of the Big Ten CRC. The award is given to the institution that led all member institutions in combined Clinical Trial Working Group participation and patient enrollment on Big Ten CRC clinical trials during the past year.

“Under the leadership of Pat Loehrer and his team, the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center has championed one of the main goals of every cancer center — applying cancer research to patients as rapidly as possible,” said Howard Bailey, MD, director of the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, and chair of the Big Ten CRC Cancer Center Directors. “Their leadership and contributions to the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium are a key aspect of our current success.”

The second award is the Pat Loehrer Award for Exemplary Collaboration in Cancer Research, which will be presented annually to an individual researcher who best demonstrates collaboration within the Big Ten CRC, as determined by Big Ten CRC leaders. Dr. Loehrer, whose vision and leadership were key in the Big Ten CRC’s establishment and continued growth, was chosen for the inaugural award named in his honor. Read More

December 28, 2020:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights recently published research, grants, professional appointments, oral presentations, and developments in basic scientific research across Big Ten cancer centers and universities. Stay current on what’s happening within our Big Ten universities. Read More

December 23, 2020:

In a recent holiday post on his blog Holden the Line on Cancer, George Weiner, MD, director of the University of Iowa Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, reflects on the resilience, creativity, and enduring commitment that has kept research collaborations strong throughout this tumultuous year. As one example, Dr. Weiner writes about the newly introduced Big Ten CRC Grand Rounds:

“One of the primary goals of an academic cancer center is to train the next generation of cancer clinicians and researchers. Our approach to such education has been changed, but not halted, by the pandemic. I continue to have weekly meetings with my research group by Zoom. In fact, my clinical research colleagues are more likely to participate virtually in these meetings now since they can do so from their offices or clinic and don’t have to walk to the other side of the medical center. I continue to meet weekly with graduate students in my laboratory. This has worked fairly well. It has become a standing joke that just about every Zoom meeting starts with a graduate student asking me to ‘enable screen sharing’ so we can review their data and plans together. Grand rounds and other conferences including tumor board discussions are held virtually as well. Not ideal but it works. As we all have gotten used to virtual conferences, we realized such meetings don’t need to be limited to a single institution. Holden suggested and organized the first Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Grand Rounds that is a virtual meeting now held monthly. Typical attendance over the past few months has included around 100 researchers from multiple institutions. New collaborations between cancer centers in the Big Ten are starting to emerge from these discussions. Hopefully Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Grand Rounds will continue post-pandemic and be seen as a silver lining that emerged from this very difficult time.” Read More

December 15, 2020:

After more than 20 years in cancer research, Borys Hrinczenko, MD, PhD, sees a bright future. As a lung cancer specialist at the Michigan State University Breslin Cancer Center, he has led numerous clinical trials and helped pioneer new therapies, including checkpoint inhibitors, harnessing the body’s immune system against lung cancer. Twenty years ago, he could offer his lung cancer patients few viable treatments.

More recently, “I’ve had patients who have done quite well” on checkpoint inhibitors, Hrinczenko said. That includes a small group of long-term survivors with advanced lung cancer.

He expects more breakthroughs as the Breslin Cancer Center looks forward to moving into a new hospital in early 2022 now being built by McLaren Health Care in partnership with MSU and adjacent to the East Lansing campus. Breslin is reorganizing its clinical trials office to improve efficiency and forming alliances with several other cancer groups, including the Karmanos Cancer Institute, which is part of McLaren.

MSU’s membership in the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) is a key to that bright future. Hrinczenko is a member of the Consortium’s Steering Committee and its Thoracic Clinical Trial Working Group. He is an associate professor in the MSU College of Human Medicine and director of the Hematology and Oncology Fellowship Program. Read More

November 16, 2020:

In this month’s Across the Consortium, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights several new research studies, study publications, grant awards, professional appointments, and an endowment established to support cancer research. Learn what’s happening across the Big Ten CRC. Read More

November 3, 2020:

This month, the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium highlights the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center as our featured member. Rogel Cancer Center member Ajjai Alva, MBBS, is an associate professor of hematology/oncology and member of the Big Ten CRC’s Genitourinary Clinical Trial Working Group. He has participated in four Big Ten CRC trials with a few more in the pipeline. Dr. Alva shares why he is glad to be part of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium.

“Cancer Research is evolving rapidly with major new advances and that’s great news for patients. From a researcher perspective, the fast-changing landscape makes it critical to get new trials up and running fast and to get them completed fast as well. Otherwise, we run a real risk of the study being outdated and irrelevant. The consortium provides a great platform of outstanding experienced institutions and investigators to do cutting-edge and fast-paced studies. The Administrative Headquarters team is outstanding, highly professional, and very responsive to site and investigator needs and ever ready to assist. Read More