A conversation with George Weiner, MD, director of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Iowa and the C.E. Block Chair of Cancer Research and professor of internal medicine at the University of Iowa, which is a member of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium. Dr. Weiner has led a statewide collaborative to reduce the burden of cancer in Iowa, served on committees within the National Cancer Institute, and is currently serving a two-year term as president of the Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI), which comprises 92 leading cancer research centers in the United States.
Q: How do you think cancer research will change in the next 10 to 20 years?
Rapid changes in cancer research are taking place in multiple dimensions at the same time. We are learning more every day about the incredible complexity of cancer genetics, cell biology, and how cancer interacts with normal tissues in the body including with the immune system. The big challenge is to continue to accelerate progress in our ability to understand cancer, and to use the information we have found to help as many patients as possible. This is requiring a new team approach to cancer research that includes basic cancer biologists, experts in informatics, clinical investigators, clinicians and many others. These teams are necessary to sort through the complexity of cancer and develop new approaches to cancer prevention, early detection and therapy, and to use the resulting new knowledge to select the right clinical approach for each individual patient. Read More
Nov. 13, 2015: Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium members understand it takes the whole team to win the battle against cancer. By leading efforts to enhance diversity, members and consortium leadership are working hard to tackle disparities in clinical trial participation. Last month Susan Goodin, executive officer of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, had the opportunity to be a panelist at a forum on clinical trial diversity in Chicago. Also in this months edition of Across the Consortium, we highlight the many ways our members are pushing the boundaries of science and technology in order to improve diagnosis, treatment, and other cancer related experiences. Read More
Nov. 2, 2015: November is the national month of awareness for pancreas, stomach, and lung cancers. Within the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, member institutions are tackling these cancers through innovative multidisciplinary efforts that leverage the scientific expertise of Big Ten universities.
Innovation in Early Detection
Vadim Backman, PhD, Walter Dill Scott Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University believes if there were regular, reliable screening for lung cancer and other cancers, there could be a significant reduction in cancer-related deaths. The McCormick School of Engineering reports that Read More
Nov. 2, 2015: A conversation with Patrick J. Loehrer, Sr., MD, director of the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center, which is a member of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: Q: How do you think cancer research will change in the next 10 or 20 years? Cancer therapy, like much of medicine, is quite empiric. Understanding greater details of what drives tumors to grow will be greatly enhanced in the next several years. We are in the onset of the age of cancer informatics and immunotherapy. The information overload will need to be simplified into bite-size pieces of relevant information that can better identify the complex biological engineering of the cancer cell that nature has designed. Immunotherapy is already unleashing tremendous... Read More
Nov. 2, 2015:What is the process for submitting a budget with the LOI to the funder? The process begins with the Principal Investigator sending the proposed Letter of Intent (LOI) or protocol to Big Ten CRC Administrative Headquarters (Admin HQ). Each PI completes a brief questionnaire regarding the different elements that the budget should include. Once all necessary costs are added into the budget, Admin HQ will send the budget, along with the LOI or protocol to the funder for review. Admin HQ will negotiate the overall study budget directly with the funder, and the contracts department will then generate and negotiate a work order with each participating institution for payments that the sites will receive for participating in the trial. Read More
Oct. 29, 2015: Be aware during National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and you will see more than pink ribbons. Woven through the many emerging stories of inspiration, youll see strong, supportive, empowering relationships: teams. Member institutions of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium know something about teaming up to fight breast cancer. Through their unique collaboration, these game-changing leaders are modeling what is possible when competitors on the field become partners in the fight against cancer. Read More
Oct. 16, 2015: Breakthroughs and breakaways: these are the exciting results of the Big Ten Cancer Centers’ collective fight against cancer. In this month’s edition of Across the Consortium, we recount the innovative breakthroughs of member institutions asking – and answering – big questions in oncology. Non-drug treatments, cutting-edge device development, and genetic analyses are just a few highlights. We also glean inspiration from the breakaway performances of Big Ten research leaders achieving new milestones and paving the way for the leaders of tomorrow. As the impact of senior faculty deepens, new training programs broaden the pool of future talent. Read More
Oct. 1, 2015:A conversation with Timothy L. Ratliff, PhD, Robert Wallace Miller Director of the Purdue University Center for Cancer Research, which is a member of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium.Q: How do you think cancer research will change in the next 10 or 20 years? There will be a much greater focus on individual care, i.e., personalized medicine. I am hopeful that the FDA will make changes that embody the personalized approach. There is likely to be significant advances in immunotherapy and control of epigenetic gene regulation. Read More
Oct. 1, 2015:From a contracts perspective, what does a Big Ten institution need to do to open as a site in a Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium (Big Ten CRC) study? Each Big Ten CRC institution signed a master site agreement, called an Institutional Participant Agreement (the "IPA"), when it joined the Big Ten CRC. If an institution wants to participate as a site in a particular study, Big Ten CRC Administrative Headquarters (AHQ) will provide a study-specific work order under the IPA. The work order will include a site budget and any study-specific terms required by the study funder or sponsor investigator's institution (e.g., study-specific intellectual property terms). Read More
Sept. 18, 2015: Member institutions of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium consistently lay the foundations for ground-breaking cancer research in more ways than one! Across the consortium, members are breaking ground for a new research facility and advancing research through new approaches, new business ventures, and new discoveries. This month, we highlight innovation, recognize the receipt of prestigious grants, and celebrate the ground breaking being done Across the Consortium! Read More
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