Value added by an inter-continental cancer consortium

TY - JOUR

T1 - Value added by an inter-continental cancer consortium

AU - Rao, Mahadev

AU - Venkatraman, Prasanna

AU - Mukhopadhyay, Debabrata

AU - Roychoudhury, Susanta

AU - Vanderford, Nathan L.

AU - Rangnekar, Vivek M.

N1 - Funding Information: such differences in cancer rates may be provided by a better understanding of the genetic and lifestyle influences on tumor growth, progression, heterogeneity, and the underlying stressors that prompt pre-clinical dormant lesions to progress into malignant tumors, as well as by synchronizing the cancer surveillance protocols in the two countries. Toward this goal, an Indo-American Cancer Consortium was conceived. The consortium brings together global transdisciplinary teams of basic cancer researchers, oncologists, epidemiologists and surveillance experts who are well equipped with the experience, diagnostic and therapeutic tools, infrastructure and collective resources. The participating institutes include Government and non-Government organizations: Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Saroj Gupta Cancer Centre and Research Institute, and Tata Memorial Centre in India, and the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, and University of Kentucky Markey Cancer Center in the United States. The genesis of the consortium dates back to 2017. In person visits of Markey Cancer Center teams and Mayo Clinic faculty to the cancer research institutions in India, and joint cancer conferences held in 2017 and 2018 provided strong motivation to formalize the interactions by founding this Consortium. Facilitated by monthly planning meetings beginning mid-2020 and a first retreat in December 2020, held virtually due to COVID-19 travel restrictions, the consortium has been regularly organizing various interactive sessions. These include fortnightly research presentations by faculty and trainees of participating institutions, invited guest lectures from other institutions, and a quarterly mini-symposium in topical areas of cancer. Concerted efforts to mentor the next generation of scientists saw the introduction of didactic courses in basic cancer biology, translational oncology and epidemiology, for Masters, Ph.D., Pharm.D., and MD students offered by Markey Cancer Center faculty; a certificate Program in Precision Medicine: Oncology Genomics; and a virtual tumor board to guide oncologists on treatment options for precision oncology. These activities led to organic multidisciplinary collaborations involving teams of oncologists, basic scientists, pharmacists, pathologists, and epidemiologists focused on research projects. When the travel restrictions are lifted, there will be an exchange of basic science and clinical faculty and students across the participating institutions to further foster and strengthen the partnership in cancer research and training. The consortium initiatives, supported by the parent institutions and a CRDF-Global-NCI Cancer Research Training Travel Award to exchange knowledge and enable technology transfer, have already resulted in joint peer-reviewed publications. Thus, through its multi-faceted research, education, training and outreach programs, the consortium will build infrastructure, expand capacity and strengthen global cancer research leadership and healthcare at the participating institutions.

PY - 2021

Y1 - 2021

KW - Cancer

KW - Consortium

KW - Global cancer research and training

KW - Indo-american

KW - Multi-institutional

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85111247716

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/85111247716#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.18632/genesandcancer.215

DO - 10.18632/genesandcancer.215

M3 - Editorial

AN - SCOPUS:85111247716

SN - 1947-6019

VL - 12

SP - 65

EP - 68

JO - Genes and Cancer

JF - Genes and Cancer

ER -