U.S., Norwegian Scientists Meet in North Carolina for High-Level Breast Cancer Symposium

Vaccines, Stem Cell Therapies on Technology Agenda

    RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C., May 3 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ --
 Prominent scientists from Norway have joined colleagues from research
 institutions in North Carolina and several other medical centers in the
 United States for a two-day symposium here to discuss possible
 collaborations in the global battle against breast cancer.
     The symposium, "Advancing Translational Cancer Research and
 Innovation," is being held at the North Carolina Biotechnology Center, one
 of several symposium sponsors. More than 75 scientific leaders from both
 nations have come together to explore current and future trans-Atlantic
 collaborations in breast cancer research.
     Representatives of the Royal Norwegian Embassy, Innovation Norway, the
 Norwegian Research Council and several Norwegian research hospitals and
 institutions helped coordinate the event with counterparts from the
 University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, the Biotechnology Center and
 other Research Triangle area organizations.
     "We have a history of collaboration with Norwegian scientists," said
 Dr. Russ Lea, vice president for research and sponsored programs at
 UNC-Chapel Hill. "In North Carolina we have a huge commitment to research
 and development, spending $1.4 billion a year -- two-thirds of it on
 medical research. And Norway has a vast resource of population data and
 statistical models that are proving extremely valuable in our
 collaborations, especially for cancer researchers."
     Dr Kenneth Tindall, senior vice president of science and business
 development at the Biotechnology Center and one of the symposium hosts,
 said, "This event is a recognition of the concentration of expertise we
 have at North Carolina's public and private universities. This state's
 history in biotechnology achievement, applying innovative ideas to
 commercializing products, is clearly critical in dealing with cancer."
     Keynote speakers today include Dr. Anthony Atala, Wake Forest
 University research physician; Dr. Anne-Lise Borresson-Dale of
 Rikshospitalet-Radium hospitalet of Oslo, Norway; and Dr. Peter Agre, Nobel
 laureate and vice chancellor for science & technology at Duke University.
     Friday morning's keynote speaker will be Dr. Charles Perou, assistant
 professor of genetics and pathology at the UNC School of Medicine.
     Other North Carolina presenters today and Friday include: Dudley Lacy,
 of the O'Brien/Atkins Associates architectural firm; Ted Abernathy,
 executive vice president of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership; and
 Drs. Shelton Earp, director of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer
 Center; Lisa Carey, medical director of the UNC Breast Center; Carolyn
 Sartor, co-director of the UNC Breast Center; Frank Torti, director of the
 Comprehensive Cancer Center of Wake Forest University; John Olson, of the
 Duke University Institute for Genome Sciences and Policy; Wenle Xia, of
 Duke University; Jim Petitte, poultry science professor from North Carolina
 State University; William Greenlee, of the Hamner Institutes for Health
 Sciences; and Claude Hughes, chief medical officer of RTI International.
     Presenters from elsewhere in the U.S. include: Drs. Anne McTiernan, of
 the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle; Rachel Ballard-Barbash, of
 the National Cancer Institute; Manuel Penichet, of UCLA; William Matsui, of
 Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; Robert Elliott, of Baton Rouge
 Hospital and Massimo Cristofanilli, of the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in
 Houston.
     In addition, 24 presenters are addressing the symposium from a wide
 range of Norwegian research hospitals and other institutions.
     The Biotechnology Center is a private, non-profit corporation supported
 by the N.C. General Assembly. Its mission is to provide long-term economic
 and societal benefits to North Carolina by supporting biotechnology
 research, business and education statewide.
 
 

SOURCE North Carolina Biotechnology Center