Former Chinese Minister of Health, Dr. Zhu Chen and "Father of Targeted Therapy", Dr. Alex Matter, to Lead Joint Discussion on U.S. -- Asia Cancer Research Collaborations

Building Stronger Research Ties on Targeted Cancer Therapies at Top of Agenda

WASHINGTON, April 4, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Former Chinese Minister of Health and current Chairman of the Chinese Medical Association, Dr. Zhu Chen and Dr. Alex Matter, CEO, Experimental Therapeutics Centre, Agency of Science, Technology & Research of Singapore will hold meetings tomorrow to discuss the need for developing a stronger platform and broader collaborations in cancer research, particularly in area of targeted cancer therapies.  The meetings, co-hosted by the National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) and the Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR) and sponsored by the US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (USCACA), will be held in Washington, DC and attended by renowned cancer experts from academic and industry research settings from both Asia and the US.   

Joining Dr. Chen and Dr. Matter in meetings and a panel discussion titled:  Targeted Cancer Therapies and Global Strategy for Clinical Development will be:

• Dr. Sujuan Ba, President, Asian Fund for Cancer Research
• Dr. Jan Buckner, Professor and Chair, Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic
• Dr. Xuetao Cao, President, Chinese Academy of Medical Science
• Dr. Webster Cavenee,  Director, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, San Diego Branch
• Dr. Xishan Hao,  President, Chinese Anti-Cancer Association and President of Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute
• Dr. Roy Jensen, Director, University of Kansas Cancer Center
• Dr. Scott Patterson, Executive Director, Amgen
• Dr. Peter Vogt, Professor, Scripps Research Institute
• Li Yan, Managing Director, US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association

Targeted Cancer Therapy has become an increasingly popular option for cancer treatment because of its better therapeutic efficacy and fewer side effects over many standard chemotherapy drugs.  However, targeted cancer therapies are not free of side effects, and their efficacy is limited in many cases. 

While developing new targeted therapies, ethnic difference can also be an important factor to be considered. To help forming guidelines for future US-Asia collaborations in targeted therapy development, a broad range of issues related to US-Asia collaboration in targeted therapy development, such as biomarker-adaptive clinical trial methodologies, genomic technologies, regulatory framework to test combinations of investigational drugs, will be discussed by this panel.

It is expected that the group will call for a broader and more aggressive approach in both basic and clinical research collaborations between US, China and other Asian countries, which will accelerate the pace of development of new detection tools and effective therapeutics against major types of cancer. 

"It is time for us all to realize that cancer has no boundaries, so the time for greater research collaboration has not only come, it is imperative," said Franklin Salisbury, Jr., President, NFCR.

"The fact that Dr. Chen and Dr. Matter will lead these meetings shows us how important this discussion is and how increasingly obvious it has become to join forces on these critical health issues," Dr. Sujuan Ba, President, AFCR, who will co-host the meetings and participate in the discussions. "The time has come to join forces on these global health initiatives."

For interest in attending this morning session or learning more, contact Silas Deane at [email protected] or 615-319-6007.  

About the National Foundation for Cancer Research

The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) is a leading charity dedicated to funding cancer research and public education relating to cancer prevention, earlier diagnosis, better treatments and, ultimately, cures for cancer. NFCR promotes and facilitates collaboration among scientists to accelerate the pace of discovery from bench to bedside.

Since 1973, NFCR has provided over $300 million in direct support of discovery-oriented cancer research focused on understanding how and why cells become cancerous, and on public education relating to cancer prevention, detection, and treatment.  NFCR scientists are discovering cancer's molecular mysteries and translating these discoveries into therapies that hold the hope for curing cancer. NFCR is about Research for a Cure—cures for all types of cancer.  For more information, please visit www.NFCR.org. 

About the Asian Fund for Cancer Research

The Asian Fund for Cancer Research (AFCR) is committed to curing cancers that have significant impacts on Asian populations.  Headquartered in Hong Kong, AFCR is dedicated to bridging the scientific and educational gaps in cancer research and cancer prevention between Asian countries and the rest of the world, through promoting, coordinating and funding international collaboration in cancer research and public education.  AFCR is devoted to reducing the incidence and increasing the survival rate of cancers in Asia. For more information, please visit www.AFCR.org.hk.

The US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association

The US Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (USCACA) is a non-profit professional organization founded in 2009. With members from academia, industry and government, USCACA facilitates collaborations among cancer researchers and physicians in the United States and China. Our current focus is on expediting novel cancer drug development by fostering clinical trial networks, sharing best practices and knowledge of clinical trial, and providing education and training opportunities. USCACA collaborates with the Chinese Anti-Cancer Association (CACA), the Chinese Society for Clinical Oncology (CSCO), and other professional associations. Our mandate is to improve cancer treatment through research, education, and collaboration. For more info, please visit: www.uscaca.org.

SOURCE National Foundation for Cancer Research