46 institutions worldwide seek end to fourth-leading cause of
cancer death
PHOENIX, Ariz. - March 10, 2011 - In an effort to improve
treatment and one day find a cure for pancreatic cancer, the TGen
Foundation today joined with key donors and community leaders to
announce the creation of globalCure.
The backbone of globalCure is an alliance between TGen and the
Pancreatic Cancer Research Team (PCRT), which includes leading
pancreatic cancer scientists, physicians and researchers, armed
with the most technologically advanced tools and resources, at 46
institutions worldwide.
Pancreatic cancer claims the lives of more than 42,000 Americans
and more than 235,000 people worldwide annually, making it the
fourth-leading cause of cancer death.
Funds generated through globalCure will enable an international
team of physicians to move quickly on promising new clinical
therapies. Specifically, the funds will enable globalCure supported
scientists and clinicians to: identify biomarkers of diagnostic
value, as well as those that constitute new drug targets in
pancreatic cancer; identify and optimize new agents that affect the
activity of those targets; and evaluate new agents and take the
most promising ones to clinical trials for patients in advanced
stages of the disease.
"The globalCure initiative is a coordinated world wide effort to
extend the lives of patients battling pancreatic cancer right now
with the ultimate goal of curing this disease," said Derrick Hall,
President and CEO of the Arizona Diamondbacks and a member of the
globalCure National Advisory Council.
Research and clinical efforts supported by globalCure will focus
on identifying genes that may reveal a predisposition to getting
the disease, and understanding the genetic changes contributing to
disease progression and resistance to therapy.
Strategically, the initiative seeks to impact the lives of
patients with pancreatic cancer by first extending their life
expectancy.
Oncologists participating in globalCure, including TGen
Physician-In-Chief, Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, already are seeing
positive results.
For example, Howard Young is an Atlanta businessman and pancreatic
cancer patient whose treatment under Dr. Von Hoff has resulted in a
complete remission of his disease.
"I have pancreatic cancer, but I am blessed to know and be treated
by Dr. Von Hoff and the extremely talented team at TGen. They saved
my life and they will save the lives of over 235,000 people each
year when we cure this cancer," said Young, a member of the TGen
Foundation Board of Directors and Chairman of the globalCure
National Advisory Council.
Through the PCRT and its international partnerships with academic,
clinical, and corporate entities, globalCure is working to turn
promising clinical therapies into improved healthcare methods, and
do so more rapidly than ever. Experiments impossible only a few
years ago now occur daily, leading to earlier diagnoses and smarter
treatments.
"PCRT members represent the world's leading pancreatic cancer
physicians and researchers, developing sophisticated clinical
investigation techniques and promising new pan¬creatic cancer
therapies in large patient populations," said TGen Foundation
President Michael Bassoff.
As new understandings about the underlying genetic causes of the
disease and its resistance to traditional treatments are made,
globalCure will quickly communicate them to the international
medical community for the ultimate benefit of patients and their
families.
"I never thought about pancreatic cancer until the day doctors
diagnosed my mother, Seena, with the disease. At that time, there
were few places I could turn for information. My hope is that
globalCure will not only provide a place where newly diagnosed
patients and their families can turn for information, but that our
work will provide hope for a cure," said globalCure national
advisory council member Roger Magowitz.
The globalCure website is available at: www.gcure.org.
# # #
About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a Phoenix,
Arizona-based non-profit organization dedicated to conducting
groundbreaking research with life changing results. Research at
TGen is focused on helping patients with diseases such as cancer,
neurological disorders and diabetes. TGen is on the cutting edge of
translational research where investigators are able to unravel the
genetic components of common and complex diseases. Working with
collaborators in the scientific and medical communities, TGen
believes it can make a substantial contribution to the efficiency
and effectiveness of the translational process. TGen is affiliated
with the Van Andel Research Institute in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.
Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]