TGen News & Press Releases

• Written by Steve Yozwiak /
• Posted Thursday January 8, 2009

Upcoming Phoenix conference highlights TGen's and Scottsdale Healthcare's contributions to 'molecular oncology' for cancer doctors and their patients

'The Sixth Vital Sign' runs Jan. 22-24 at the Arizona Grand Resort

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Jan. 8, 2009 - Physician-scientists from the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) and Scottsdale Healthcare will present their latest findings and techniques at a national conference designed to provide cancer doctors with new treatments for their patients.

"Molecular Oncology: The Sixth Vital Sign, What Every Oncologist Should Know" is intended to help cancer doctors provide better diagnosis, early detection as well as drugs and other treatments that in some cases can slow the growth or even shrink tumors.

"Given the explosion of new information on the genetic and cellular features of malignancy, the modern oncologist must master the significance and application of cancer-related sciences," said Dr. Ramesh K. Ramanathan, Medical Director of TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare, a partnership between TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare Corp.

Beyond the five vital signs of pulse, respiration, temperature, blood pressure and pain, is a new sixth vital sign - molecular therapeutics. This is the ability to identify the causes of disease at the molecular level in order to provide the right drugs in the right amounts at the right times for the specific needs of individual patients; what is becoming better known in health circles as personalized medicine.

"This gap in knowledge and its application in clinical practice will be addressed in this conference," said Dr. Ramanathan, a Senior Investigator at TGen.

Dr. Ramanathan is the co-program director of the conference, along with Dr. Daniel Von Hoff, TGen's Physician-In-Chief and the Chief Scientific Officer at TCRS. Both doctors conduct groundbreaking personalized-medicine research and clinical drug trials at TCRS in Scottsdale, and both are on the clinical faculty of the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Both will present at the conference.

Other TGen and Scottsdale Healthcare scientists scheduled to present include: Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen's President and Scientific Director; Dr. Raoul Tibes, Director of the Hematological Malignancies Program at TCRS and an Associate Investigator at TGen; Dr. Glen J. Weiss, Director of Thoracic Oncology and Assistant Clinical Investigator at TCRS, and Associate Investigator at TGen; Dr. Stephen P. Anthony, Chief Medical Officer of TGen Drug Development Services (TD2) and a Senior Investigator at TGen; Dr. John Carpten, Director of TGen's Integrated Cancer Genomics Division and a Senior Investigator at TGen; and Gayle Jameson, M.S.N., Director of Supportive Care at TCRS and an Associate Investigator at TGen.

Besides oncologists, the target audience includes all physicians and health professionals involved in caring for cancer patients, and researchers interested in new cancer diagnostics and therapeutics.

Key objectives of the conference include:

-- Explaining the molecular and cellular features of malignancy in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to the treatment of cancer, and identifying new diagnostic tools.

-- Assessing the effects and early clinical results of new, targeted drug therapies on solid tumors and malignant blood cancers.

-- Identifying new drug therapies that optimize treatment results and minimize side effects in specific biologic and clinical scenarios.

-- Evaluating clinical trials and translational methods of care and their proper use in clinical decision-making and patient management.

The conference is sponsored by TGen, Scottsdale Healthcare's Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center and Physicians' Education Resource (PER) of Dallas. The conference is certified for Continuing Medical Education.

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About TGen
The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen) is a 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. For more information, visit: www.tgen.org.

Press Contact:
Steve Yozwiak
TGen Senior Science Writer
602-343-8704
[email protected]

About Scottsdale Healthcare
Scottsdale Healthcare is a primary clinical research site for TGen. TGen Clinical Research Services (TCRS) at Scottsdale Healthcare is housed in the Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center at Scottsdale Healthcare, located on the Scottsdale Healthcare Shea medical campus. Scottsdale Healthcare is the not-for-profit parent organization of the Scottsdale Healthcare Shea, Scottsdale Healthcare Osborn and Scottsdale Healthcare Thompson Peak hospitals, Virginia G. Piper Cancer Center, Scottsdale Clinical Research Institute, TGen Clinical Research Services at Scottsdale Healthcare, Scottsdale Healthcare Home Health Services, Scottsdale Healthcare Community Health Services, and Scottsdale Healthcare Foundation. For additional information, visit www.shc.org.

Contact:
Alice Sluga
Public Relations Coordinator
Scottsdale Healthcare
480-882-4915
[email protected]