Newswise — An independent biomedical research, treatment and education institution, City of Hope is a new model of cancer center, focused on rapidly transforming scientific discoveries into better treatments and better prevention strategies. Its mission is to shorten the time from initial research idea to new treatment in order to quickly bring cures to patients.
In this multidisciplinary, interactive environment, more than 200 physicians and scientists involved in basic, clinical, translational and prevention research work together to develop innovative, disease-fighting therapies. Their work is a continuum, starting with explorations of the biomedical mechanisms of cancer genesis and progression, moving on to the development of new treatments and the testing of those treatments in clinical trials, and, finally, delivering the best in patient care. This work contributes to further understanding of cancer risk assessment and prevention. Research conducted at City of Hope led to recombinant DNA technology and monoclonal antibodies. Those developments were then used in therapies, leading to the development of synthetic human insulin and four of the top-selling cancer drugs, including Avastin, Rituxan and Erbitux. At any given time, City of Hope has more than 30 investigational new drug applications. These numbers are exceptionally large for an organization of City of Hope’s size, reflecting its commitment to innovation and speeding treatments to patients. City of Hope also holds more than 200 patents. The Comprehensive Cancer Center encompasses both the Beckman Research Institute and the City of Hope Medical Center. The larger institution also includes the Irell & Manella Graduate School of Biological Sciences. Major facilities include City of Hope Helford Clinical Research Hospital and the Center for Biomedicine & Genetics, a manufacturing facility specializing in the production of pharmaceutical materials. The manufacturing facility is one of three facilities at City of Hope dedicated to the manufacture of potential new therapies, including biologics and small molecules, enabling investigators to create promising treatments without the high cost and delays encountered by other research centers. These capabilities save years of development time and ensure that City of Hope can rapidly and efficiently translate discoveries into beneficial care. Some of the cancers researched and treated at City of Hope include hematologic malignancies and solid tumors including breast, genitourinary/prostate, thoracic/lung, gastrointestinal/liver, musculoskeletal, gynecological, and brain cancers, as well as several pediatric cancers. There are five major areas of research at the center: -The Molecular Oncology program conducts basic laboratory research, contributing to understanding of the underlying genetic, molecular and biological bases of cancer. -The Developmental Cancer Therapeutics program, Cancer Immunotherapeutics program, and Hematologic Malignancies program all translate laboratory observations into patient treatments as part of City of Hope’s emphasis on both clinical and translational research. -The Cancer Control and Population Sciences program includes a broad spectrum of disciplines and is complemented by collaborations with physician investigators. This program focuses on four areas of concentration: host and environmental determinants of cancer; health-related outcomes and quality-of-life after cancer; interventional studies to reduce cancer-related morbidity; and educational initiatives. City of Hope researchers are currently exploring how to harness the body’s natural defenses to fight cancer, an approach known as “immunotherapy.” One approach aims to harvest from patients the immune system’s T cells and reprogram them to defeat lymphoma and brain cancer. Another approach strikes a dual blow — shutting off a gene that promotes cancer while stimulating the immune system to action — in an effort to fight lymphoma and melanoma as well as brain, ovarian and prostate cancers. Other studies are focused on engaging every stage of the immune response to fight off breast cancer. Researchers are also pursuing a high-tech form of targeted radiation therapy to ease side effects of bone marrow and stem cell transplants. This approach, tested first at City of Hope, uses total marrow irradiation, or TMI, as a replacement for irradiating a patient’s whole body before transplant. Researchers hope this approach will reduce the impact on healthy tissue while allowing for higher doses of therapeutic radiation. Further, City of Hope was the first institution in the world to use neural stem cells as a targeted delivery mechanism to treat patients with glioma, an aggressive type of brain tumor. City of Hope collaborates with colleagues around the world, participating in more than 500 projects with more than 400 institutions in 40 states and more than 30 countries. Our research network includes the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, the Blood and Marrow Transplant Clinical Trials Network, the Radiation Therapy Oncology Group, the Southwest Oncology Group, the Clinical Trials Consortium, the American College of Surgeons Oncology Group, and the Children’s Oncology Group.
-----------------------------------------------The City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center. These centers are characterized by scientific excellence and the capability to integrate a diversity of research approaches to focus on the problem of cancer. They play a vital role in advancing towards NCI's goal of reducing morbidity and mortality from cancer.
This piece does not represent the views of the National Institutes of Health.
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