FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Deborah Pettibone
Phone: (716) 845-8593
E-Mail: [email protected]
REGIONAL CANCER CENTER CONSORTIUM FORMED TO STUDY BIOLOGICAL THERAPY OF CANCER
BUFFALO, NY - Roswell Park Cancer Institute will host the first meeting of a Regional Cancer Center Consortium for Biological Therapy of Cancer, February 19-21, in honor of the Institute's Centennial.
A distinguished faculty from Consortium institutions will present new basic science and clinical research information related to tumor immunology and the use of biological therapies in the treatment of cancer patients.
The conference will feature workshops on new clinical trial developments and translational research on various types of cancer. Minisymposia will highlight the areas of Cytokines, Chemokines and Cancer Therapy; Dendritic Cells, Antigens and Cancer Therapy; Gene Therapy; Whole Body Hyperthermia; Photodynamic Therapy; Immunological Monitoring and Clinical Trials.
This Consortium is being organized because several new and exciting biological approaches for the treatment of human cancers have emerged recently which are directed at enhancing the immune response of patients to their own tumors. These new findings have prompted renewed interest for using immunotherapy and other biological therapies for cancer, which are being actively pursued at Roswell Park and the other major cancer centers in the Consortium.
"The close proximity of several major cancer centers in Western New York, Western Pennsylvania and Ohio, each with unique expertise in new biological approaches, lends itself naturally to collaboration," said Elizabeth A. Repasky, PhD, of the Department of Molecular Immunology at Roswell Park and a co-organizer of the Consortium. "The interaction of outstanding scientists and physicians at each cancer center, which is essential for the application of new biotherapies, will facilitate the translation of laboratory observations to joint clinical trials among the cancer centers in the region."
In addition to Dr. Repasky, co-organizers of the Consortium include: Ronald M. Bukowski, MD, Cleveland Clinic Foundation; Michael A. Caligiuri, MD, Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Center; Erik Langhoff, MD, Hershey-Geisinger Medical Center; Michael T. Lotze, MD, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute; and Joseph Rosenblatt, MD, University of Rochester Medical Center.
This conference is being co-sponsored with the generous support of M&T Bank, Abbott Laboratories, Hoechst Marion Roussel and the Roswell Park Alliance Foundation.
For registration information, contact the Department of Educational Affairs at Roswell Park, (716) 845-3095.
Roswell Park Cancer Institute was founded in 1898, is the nation's first and one of its largest cancer research, treatment and education centers and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Western New York.
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