Standing Room Only at Ohio State

Over 300 researchers, patients, health care professionals, and other cancer research advocates piled into the state-of-the-art Biomedical Research Tower at Ohio State University on October 1 to hear discussion on the future of cancer research. The public forum, which was co-sponsored by the Ohio State University Cancer Center and Friends, was moderated by Susan Dentzer, a highly respected journalist and the health correspondent for PBS's The News Hour with Jim Lehrer. The distinguished panel included:

Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH)

Representative Deborah Pryce (R-OH)

Dr. Michael Caligiuri, Director of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Dr. John Niederhuber, Director of the National Cancer Institute

Dr. Janet Woodcock, Deputy Director and Chief Medical Officer of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Dr. Rainer Boehm, Sr. Vice President & North American Region Head, Novartis Oncology

Carl Stewart, cancer survivor

Ohio State University President, Dr. Gordon Gee, opened the program by addressing the audience and welcoming panelists to the university to discuss important issues that impact not only OSU, but the entire country.

Ellen Sigal and Marlene Malek discuss cancer research with Senator Sherrod Brown.

Throughout the program many important topics were discussed. Senator Brown discussed his commitment to public health and the need to expand educational programs for smoking cessation and other high risk factors. He also addressed the challenges that the current budget environment has created, specifically citing that the current debt is causing programs that should be funded to be deprived of necessary resources, such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and expansion of the children's health insurance program.

Rep. Pryce echoed the need for a commitment to medical research and described a bill that she recently introduced that would expand access to clinical trials. She described how 60% of children afflicted with cancer participate in clinical trials yet only 3-4% of adult patients participate, and explained that one reason for this discrepancy is the lack of Medicare coverage of routine clinical costs for patients enrolled in trials. Her bill would expand such coverage.

Dr. Niederhuber described innovative programs at NCI and at research centers around the country that are expanding knowledge about the development of all cancers. The Cancer Genetic Markers of Susceptibility (CGEMS) and The Cancer Genome Atlas Project (TCGA) are two examples of NCI projects to help identify genetic alterations involved with cancer.

Dr. Boehm spoke about the important role that pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies play in advancing cancer research. He described the industry's role in a number of groundbreaking scientific collaborations that will help advance cutting edge science and lead to improved patient outcomes.

Dr. Caligiuri remarked that the need for effective collaboration and communication is paramount, especially with respect to the challenges associated with the disease. He said that one such challenge is the continued support for the next generation of scientists. To illustrate his point, Dr. Caligiuri asked all of the primary investigators in the audience to raise their hands -- and to raise their hands again if they had ever turned away incoming graduate students from their laboratory due to financial constraints. Virtually all investigators raised their hands both times, anecdotally confirming the impact of a flat budget at the NIH.

Dr. Woodcock discussed the important role the FDA plays in the research enterprise. She spoke about the FDA's Critical Path Initiative, a project intended to modernize medicine and provide new tools to evaluate scientific discoveries. Given the expanding responsibilities of the FDA, federal funding for programs like the Critical Path Initiative is extremely important.

Cancer survivor Carl Stewart described his emotional battle with the disease. As a former patient of Dr. Caligiuri, Stewart recounted how participation in a clinical trial saved his life, and his story represented the hope that all patients have for scientific discovery and the need for continued collaboration from all stakeholders.

The overwhelming theme of the discussion was federal funding allocations for cancer research, and the effects of the funding shortfall on patients, researchers, and the economy. Each panelist represented a unique component required for the advancement of research and voiced his or her commitment to the discovery of innovative cancer therapies.