Eight Cancers Targeted With $3 Billion Investment By MD Anderson Cancer Center

Date: Sep-21-2012The "Moon Shots Program" has been launched as part of an aggressive drive to convert the scientific discoveries related to eight major cancers into clinical advances that reduce mortality, the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center announced.

According to the American Cancer Society, by 2015 there will be an estimated 11.3 million cancer survivors in the USA. However, cancer is still a major killer and continues to be an enigmatic disease, MD Anderson Cancer Center researchers wrote in a communiqué yesterday.

During this decade alone, approximately 100 million people globally are expected to have died from cancer. Cancer devastates individuals, families, communities and economies more severely than malaria, HIV, TB (tuberculosis) and cardiovascular diseases combined.

The "Moon Shots Program" brings together the best knowhow and resources from industry and academia; it creates cross-functional professional teams "working in a goal-oriented, milestone-driven manner to convert knowledge into tests, devices, drugs and policies that can benefit patients as quickly as possible."

The expression "Moon Shots Program" was inspired by a speech made by President John F. Kennedy in 1962 in which he said "We choose to go to the moon in this decade ... because that challenge is one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win." The speech was made just one mile from the UT MD Anderson Cancer Center campus.

In the same way as 50 years ago when Kennedy announced an all-out push for space exploration, this is an all-out push to defeat cancer.

Ronald A. DePinho, M.D., MD Anderson's president, said:

"Generations later, the Moon Shots Program signals our confidence that the path to curing cancer is in clearer sight than at any other time in history. Humanity urgently needs bold action to defeat cancer. I believe that we have many of the tools we need to pick the fight of the 21st century. Let's focus our energies on approaching cancer comprehensively and systematically, with the precision of an engineer, always asking ... 'What can we do to directly impact patients?'"

Dr. DePinho said the MD Andersen Cancer Center expects to spend $3 billion over the next decade. "Tens of millions" have already been donated to get the project going, he added.
The Moon Shots Program Targets Eight Major Cancers
Researchers and clinicians from MD Andersen say the program will start off by targeting eight cancers:

triple-negative breast and ovarian cancers - these two cancers are linked at the molecular level
prostate cancer
melanoma
lung cancer
chronic lymphocytic leukemia
acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrome

Six teams of experts were selected to work on finding research and clinically relevant breakthroughs in the eight cancers mentioned above. The teams, also referred to as "Moon Shots", will receive financial support as well as help for other resources required for these "ambitious and innovative projects".
UT MD Anderson Cancer Center
The UT MD Anderson Cancer Center treats 112,000 people each year for various types of cancer. The Center has been collecting data on a huge number of tumor samples, as well as information on their genetic characteristics. It is said to have the largest database worldwide with data on ovarian and breast tumors.

When Dr. DePinho took over as the Center's new president in 2011, he initiated a competition among its scientists to put forward ideas on how to achieve breakthroughs in cancer research. Eventually, a shortlist of teams was made, which resulted in six of them being selected to tackle the eight cancers.

Each team focuses on specific areas of research, from carrying out clinical trials, seeking out biomarkers, and improving diagnoses techniques.

When doctors have data on the genetic makeup of a tumor, it is much easier to recommend more effective personalized treatment.

Written by Christian Nordqvist

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