One World, One Health – The global response to cancer

FEBRUARY 04, 2016 12:02 AM| no comments

Responsible for more deaths in the developing world than HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria combined, cancer kills over 4 million people prematurely every year.

Entrusted by Barrack Obama himself, US Vice-President Joe Biden, took center stage at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to deliver the ‘Cancer Moonshot’ message.

With a distinguished panel of experts, the forum discussed the barriers to accelerating advances or even creating a cure for cancer. WebsEdge has followed the ‘Moonshot’ panelist closely in recent years, covering their research and discoveries at their institutes. See further below for more details about their work related to this discussion*

Emerging from the ‘Cancer Moonshot’ meeting was the apparent need for a multi-disciplinary approach to addressing cancer.  Data, personalized medicine, genome sequencing, the role of technology and engineering and prevention were all mentioned as crucial to making progress.

Of all the themes mentioned, the discussion always came back to data. Data can play a big role in identify types of cancers and their causes. As we speak, many studies are collecting data about cancer but can often be localized to an area or region.  The Cancer Genome Atlas project is a global study which is recording and mapping whole sets of DNA relating to different types of cancers.

In a WebsEdge interview below, Dr Seth Lerner from Baylor College of Medicine explains the Cancer Genome Atlas and what the data means for the future of treating cancer.

Cancer is a complex disease

Many things can impact cancer and our likelihood for developing the disease. Lifestyle, genetics and environmental factors can all play there part.

Embracing a more holistic view of treating cancer, the Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer (AURIC) has adopted a ‘One Health’ approach.  This acknowledges the interrelationship between humans, animals and the environment when it comes to health.

In the video below, AURIC demonstrates the similarities between dogs and humans with breast cancer and how the learnings from treating the disease in patient canines can be translated to a people and vice versa.

A major challenge for making progress against cancer is how to work collaboratively on global scale to intensify efforts to find a cure. Great research is currently happening right now and new initiatives being developed, such as the odour reader and an early detection pancreatic cancer test. The Moonshot message has provided a platform for the international community to come together to identify how #WeCanICan find a solution to cancer.

*Learn more about the Cancer Moonshot panelists WebsEdge has worked with and their research below:

Francis S. Collins – Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Watch Dr Collins discuss the Precision Medicine Initiative.

Jennifer Doudna – Professor of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Structural Biology, University of California, Berkeley

Dr Doudna, and collaborator Emmanuelle Charpentier explain their award winning work in genome editing technology and how it can be used to treat human diseases.

Paula Hammond – Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)

Hear Paula Hammond explain the biomedical applications of chemical engineering for treating ovarian cancer and other diseases.

Elizabeth Blackburn – President, Salk Institute for Biological Studies

Learn more about how the Salk Institute is harnessing viruses to create new treatments for cancer.

Charles Sawyers – Chair, Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program, and José Baselga, Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer, Memorial Hospital at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Watch to find out more about how the research at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center is advancing the diagnosis of cancer and its impact on patient care.

Delos Cosgrove, President and Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic

See how genetic research at Cleveland Clinic’s Genomic Medicine Institute offers personalized patient care for human diseases; with a particular focus on cancer.

 

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