Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital, Tianjin, China
Center Directors:
Yi Michael Wang, M.D., Ph.D. (NFCR)
Ning Zhang, Ph.D. (Oakland University)
Ying Wang, M.D. (TMUCIH)
The Problem
The rapid advancement and information explosion in life sciences make it more and more difficult for scientists to gain expertise in multiple areas. Many research projects require multi-disciplinary skills and knowledge. For example, the field of new drug development requires joint efforts from experts in computational drug screening, laboratory chemical synthesis, and pre-clinical and clinical drug development. In modern science collaboration is increasingly important for scientists in order to accelerate the pace of their research. Additionally, a successful collaboration creates synergistic effects. The active sharing of research data enhances collaboration from which innovative ideas and novel approaches will lead to new directions in the research.
The Solution
For over 30 years, NFCR has been actively promoting and coordinating global collaboration among scientists in the United States, Europe, and Asia. Several cross-country and cross-discipline global collaborations have been initiated, and many more are scheduled to start soon. These collaborative projects have already generated immense impact on developing new anti-cancer drugs, targeted therapies, molecular imaging technologies, and more.
Conducting a successful collaborative project, however, is not easy. Beyond regular meetings and seminars, time is spent finding suitable partners, coordinating research activities, and sharing research data and resources. As NFCR is establishing more collaborative projects among its researchers and out-of-network partners around the world, systematic management and organization is needed in order to generate the maximum benefit of these collaborations.
In March 2007, with co-sponsorship with the Asian Fund for Cancer Research, LTD (AFCR), the NFCR Center for Global Collaboration at Tianjin Medical University Cancer Institute and Hospital (TMUCIH) in Tianjin, China was established. The Center is aimed at managing and facilitating collaborative projects more effectively and efficiently. In addition, the Center will become a platform for NFCR to streamline its pre-clinical development of novel anti-cancer therapies, and to further provide experimental support to its researchers and partners worldwide.
The Research
The NFCR Center for Global Collaboration focus will include the coordination of research efforts for the discovery and development of novel anti-cancer drugs and therapies. Additionally, research at the Center will include the development of molecular profiling methods to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment, advancing biochemical- or cell-based assays for anti-cancer drug screening, chemical synthesis of leading compounds, and preclinical development of novel anti-cancer therapeutics.
One collaborative project is already underway between the Center, the NFCR Center for Computational Drug Discovery at the University of Oxford, and several universities in China. This project is a continuation of the successful Screensaver-Lifesaver Project conducted at the NFCR Center for Computational Drug Discovery, which generated a list of leading compounds as potential new anti-cancer drug candidates. It is at this point that promising leads will be synthesized in the laboratory and further tested for their activities against two cancer targets – CDK2 and FGF, each of which is involved in the malignant development of many types of cancer. This new initiative is believed to accelerate the transition from in silico anti-cancer drug discovery to experimental testing, and move the Screensaver-Lifesaver Project one step closer to pre-clinical and clinical development of new anti-cancer drugs.