Other developments and initiatives in transnational cancer research

Other developments and initiatives in transnational cancer research
Other developments and initiatives in transnational cancer research

The TRANSCAN-3 kick-off meeting held in April 2021 included a round table to comment on important events and activities related to translational cancer research within each organisation/region/country. The following initiatives were highlighted:

European Cancer Research Summit 2021

Last May 3rd 2021, the European Cancer Research Summit 2021 took place at the new Porto Comprehensive Cancer Center,  under the umbrella of the Portuguese Presidency of the Council of the European Union and it included, with the participation of Fatima Carneiro and Ulrik Ringborg, members of the TRANSCAN-3 Scientific Advisory Board.

This Summit aimed to promote the discussion on clinical research in oncology at European level, focusing on the role of translational research, clinical and prevention trials and outcomes research infrastructures, as well as transatlantic cooperation. It followed the joint declaration on effective cancer research Union Council Presidency Trio, when the Europe’s Beating Cancer Plan was also adopted, in order to guide future directions for research and related links with the health system throughout Europe.

On the occasion of this recent international event, the Porto Declaration on Cancer Research was presented to call the EU Commission, national governments, scientists, patient organisations and all stakeholders for strengthening research in all stages of cancer, including prevention, diagnosis, treatment and follow-up towards a comprehensive cancer research approach covering the entire cancer research continuum, from prevention to care. 

To endorse this Declaration please sign it electronically.

The National Decade Against Cancer initiative launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF)

The National Decade Against Cancer project is a joint initiative launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and comprises relevant stakeholders from politics, cancer researchers, the research funding system, healthcare, industry and society. This 10-year programme (2019-2029) has the goal to improve the diagnosis and treatment of cancer and to bring innovations to cancer patients faster.

The Strategy Committee is chaired by Thomas Rachel, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Education and Research, and co-chaired by Professor Michael Baumann, Chairman of the DKFZ German Cancer Research Center. With a view to defining the most pressing research needs and launching effective strategies as quickly as possible, the Strategy Committee has established three working groups on the following topics: “Major Unanswered Questions in Cancer Research”, “Prevention” and “Generating knowledge by Networking Research and Healthcare”.

For more information, visit the project website.

Fighting cancer through cross-border and transatlantic cooperation

Last March 16th 2021, the virtual event “Look to the future” with the Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI Cancer Consortium celebrated the re-signing of the International Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to reinvigorate and re-prioritize the Ireland–Northern Ireland–NCI Cancer Consortium (The All-Ireland Cancer Consortium (AICC)).

This partnership pursues to reduce cancer burden and mortality on the island of Ireland through cross-border and transatlantic collaborations in cancer research and education. The signed MoU will build on the strong foundations laid by the original partnership and serve as an enabling framework to support cancer research strategic priorities, cancer care and training opportunities with consequential benefits for cancer patients and the economy.

The virtual event broadcast of the official signing ceremony was followed by a series of presentations from leading cancer research experts involved in the consortium who outlined the valuable work being undertaken via the MoU. During the event there were also stories presented by patient advocates who have personally benefited from cancer research projects enabled by the original partnership.

For more information about this partnership and priorities, read the press release on the Ireland-Northern Ireland-NCI Cancer Consortium.

World Cancer Research Day  

The World Cancer Research Day (WCRD), launched in 2016, is an annual international event taking place on September 24th that aims to promote global collaboration for cancer research and to increase survival, facilitate access to scientific advances worldwide, and reduce the global burden of cancer. This initiative creates and consolidate a yearly momentum to raise awareness and commitment for research on cancer and highlights the goals of the World Declaration for Research on Cancer to be achieved by 2025.

Research knows no borders and the Covid-19 pandemic has proven the power of partnership to accelerate advances and the delivery of innovative products to society. This year, the WCRD campaign will focus on the concept “now that we know research works, it’s time to strengthen and continue to drive progress and discovery in cancer research for a cancer-free future”.

More than 600,000 people and a total of 103 entities from over 20 countries around the world have endorsed the WCRD and actively contribute to spread the campaign key messages and reach people from every corner of the globe. To learn more about this global call to action for cancer research, you can read the following perspective article published last year.

For further information on the WCRD global campaign and to join this global movement, please visit the website www.worldcancerresearchday.com or contact the WCRD technical secretariat worldcancerresearchday@gmail.com.