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June 19, 2013
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Displaying results 1 - 25 of 173 for arizona cancer center. Subscribe to this search

  1. article What's Up UA? - UA Spin-Off to Test Cancer-Preventing Drug Combination

    Tuesday, April 23, 2013 9:38 am

    Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals, Inc., or CPP, has helped launch a phase-III clinical trial to test the efficacy of a combination drug that has shown promise of preventing colon cancer. CPP was founded in 2008 to apply decades' worth of systematic, basic research led by University of Arizona professor emeritus Eugene Gerner and former UA researcher Frank Meyskens to improve clinical practice. 

    During the trial, which is funded by the National Cancer Institute, 1,340 colon cancer survivors will receive daily treatment for three years to prevent the occurrence of colorectal cancer or high-risk polyps and compare the effects to a placebo group. 
     
    "Our long-term vision is to change the status quo from treating and managing cancer to intervening before cancer manifests and prevent it altogether," said Jeffrey Jacob, founding CEO of Cancer Prevention Pharmaceuticals. "The idea is just like in the approach to heart disease: Instead of waiting for heart attack or stroke to happen, we give patients cholesterol-lowering or blood pressure-lowering medicine to prevent those events from happening in the first place."
     
    In addition to colorectal cancer, the same treatment approach has shown promise in preventing prostate, skin and possibly other cancers as well. Colorectal cancer affects about 1 million people in the U.S., Jacob said. 
     
    "Our two-drug-combination targets different pathways that are important in cancer development," explained CPP co-founder Eugene Gerner, who retired from the department of cellular and molecular medicine in the UA College of Medicine last year. "Over years of research using cell cultures and mouse models in the lab, we have been able to systematically elucidate the molecular pathways underlying cancer formation and how to target them with those drugs."
     
    This work then was successfully translated to the clinic with the help of the NCI and various research partners.  
     
    One, Sulindac, belongs to of the class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, with aspirin being a notable member. Sulindac targets the inflammatory pathway. The other, called Eflornithine, homes in on the  polyamine pathway. Driven by growth factors, this pathway is essential in stimulating growth and development in most living organisms.
     
    In his research, which has been continuously funded by the NCI since 1975, Gerner collaborated closely with Meyskens, who was a professor of medicine at the UA College of Medicine before he moved to University of California, Irvine. Both were members of the Arizona Cancer Center. Even as professor emeritus, Gerner still does research in his lab at the UA and is an active member of the UA's BIO5 Institute. 
     
    Gerner said his group focused on colon cancer in the 1980s because it was the one frequent type of human cancer for which a substantial amount of genetic information became available, especially with the Human Genome Project.
     
    "Our approach strictly focuses on the biological mechanisms and the genetics," Gerner said. "I came to the UA in 1974 and initially worked in cancer therapeutics. By the mid 1980s, I was discouraged by the lack of progress that was being made at the time. So we set out to understand the underlying processes that lead to cancer, such as the roles of various growth factors and cancer-promoting genes. 
     
    According to Jacob, the company's current focus is on intervening with patients facing elevated risk, including cancer survivors or individuals with a genetic predisposition, with the ultimate goal of expand the same approach to other forms of cancer and the general at-risk population. 
     
    Gerner said that many experts estimate at least 70 percent of colorectal cancer are associated with risk factors such as weight gain and a diet high in fat and beef but low in fiber. 
     
    "However, there are a substantial number of individuals who eat perfect diets and exercise, but still face a risk from mutations that arise spontaneously or they inherited," he said. 
     
    "Our drugs are targeting growth and inflammatory pathways leading to the synthesis of polyamines, but diets contain polyamines also. Our company is looking at ways to manage overall risk, including diet, genetic factors and exercise."
     
    In other clinical trials, CPP is also testing the therapy on people with known genetic predispositions to colorectal cancer such as patients with Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, a genetic disease that comes with a nearly 100 percent risk of developing colon cancer before age 40. 
     
    "The only option for most people with FAP is to remove the entire colon in their late teens or early twenties," Gerner said, "and they still face a lifetime of surgeries to control the condition."
     
    Neuroblastoma, a pediatric cancer and the second leading killer of children with cancer, according to Jacob, is another avenue the company is pursuing in a clinical trial. 
     
    In addition to drug therapies, CPP is considering partnerships with food companies to develop certain types of "functional foods" or "medical foods" that would exploit the same science to reduce cancer risk in certain demographics. The company is also developing new diagnostic approaches to identify people who are at higher risk for cancer who could ultimately benefit from specific therapies or medical foods. 
     
    "Part of our ability to reduce risk is having means to assess that risk and evaluate the effectiveness of drugs we are using," Gerner added. "For example, some drugs work better in some people than in others. The goal is to develop diagnostics that tell us about an individual's susceptibility."
     
    David Alberts, director of the UA's Arizona Cancer Center, said: "Gene Gerner and Frank Meyskens, both absolutely brilliant scientists, have transformed exciting laboratory research findings into medications that have the great potential of saving hundreds of thousands of lives. We are very proud that the University of Arizona Cancer Center served as the incubator for this powerful, new chemoprevention technology for colorectal cancer and treatment for recurrent neuroblastoma."
     

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  2. article The Guide -- Week of April 21

    Tuesday, April 23, 2013 4:00 am

    THEATER

  3. article Patients from Marana dental clinic may have been exposed to Hepatitus or HIV

    Thursday, April 18, 2013 11:35 am

    The Pima County Health Department is currently contacting 174 dental patients who were seen at the T Dental Clinic at 3662 W. Ina Road in Marana between January and July of 2010 because they may have been exposed to blood borne diseases like Hepatitis or HIV. This is a precautionary measure and at this time no cases of transmission of disease have been identified.

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  4. article Zero Prostate Cancer Golf Comes to Tucson

    Thursday, April 4, 2013 11:29 am

    Hit the links for Tucson’s newest golf tournament: ZERO Prostate Cancer Golf - Tucson! Join Arizona Institute of Urology and ZERO – The End of Prostate Cancer on Thursday, April 11, 2013 at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort. The tournament is part of the ZERO Prostate Cancer Challenge, America’s premier men’s health event series, taking place in cities across the nation in 2013.

  5. article Best of the Northwest 2013 - Health and Beauty

    Wednesday, March 27, 2013 4:00 am

  6. article Northwest residents participate in Kiss Me Dirty mud run

    Tuesday, March 19, 2013 3:05 pm

    A group of northwest Tucson and Marana residents participated in Wasatch Area Race Productions’ annual Kiss Me Dirty Race Series, held at the Pima County Fairgrounds on March 17.

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  7. article What's Up UA? - UA Med Students to Meet Their 'Match'

    Friday, March 15, 2013 11:24 am

    For four years, students at the University of Arizona College of Medicine in Tucson and Phoenix have worked toward "Match Day" – the day they learn where they will spend the next several years as resident-physicians, a major step in building a medical career.

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  8. article The journey of a celebration of you: A history of the Arizona Distance Classic

    Wednesday, March 13, 2013 4:00 am

    In 2003, John Corbett, owner of All About Running and Walking, Gregg Forzst of Ventana Medical Systems, Jami Eggold of Northwest Medical Center, and Ainsley Reeder from The Town of Oro Valley collaborated to bring a world-class half marathon to Oro Valley. 

  9. article The Guide

    Wednesday, February 27, 2013 4:00 am

    MOVIES

  10. article Pima County Public Health Director tapped for U.S. task force

    Wednesday, February 27, 2013 4:00 am

    Pima County Public Health Director Francisco García has been named to a federal task force designed to improve the health of all Americans.

  11. article What's Up UA? - Ground Broken for New UA Cancer Center Clinic in Phoenix

    Friday, February 22, 2013 2:20 pm

    Ground officially was broken today on The University of Arizona Cancer Center at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center/Dignity Health outpatient facility in downtown Phoenix.

    Located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus at 625 N. Sixth St., on the northwest corner of Fillmore and Seventh streets, the center is expected to be open in 2015. The University is leasing the land from the City of Phoenix.

    The 220,000-square-foot, five-story, $100 million facility will offer comprehensive cancer services, including infusion, radiation oncology, diagnostic imaging, endoscopic/interventional radiology, a women’s center, specialized cancer clinics, patient wellness and support services, a prevention/executive health clinic, clinical lab space and other related support spaces.

    Under an affiliation agreement approved by the Arizona Board of Regents and Dignity Health Arizona, St. Joseph’s, which is a part of Dignity Health, will operate inpatient clinical cancer services at its main hospital campus and outpatient services at the new downtown facility. Until the new facility opens the hospital will continue to provide outpatient services.

    "Today the University of Arizona Cancer Center begins to fulfill the promise to serve the entire state of Arizona made to former State House Speaker Burton Barr in 1982 when the Arizona Legislature approved our state funding, and to the National Cancer Institute in 2009 when it approved our Cancer Center Support Grant for the seventh time," said Dr. David S. Alberts, UACC director.

    "We believe this facility and the extraordinary combined medical talents from St. Joseph's and UA Cancer Center will allow us to reach new heights in providing extraordinary cancer care," said Linda Hunt, president and chief executive officer, Dignity Health Arizona.

    "This groundbreaking reflects the University of Arizona's commitment to bettering the lives of all Arizonans," saidUA President Ann Weaver Hart. "We are most grateful to our partners and the City of Phoenix for helping to achieve this milestone. The potent combination of leading-edge research and exemplary patient care means that today is a new day for cancer patients in Arizona."

    "The University of Arizona Cancer Center and the College of Medicine, both located on the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, officially will make downtown Phoenix a world-class center for medical innovation and care," Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton said. "Not only will the UACC be an economic engine for our city and state, contributing to our downtown urban core, but we'll also be on the forefront of cancer care and finding the cure. Thank you to our partners at UA and St. Joseph's for working with the City of Phoenix as we continue to work together toward a strong future."

    The UA Cancer Center is one of just 41 comprehensive cancer centers designated by the National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health. It is the only NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center headquartered in Arizona and serving the entire state through a network of affiliated health-care organizations and community physicians.

    Follow the project’s construction progress online.

    The construction is the latest project for the Phoenix Biomedical Campus, which is anchored by the UA College of Medicine-Phoenix and includes the Translational Genomics Research Institute. The university colleges of public health, pharmacy and nursing all have activities on the downtown Phoenix along with programs from Northern Arizona University’s College of Health and Human Services.

     

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  12. article Olympian Shannon Miller brings her story of survival to Tucson

    Wednesday, February 20, 2013 11:05 am

    Northwest Medical Center welcomes former Olympic gold medalist Shannon Miller to Tucson on Thursday, Feb. 28, as keynote speaker for its annual Healthy Woman Anniversary event held at the Hilton El Conquistador at 10000 N. Oracle Road. This registration-only event begins at 5:30 p.m. and features food, wine and health education.

  13. article The Guide

    Wednesday, January 16, 2013 4:00 am

    MOVIES

  14. pdf 2013 Explorer Media Kit

    Friday, January 11, 2013 11:00 am

  15. pdf 2013 Media Kit

    Thursday, January 10, 2013 3:50 pm

  16. article The guide

    Wednesday, January 9, 2013 4:00 am

    MOVIES

  17. article What's Up UA? - Finalists for UA Provost Named

    Saturday, January 5, 2013 10:51 am

    The University of Arizona has named three finalists for the position of senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

    Each of the finalists is a distinguished scholar, researcher, educator and administrator with proven success in the areas of leadership and the enhancement of academic programs.

    The finalists are:

    • Andrew C. Comrie, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, University of Arizona
    • Henry C. Foley, vice president for research and dean of the Graduate School, The Pennsylvania State University
    • Jack H. Knott, dean of the Sol Price School of Public Policy, University of Southern California

    As an introduction to the members of the campus and Tucson communities, each of the finalists is scheduled to participate in an on-campus public forum.

    • Andrew Comrie: Tuesday, Jan. 8, 9:30-11 a.m.
    • Henry Foley: Monday, Jan. 14, 3:30-5 p.m.
    • Jack Knott: Thursday, Jan. 17, 9:30-11 a.m.

    Each forum will take place in the Rincon Room at the Student Union Memorial Center and will be open to the public.

    Comrie has been serving in the position until a permanent provost is named. Previously, Jacqueline Lee Mok served as UA provost before departing for a position at Johns Hopkins University.

    In September, speaking about the search for the new provost, UA President Ann Weaver Hart said the search was one of the most important and most critical under way at the UA.

    “I view the provost of a great research university as the chief academic officer and chief advocate for the primary resource of the university, and that's its faculty," Hart said during a fall meeting of the UA Faculty Senate. “I'm looking for a chief academic officer who takes that charge very seriously.”

    Hart also has said the new provost must be attentive to the University’s place – it is a land-grant institution with both local and global perspective and impact; applying UA-derived research in ways beneficial to the state and region has been and remains a high priority.

    Reporting directly to Hart, the provost will be expected to aid in defining the institution’s broader vision while managing the UA’s daily operations.

    Likewise, the provost is Hart’s liaison to the Faculty Senate and is responsible for designing and implementing the UA’s ongoing strategic academic planning and resource alignment efforts, including initiatives around instruction, research and outreach.

    Other priorities include: collaborating with administrators in the health sciences to advance programs in Tucson and Phoenix; working to strengthen University and alumni relations; the recruitment of a diverse faculty; allocating resources to University deans and working to strengthen academic policies; and collaborating with the Student Affairs division to establish to ensure student success and support.

    Additionally, those who report to the provost include administrators out of academic and faculty affairs, human resources and student affairs as well as the UA’s 16 academic deans.

    The UA generates more than $600 million in federal funding, ranking 18th in research and development expenditures among public universities and colleges. Also, National Science Foundation data places the UA 24th among all public and private universities in the U.S.

    Also, the U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Hospitals” list ranks the UA Medical Center-University Campus 33rd among about 5,000 U.S. hospitals for geriatrics with high-performing programs in cancer, cardiology and heart surgery, diabetes and endocrinology, gynecology and neurology.

    The UA ranks in 50th place among the top 100 public and private institutions in the world, according to a 2012 report by the Center for World University Rankings.

    In addition to health-related programs, the UA has been recognized for exemplary programs and initiatives in astronomy, the arts and humanities, the social sciences, business management and engineering, among numerous other disciplines.

    For example, some of the programs ranked in the top 10 by U.S. News & World Report in 2012 included entrepreneurship, geology, speech, language and hearing sciences, management infor mation systems, analytical chemistry, rehabilitation counseling and Earth and environmental sciences.

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  18. article The Making of a Researcher

    Friday, January 4, 2013 7:42 pm

    Emile Brink Gordon’s zeal for research at the University of Arizona led him to publish his first peer-reviewed article in the Journal of Virology – a rare achievement for an undergraduate student. His article was one of five spotlighted by the editor as “especially meritorious” and “of significant interest.” His second article has just been accepted. Last fall, Gordon presented his research at the 22nd Biennial Phage and Virus Assembly Conference – also while an undergraduate.

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  19. article Musselman Honda Circuit - a fun and safe recreational facility

    Wednesday, December 26, 2012 2:22 pm

    The Southern Arizona Kart Club, Inc. DBA Musselman Honda Circuit is open to the public as a non-profit recreational and educational driver/rider facility. Musselman Honda Circuit serves as a replica of the world-famous Suzuka South Kart Circuit in Suzuka, Japan, which is known by professional kart racers to be one of the best kart racing circuits in the world.

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  20. article Oro Valley Optimist donates to UMC

    Wednesday, December 5, 2012 4:00 am

    Last week, the Oro Valley Optimist Club donated more than $5,500 to the University Medical Center from its Pennies for Kids Cancer fund drive.

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  21. article The Guide

    Wednesday, November 14, 2012 9:01 am

    MOVIE

  22. article Health Care: Health Services

    Wednesday, October 31, 2012 3:19 pm

    Northwest Medical Center

  23. article The Guide

    Wednesday, October 31, 2012 8:53 am

    MOVIES

  24. article The guide

    Wednesday, September 12, 2012 11:10 am

    MOVIES

  25. article Marijuana dispensary approved for Marana

    Wednesday, August 22, 2012 4:00 am

    Though still in the early stages of development, the Town of Marana could become one of the local jurisdictions to house a medical marijuana dispensary, to be located at 5390 W. Ina Road.

    1 poll

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