Our future in large part depends on our willingness to help one another,
and to follow through on the following:
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Carry out the plan
developed by Blood Cancer esteemed experts and patient advocates.
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Fund it
Increase funding to make the full execution of the plan possible.
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Advocate for it
vigorously for execution and funding of the plan.
See PRG Objectives below | NCI full report
THE PRG REPORT
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Report of the Leukemia, Lymphoma, and Myeloma Progress Review Group - NCI May 2001
Our goal is to eliminate lymphomas and related blood cancers. As an advocate you can work in many ways to achieve this goal. You might concentrate on making policy or procedure changes by working with legislators, the F.D.A, insurance companies, or physicians. You might work to make scientific information or the burden of your disease understandable to the average person and to our representatives. You might use your creative talents to design helpful images, crafts, or to write effective letters. You might also help to raise funds for research.
Most advocates have had direct experience with the emotions that follow a diagnosis of cancer. We come from all walks of life and, and we use our unique talents to work toward real changes and improvements in the care and treatment of people with cancer.
PRG Objections (Executive Summary)
In Etiology (causes)
- Understand the interaction among genotype, immune function, infectious agents, environmental toxins, and lifestyle factors that can lead to hematopoietic (blood cell) malignancy
In Pathobiology (identifying underlying mechanisms)
- Identify the basic mechanisms responsible for genome instability, chromosome translocations, and other mutations in hematological malignancies
- Define the relationship between the development of hematological malignancies and the host biological environment.
- Provide molecular characterization of hematological malignancies, including the characterization of global patterns of genetic and epigenetic alterations and RNA and protein expression, as well as the validation of the molecular targets necessary for the survival, proliferation, and evolution of hematological malignancies.
- Further develop research on stem cells, both multi-lineage and single lineage.
In Drug Development and Therapeutics:
- Develop the required resources to translate "lead" structures and molecules into effective therapeutic agents. Hasten the translation of candidate validated targets to lead compounds and subsequent clinical trials and support the development of orphan therapeutic agents and diagnostics, including Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
- Foster partnerships between the NCI and academia, advocates, cooperative groups, FDA, and industry to expedite drug development and availability of therapies.
In Education, Communication, and Survivorship Research:
- Determine how to provide accurate, timely, and tailored information to patients to improve medical decision-making, access to clinical trials, quality of care during active treatment and follow-up, and quality of life.
- Develop education and training programs for certification of physicians and centers for diagnosis, treatment, and clinical trials in hematological malignancies.
- Identify and target individuals and populations at high risk for adverse long-term outcomes to define the biological basis of identified associations and facilitate the design and testing of intervention and prevention strategies.
A New Initiative – The Cancer Translational Research Allied Consortium (C-TRAC):
- We propose a new initiative that will bring together experts across multiple disciplines and institutions to participate, within a formalized infrastructure, in the rapid discovery and development of cancer therapies. This initiative will encompass the whole spectrum of drug discovery and development: identifying, validating, and credentialing targets; discovery and preclinical testing of agents directed against these targets; and scale-up and testing of promising agents in clinical trials. The ultimate goal of the C-TRAC will be to shorten drug development time from 5-10 years to 2 years through a novel alliance among academia, industry, government, and patients.
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