Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research Ltd (LICR) is a global non-profit medical research institute that undertakes laboratory and clinical research into cancer, conducting and sponsoring its own early-phase clinical trials to investigate its discoveries.
Contents |
[edit] Global Footprint
LICR is the largest international, non-profit institute dedicated to understanding and controlling cancer, with ~900 staff in seven countries across Australasia, Europe, and North and South America. There are currently nine LICR research Branches, which have a primary focus on basic laboratory and translational (in vivo and preclinical analyses of laboratory discoveries) sciences and are typically located within a university or research institute:
- Brussels Branch of Human Cancer Cell Genetics (Director: Thierry Boon, PhD)
- Lausanne Branch of Immunology (Director: H. Robson MacDonald, PhD)
- Melbourne Branch of Tumour Biology (Director: Antony W. Burgess, PhD)
- New York Branch of Human Cancer Immunology (Director: Lloyd J. Old, MD)
- Oxford Branch of Cancer Metastasis (Director: Xin Lu, PhD)
- San Diego Branch of Cancer Genetics (Director: Webster K. Cavenee, PhD)
- São Paulo Branch of Cancer Biology and Epidemiology (Director: Luisa L. Villa, PhD)
- Stockholm Branch of Molecular and Cell Biology (Director: Thomas Perlmann, PhD)
- Uppsala Branch of Growth Regulation (Director: Carl-Henrik Heldin, PhD)
There is currently one LICR Center, which has a primary focus on clinical and translational sciences and is located within a hospital.
- Melbourne Centre for Clinical Sciences (Director: Andrew M. Scott, MD)
Leading laboratory and clinical researchers at many other Cancer Institutes and Universities around the world participate as 'LICR Affiliates. Affiliates are recruited specifically to complement and extend the expertise and technologies available within LICR, and are currently to be found in Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Africa, UK and USA.
Former branches are:
- Bern (Switzerland): November 1979 - November 1988 (Directors: Jan Stjernsward 1979-80; Carl G. Baker 1980-82; Aron Goldhirsch 1982-83; Bernd Groner 1983-88)
- Cambridge (UK): February 1981 - May 1988 (Director: Karol Sikora)
- London St Mary's (UK): December 1985 - July 2005 (Director: Paul J. Farrell)
- London University College (UK): December 1985 - September 2008 (Director: Michael D. Waterfield, F.R.S.)
- Montreal (Canada): September 1985 - August 1991 transferred to San Diego (Director: Webster K. Cavenee)
- Sutton (UK): April 1975 - June 1985 (Director: A. Munro Neville)
- Sydney (Australia): June 1976 - June 1988 (Director: Alan Coates)
- Toronto (Canada): February 1981 - March 1989 (Director: Robert Bruce)
[edit] Laboratory Research
The majority of LICR's laboratory research involves investigator-initiated projects in the Branches. Areas of laboratory research include:
- Cancer Genome: Regulation of Gene Expression
- Genome Integrity: DNA Damage Detection, Response and Repair, and Cell Division
- Signal Transduction: Angiogeneic Growth FActors
- TGFbeta in Cancer
- PI3K Regulation
- Interleukins in Cancer
- Colony Stimulating Factors
- Cancer Antigen Characterization
- Cancer Immunology
[edit] Clinical Research
LICR sponsors and conducts its own early-phase clinical trials in potential antibody-based and cancer vaccine therapies. The early-phase clinical trials primarily test safety, but samples are also analyzed for 'research' endpoints, such as a vaccine's ability to induce an anti-tumor immunological response in a patient. The knowledge gained is used to iteratively improve both the therapeutic approach and further laboratory research. The Institute has its own clinical trials management infrastructure to ensure that the trials are conducted safely, ethically and legally. LICR clinical trials are listed on ClinicalTrials.gov.
[edit] Cancer Initiatives
A great strength of the LICR is its funding flexibility, which allows the Institute to bring together multi-disciplinary 'super-groups' into Programs or Initiatives that leverage large-scale resources and technologies - internal and external - to collaboratively and strategically investigate and develop research findings with real patient application.
In 'Cancer Initiatives,' LICR investigators are working together to study melanoma, and brain, breast and colorectal cancers.
In 'Programs,' LICR investigators focus on disease processes or new therapeutic modalities. Current Programs are Antibody Targeting, Cancer Vaccines, and Clinical Genomics.
[edit] Intellectual Property & Licensing
As of January 1, 2006, LICR was the non-profit organization holding the highest number of patented genes. The Institute's philosophy is that pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies will not undertake the large investment required to develop and market commercial cancer therapies without the expectation of a future financial return. Thus LICR ensures the possibility of developing its discoveries by actively protecting the intellectual property of its research discoveries. LICR has formal licensing arrangements (non-exclusive wherever possible) involving its intellectual property with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in Australia, Europe, Japan, and USA.
The Institute has also formed six spin-off companies. Its first, PIramed Ltd, was launched in 2003 and was acquired by Roche in 2008. Another, Recepta (launched in 2007), was Brazil's first oncology biotechnology company.
[edit] Founder
The organisation was established in 1971 by the American businessman and philanthropist Mr. Daniel K. Ludwig, who bequeathed his entire international holdings - a substantial proportion of his estate - for the endowment of the Institute. Mr. Ludwig's domestic (US) holdings were used to create the Virginia and D.K. Ludwig Fund for Cancer Research, which was established to fund cancer research at six leading academic institutions in the USA: Pritzker School of Medicine (Chicago, IL), Harvard Medical School (Boston, MA), Johns Hopkins University (Baltimore, MD), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Cambridge, MA), Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (New York, NY), and Stanford University Medical Center (Stanford, CA).
