The Institute of Cancer Research: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Revision as of 11:39, 23 September 2009

The Institute of Cancer Research is a constituent college of the University of London, England.

It was founded in 1909 as a small research department of the Royal Marsden Hospital, and currently occupies two sites, one in central London and one in Sutton. According to its vision statement, its aim is "...that people may live their lives free of the fear of cancer as a life-threatening disease...". Together with The Royal Marsden, it forms Europe's largest comprehensive cancer centre, and is internationally renowned for the quality of its science.^{[citation needed]}

Activities

Its stated mission is:

To conduct research into the causes, prevention, diagnosis and methods of cancer treatment. It does this by pursuing 3 main research themes: genetic epidemiology, molecular pathology, and therapeutic development.
To provide education and advanced training for medical and scientific staff. As a college within the University of London, it provides postgraduate research degrees and taught degrees.
To provide treatment and care for cancer patients. It does this via its partnership with the The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust.

Accomplishments

Historically, ICR scientists have made a number of major breakthroughs, including the discovery that the basic cause of cancer is damage to DNA. They also first identified the potential link between smoking and lung cancer, which was subsequently confirmed.

More recent accomplishments are the discovery of the anti-cancer drugs carboplatin, given for several cancer types including lung and ovarian, and tomudex, most commonly used to treat cancer of the large bowel. The organisation also synthesised the anti-cancer drugs busulfan, chlorambucil and melphalan. In the five years from 2004/05, the ICR developed an average two drug development candidates per year, an achievement unmatched anywhere in the world. Since 2006, it has licenced three novel series of anti-cancer drugs to major pharmaceutical companies: HSP90 inhibitor to Novartis, PKB inhibitor to AstraZeneca and Pl3Kinase inhibitors to Genentech.

In conjunction with the Royal Marsden, the ICR is currently testing a promising new prostate cancer drug abiraterone it developed. ^[1] Results from a Phase II trial showed benefit for up to two-thirds of men with advanced and aggressive prostate cancer^[2], and a Phase III trial is ongoing.

The ICR has also been responsible for the discovery of more cancer-related genes than any other organisation in the world. Its scientists discovered the gene BRCA2, which has been linked to breast cancer, prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. It also characterised the cancer gene BRAF, which has sped up drug development for the treatment of malignant melanomas and other tumours. In April 2009, the ICR revealed that damage to the BRAF gene could cause up to 70 per cent of melanoma skin cancers. ^[3] Other oncogenes found include those linked to prostate cancer and lung cancer.

In March 2009, the ICR announced that it had identified a key enzyme responsible for the spread of cancer, which causes 90% of all cancer patient deaths. Research into the lysyl oxidase (LOX) enzyme is ongoing.^[4]

References

External links

The Institute of Cancer Research

[1] ttp://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2009/13049.shtml

[2] ttp://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/JCO.2008.20.0642v1

[3] ttp://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2009/12212.shtml

[4] ttp://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2009/10425.shtml

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 == Accomplishments ==
+Historically, ICR scientists have made a number of major breakthroughs, including the discovery that the basic cause of cancer is damage to DNA. They also first identified the potential link between smoking and lung cancer, which was subsequently confirmed.
-Amongst its accomplishments are the discovery of the gene [[BRCA2]], which has been linked to [[breast cancer]], and of the anti-[[cancer]] [[medication|drug]]s [[carboplatin]] and [[tomudex]].
+More recent accomplishments are the discovery of the anti-[[cancer]] [[medication|drug]]s [[carboplatin]], given for several cancer types including lung and ovarian, and [[tomudex]], most commonly used to treat cancer of the large bowel. The organisation also synthesised the anti-cancer drugs busulfan, chlorambucil and melphalan. In the five years from 2004/05, the ICR developed an average two drug development candidates per year, an achievement unmatched anywhere in the world. Since 2006, it has licenced three novel series of anti-cancer drugs to major pharmaceutical companies: HSP90 inhibitor to Novartis, PKB inhibitor to AstraZeneca and Pl3Kinase inhibitors to Genentech.
+In conjunction with the Royal Marsden, the ICR is currently testing a promising new prostate cancer drug abiraterone it developed. <ref>http://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2009/13049.shtml</ref> Results from a Phase II trial showed benefit for up to two-thirds of men with advanced and aggressive prostate cancer<ref>http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/JCO.2008.20.0642v1</ref>, and a Phase III trial is ongoing.
+The ICR has also been responsible for the discovery of more cancer-related genes than any other organisation in the world. Its scientists discovered the gene [[BRCA2]], which has been linked to [[breast cancer]], prostate cancer and ovarian cancer. It also characterised the cancer gene BRAF, which has sped up drug development for the treatment of malignant melanomas and other tumours. In April 2009, the ICR revealed that damage to the BRAF gene could cause up to 70 per cent of melanoma skin cancers. <ref>http://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2009/12212.shtml</ref> Other oncogenes found include those linked to prostate cancer and lung cancer.
 In March 2009, the ICR announced that it had identified a key enzyme responsible for the spread of cancer, which causes 90% of all cancer patient deaths. Research into the lysyl oxidase (LOX) enzyme is ongoing.<ref>http://www.icr.ac.uk/press/press_archive/press_releases_2009/10425.shtml</ref>