Targeting cancer: Vanderbilt inventions aid in the fight against cancer

“Despite exciting advances, this Report shows that cannot treat our way out of the cancer problem,” said Dr. Christopher Wild, Director of International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and co-editor of the World Cancer Report 2014, in a news release issued by the World Health Organization. “More commitment to prevention and early detection is desperately needed in order to complement improved treatments and address the alarming rise in cancer burden globally.”

The Report is a collaborative work of more than 250 leading scientists from more than 40 countries. It details the “alarming” rate at which the world cancer burden is growing and, as Wild said, calls for better prevention strategies and early detection. Its release came on the eve of World Cancer Day, a global campaign that aims to increase awareness and "debunk" cancer myths.

Vanderbilt University, home of the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, is a leader in cancer research both locally and globally. VICC is one of just 41 National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Centers in the nation and the only one in Tennessee that conducts basic and translational research and provides care for adults and children with cancer. Thanks in part to its emphasis on research, Vanderbilt has become a national leader in personalized medicine, a practice that focuses on individuals patient's genetics, attitude and environment.

Vanderbilt researchers have developed more than three dozen cancer-related technologies that are currently available for licensing to companies for commercialization. These range from new cancer diagnostics and screenings to online databases and mobile apps. All have the same end goal: to help in the prevention, detection and treatment of cancer.

 

Click here to search Vanderbilt’s current list of cancer-related technologies.

Click here to view the World Cancer Report 2014.