The Asian Fund for Cancer Research and the U.S.-based National Foundation for Cancer Research recently collaborated in an unprecedented manner, with both organizations gathering together. A first-of-its kind partnership, the Joint NFCR and AFCR Scientific Symposium on Cancer Research and Global Collaboration was held in the U.S. state of Maryland on 28 and 29 October 2019.
Representing AFCR were the following 11 persons, including four of the organization’s six currently funded researchers:
- CEO Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., and CFO Kwok Leung, Ph.D.
- Scientific Advisory Board. Chair Alfred Yung, M.D., Member Webster Cavenee, Ph.D., Member Kanaga Sabapathy, Ph.D., Member George Tsao, Ph.D., and Member Michael Wang, M.D., Ph.D.
- Funded Scientists. Jiancheng Hu, Ph.D., Ava Kwong, M.D., Ph.D., Jianjun Li, M.D., Ph.D., and Daniel Tenen, M.D.
The National Cancer Centre Singapore’s Dr. Hu, an expert on what’s known as the Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK genetic pathway, provided an update on his laboratory’s promising work into this field, which evidence shows may be a potential cancer Achilles’ heel. The University of Hong Kong’s Dr. Kwong offered an authoritative analysis of genetic modifiers in breast and ovarian cancers in Chinese populations. Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center’s Dr. Li offered an early look at the novel esophageal cancer diagnostic clinical trial being led by his team. And the Cancer Science Institute of Singapore’s Dr. Tenen delivered a presentation on multiple tumor targets which his lab is researching.
Feedback from all attendees on the joint format of the program was universally positive. Discussion among NFCR and AFCR scientists was extensive and multiple suggestions of future collaboration were made by both organizations’ researchers.
