The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard recently announced the launch of a new translational research platform to study rare cancers.
A rare cancer is one with fewer than 40,000 cases a year, as defined by The National Cancer Institute. Approximately one-quarter of all cancer cases and deaths are due to rare cancers.
Timothy Hefferman Ph.D., Head of Oncology Research in MD Anderson’s Therapeutics Discovery division said, “Through this initiative, we hope to overcome some of the challenges that have prevented effective translational research in rare cancers.
“By collaborating with the Broad Institute, we have a tremendous opportunity to create a valuable resource for the entire scientific community that will inspire and catalyze a wave of innovative research to advance impactful new therapies to patients in need.”
MD Anderson is the world leader in the diagnosis and treatment of rare cancers. In 2019, they established the Rare Tumour Initiative, a multidisciplinary effort to comprehensively characterise rare tumors throughout the course of patient’s care.
“At MD Anderson, our singular mission is to end cancer,” said Giulio Draetta, M.D., Ph.D., chief scientific officer at MD Anderson. “This collaboration is an excellent example of our focus on meeting the needs of all of our patients through innovative research approaches and is directly aligned with the themes of our institutional strategy. We are excited to have this opportunity to leverage the exceptional science and expertise at the Broad Institute to accelerate new treatments for patients.”
Find out more about the new translational research platform here.
