Putting Drug Development In Patients' Hands

"To find answers, Mrs. Addario and her husband, along with David M. Jablons, her surgeon from the University of California, San Francisco, put together a two-day conference last fall of lung cancer researchers from major institutions around the world. She says the group identified a number of problems that hinder progress toward a cure. Among them: Researchers didn't know what others were doing, tissue and blood specimens needed for experiments weren't centrally located or shared, and the findings of experiments weren't integrated to help assess what the key priorities should be. Mrs. Addario started a new organization, the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute, and hiredCollabRx to address some of these issues. The company is helping the institute build a virtual specimen bank where researchers participating in the project can share patient specimens and establish joint standards for collecting future specimens."

The Problem of Funding in Surgical Research

"Surgeons may be capable of accelerating the translation of basic research into new clinical therapies. Nevertheless, most surgeon-scientists believe they are at a disadvantage in competing for peer-reviewed funding, despite a recent emphasis on "translational science" by organizations such as the NIH."

UCSF Marks Milestone with 500th Transplant in Heart and Lung Transplant

"We're glad to reach this significant point in our program because it means that a great number of patients are receiving improvements to their health that could not otherwise be achieved without an organ transplant," said Charles Hoopes, MD, director of Cardiopulmonary Transplantation at UCSF since 2002. "UCSF has a highly experienced transplant support team and is dedicated to research focused on continued improvement in patient survival and outcomes for transplanted organs."

Annual Thoracic Oncology Program Retreat on April 17, 2008

The annual UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program Retreat will be held this Thursday, April 17th from 8:00 to 2:00 p.m.

Dr. Passi Janne, MD, Ph.D., Dana-Farber Cancer Institute will be our guest speaker this year. Dr. Janne's main research interests include the study of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutations in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and their impact on EGFR-targeted therapeutic agents such Erlotinib and Getfitinib. EGFR mutations occur primarily in a small segment of lung cancer patients, but these patients have a high response rates to such treatments. Dr. Janne's lab is studying mechanisms of developing resistance to these agents and to identify novel ways to overcome the resistance using newer agents in the labs and in clinical trials.

Survival rates exceed national averages for UCSF heart, liver and lung transplant programs

"One-year survival rates for patients receiving heart, liver and lung transplants at UCSF Medical Center exceed national averages at statistically significant levels, according to new data compiled by the Scientific Registry of Transplant Recipients (SRTR)."

Pierre Theodore Named Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology

Dr. Pierre Theodore was named the recipient of the newly created Van Auken Endowed Chair in Thoracic Oncology. Dr.Theodore, an Assistant Professor of Surgery performs lung transplants and surgery for lung cancer, mesothelioma, esophageal cancer.

Being Small Has Its Advantages, Especially With Minimally Invasive Lung Surgery

Dr. Jasleen Kukreja "is not the first surgeon to perform a minimally invasive lobectomy at UCSF, but she may be a pioneer in the two-finger clamp technique, because her predecessors are men who have a tougher time squeezing in both fingers. Last summer, she became the first doctor to be hired by UCSF to focus primarily on this discipline."

Beijing Conference To Address Lung Cancer Crisis In China

“We will discuss the most sophisticated approaches to lung cancer in the world,” said David Jablons, MD, UCSF associate professor of surgery and program leader of the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Program. “Both the scope of the problem and the barriers to care in China are dramatic, but we hope this conference can help rally the international scientific community to address the crisis.” Jablons, who conducts translational research into targeted cancer therapies, is director of the UCSF Thoracic Oncology Laboratory."