Oct. 19, 2017:

Researchers and leaders from 12 Big Ten cancer centers will meet at Big Ten Conference Headquarters in Chicago on Saturday. The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium Summit is expected to draw about 150 participants, including researchers from across the consortium and representatives from pharmaceutical and biotech companies. The University of Illinois Cancer Center and the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University are co-hosting the meeting.

Presentations, led by scientists and clinical researchers from Big Ten cancer centers, will focus on the theme of precision oncology as well as the 10 consortium studies that are currently enrolling patients.

“The one-size-fits-all approach to cancer research has reached a plateau; the precision-based approach to medicine takes us to the next level,” said Robert Winn, MD, director of the University of Illinois Cancer Center. “Bringing together researchers from all facets of the cancer continuum under one roof at the 2017 Summit helps us move forward, widening the focus from the ‘average patient’ to a more inclusive lens that includes those from vulnerable minority communities.”

The meeting will provide an opportunity for representatives of pharmaceutical and biotech companies to meet with members of the Big Ten CRC’s disease-specific Clinical Trial Working Groups. These groups provide an avenue for researchers to discuss and develop novel clinical trials, which often receive support from pharmaceutical companies.

“Since its founding, the Big Ten CRC has worked closely with industry collaborators to advance novel clinical research,” said Leonidas Platanias, MD, PhD, director of the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. “We look forward to further strengthening these relationships during the 2017 Summit.”

Learn more at www.bigtencrc.org/summit/, and follow the Big Ten CRC Summit on Twitter at #bigtencrc17.

The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium, formed in 2013, is a research collaboration of Big Ten cancer centers. Together, the cancer centers:

  • Support the work of 2,600 cancer researchers
  • Care for more than 50,000 new cancer patients each year
  • Enroll 20,000 patients on cancer clinical trials

The following cancer centers compose the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium:

  • University of Illinois Cancer Center
  • Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center
  • Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Iowa
  • University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center
  • Michigan State University Breslin Cancer Center
  • Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota
  • Fred & Pamela Buffet Cancer Center, University of Nebraska
  • Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University
  • Penn State Cancer Institute
  • Purdue University Center for Cancer Research
  • Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey
  • University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center

About the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium: The Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium was created in 2013 to transform the conduct of cancer research through collaborative, hypothesis-driven, highly translational oncology trials that leverage the scientific and clinical expertise of Big Ten universities. The goal of the Big Ten Cancer Research Consortium is to create a unique team-research culture to drive science rapidly from ideas to new approaches to cancer treatment. Within this innovative environment, today’s research leaders collaborate with and mentor the research leaders of tomorrow with the unified goal of improving the lives of all patients with cancer.

About the Big Ten Conference: The Big Ten Conference is an association of world-class universities whose member institutions share a common mission of research, graduate, professional and undergraduate teaching and public service. Founded in 1896, the Big Ten has sustained a comprehensive set of shared practices and policies that enforce the priority of academics in the lives of students competing in intercollegiate athletics and emphasize the values of integrity, fairness and competitiveness. The broad-based programs of the 14 Big Ten institutions will provide over $200 million in direct financial support to almost 9,500 students for more than 11,000 participation opportunities on 350 teams in 42 different sports. The Big Ten sponsors 28 official conference sports, 14 for men and 14 for women, including the addition of men’s ice hockey and men’s and women’s lacrosse since 2013. For more information, visit www.bigten.org.