April 13, 2007
AACR On Site Contact: Catherine Donnelly
 

BUFFALO, NY – Alex A. Adjei, MD, PhD, Senior Vice President of Clinical Research and Chair of the Department of Medicine, Roswell Park Cancer Institute (RPCI) will play a leading role at the 2007 centennial meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR), April 14 – 18 in Los Angeles, CA.

During the 2007 event, Dr. Adjei will lead several sessions and programs which are highlighted below.

April 14 – 7 pm: Mentor: “Careers in Clinical and Translational Cancer Research”

Dr. Adjei was invited to join other senior-level scientists to offer guidance and insight to young investigators during an open forum which will stress the importance of working in clinical and translational cancer research.

April 15 – 4 pm: Scientist-Survivor Program: “Phase I Clinical Trials”

Dr. Adjei serves as a mentor in the Scientist-Survivor program, which brings patient advocates and cancer survivors representing a diverse group of cancer organizations worldwide together with cancer researchers to help foster understanding of cancer research and treatment. In addition to small group discussions, Dr. Adjei will give a lecture on Phase I Clinical Trails.

April 16 – 2:30 pm: Discussant: “Drug Development Track: Special Session, Preclinical Research and Phase I Clinical Trials”

AACR will organize special sessions on late-breaking preclinical and clinical trial results. The Drug Development Track will comprise of phase I trial results presented in an oral session. Dr. Adjei will be a discussant on the presentation of phase I trial results of polo-like kinases.

April 16 – 7 pm: The Physician/Scientist: “Minorities in Cancer Research (MICR)”

The interactive session will provide a forum for students, postdoctoral trainees and junior faculty to discuss important career development issues and survival skills with senior established scientists. Dr. Adjei will be a mentor on the session dealing with unique challenges faced by clinician scientists.

April 17 – 7 am: “Meet the Expert Sunrise Session”

Dr. Adjei will lead the discussion on “Gender, Ethnicity and Response to Anticancer Agents,” by addressing the issues surrounding the differences in toxicity and response of specific ethnic groups such as African-Americans, Native Americans and Asians after diagnosis of cancers such as lung, prostate and breast compared to Caucasians. There is a lack of consensus as to whether access to health care or biologic differences in tumors may be responsible for some or all of these differences.

April 17 – 10 am: Chair: “Innovations in Drug Development and Clinical Trials”

Dr. Adjei will chair this special symposium focusing on innovative approaches to the design and conduct of clinical trials evaluating novel therapeutic anticancer agents. During this session, Dr. Adjei will present “Phase 0 Clinical Trial: Ethical and Scientific Challenges.”

Dr. Adjei also serves as a co-chair of the program committee for 2007 AACR annual meeting for the second time (He was co-chair in 2005). He also is co-chair of the phase I clinical trials and clinical pharmacology committee, a past-chair of the AACR Minorities in Cancer Research Council, member of the Scientific Policy and Legislative Affairs Committee and the editorial board of CR magazine – the AACR magazine about people and progress in cancer, and Senior Editor of Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

Founded in 1907, the American Association for Cancer Research is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. Members include more than 24,000 basic, translational and clinical researchers, health care professionals and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 60 other countries.

Roswell Park Cancer Institute, founded in 1898, is the nation’s first cancer research, treatment and education center and is the only National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center in Upstate New York. RPCI is a member of the prestigious National Comprehensive Cancer Network, an alliance of the nation’s leading cancer centers. Roswell Park has affiliate sites and collaborative programs in New York, Pennsylvania, and in China. For more information, visit RPCI’s website at www.roswellpark.org, call 1-877-ASK-RPCI (1-877-275-7724) or e-mail askrpci@roswellpark.org.

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