International Forum to Promote Dialogue on Global Collaboration in Fight Against Cancer

International Forum to Promote Dialogue on Global Collaboration in Fight Against Cancer

November 03, 2007

    HONG KONG and BETHESDA, Md., Nov. 3 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/
-- 

    The Asian Fund for Cancer Research, the National
Foundation for Cancer Research (US) and the Centre for
Cancer Research of The University of Hong Kong, announced
details today of the international think-tank forum they
are co-hosting in Hong Kong.  The "4th International
Think Tank Forum on Anti-Cancer Innovation and Global
Collaboration" is set for November 14-15 and will be
headlined by leading cancer researchers from around the
world.  The meeting will be held at the Cheung Kung Hai
Conference Center at The University of Hong Kong in
conjunction with the 14th Hong Kong International Cancer
Conference.  

    The Think Tank Forum will bring together cancer
researchers, biopharmaceutical executives and others and
highlight current breakthroughs, new opportunities and
future challenges in cancer research and treatment.  The
program is specifically designed to promote discussions
about ways to expand international scientific collaboration
and exchange with a focus on strategies that will accelerate
the movement of cutting-edge discoveries in early-stage
cancer research into patient applications.

    Think Tank sessions focus on new directions in clinical
research and their implications for treatment, the potential
of emerging discoveries to lead in entirely new directions
in fighting cancer, the development of personalized
medicine, globalization of traditional Chinese medicines,
and a discussion of the role of collaboration in advancing
progress against cancer. 

    "The goal of our Think Tank Forum is to provide a
place for bio-life scientists and executives interested in
developing and establishing global networks and
partnerships to meet, share needs and opportunities and
develop relationships that can grow into powerful research
collaborations," said Sujuan Ba, Ph.D., President and
Chief Executive Officer of the Asian Fund for Cancer
Research.   "It is also designed to provide an
intimate forum by which, through collaborative exchange and
sharing, scientists in China, the United States, and Europe
might work with biopharmaceutical and venture capital funds
to commercialize the breakthroughs being made at the bench
and bring them to patients at their bedsides."  

    To attend the International Think Tank Forum or for
more information, visit www.ThinkTankForum.org.hk or
contact AFCR at [e-mail].  Registration is still
open.  Media is welcome and encouraged to attend.  

    Among the speakers presenting at the Forum are:  

    -- Michael E. Berens, Ph.D., Translational Genomics
Research Institute 
    -- Webster Cavenee, Ph.D., Ludwig Institute for Cancer
Research at the 
       University of California, San Diego
    -- Ke-Xin Chen, Tianjin Medical Hospital
    -- Yung-Chi Cheng, Ph.D., Yale School of Medicine 
    -- Edward Chu, M.D., Yale Cancer Center 
    -- David L. Edwards, Ph.D., Avolix Pharmaceuticals
    -- Peter Friedl, M.D., Ph.D., University of W¨¹rzburg
    -- Richard B. Gaynor, M.D., Ph.D., Eli Lilly and
Company
    -- Waun Ki Hong, M.D., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 
    -- Mien-Chie Hung, Ph.D., M.D. Anderson Cancer Center 
    -- Mary-Claire King, Ph.D., University of Washington
    -- Y.L. Kwong, M.D., The University of Hong Kong
    -- Allan Sik-yin Lau, M.D., The University of Hong Kong

    -- Brian Leyland-Jones, M.D., Ph.D., Emory-Winship
Cancer Center 
    -- Ricky Y.K. Man, Ph.D., The University of Hong Kong
    -- Ronnie Poon, Ph.D., The University of Hong Kong 
    -- Paul Shimmel, Ph.D., Scripps Research Institute
    -- Yi Michael Wang, M.D., Ph.D, Chief Scientific
Officer, Asian Fund for 
       Cancer Research
    -- Xiang-Lei Yang, Ph.D., Scripps Research Institute
    -- Wei Zhang, Ph.D., M.D., Anderson Cancer Center 

    About the Asian Fund for Cancer Research

    The Asian Fund for Cancer Research is dedicated to
fighting cancer through research into the prevention,
diagnosis and treatment of cancer.  By funding outstanding
scientists who pioneer cancer research and by providing
prevention and education programs across Asia, AFCR is
committed to achieving one of medicine's greatest goals:
curing cancer to save lives.  For more information on the
Asian Fund for Cancer Research, visit
http://www.AFCR.org.hk.  

    About NFCR

    Since its founding, the NFCR has spent more than $240
million funding basic science cancer research and
prevention education focused on understanding how and why
cells become cancerous. NFCR is "Research for a
Cure". For more information, visit http://www.NFCR.org
or call [phone].


    For more information, please contact:

    Silas Deane 
    Asian Fund for Cancer Research, 
    Tel:   [phone] (Hong Kong)
           [phone] (U.S.)
    Email: [e-mail]