Cancer Research Giants Collaborate to Present The CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium

Partnership creates the largest and most comprehensive symposium of its kind by blending basic, translational and clinical research related to breast cancer

SAN ANTONIO - The Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) announced today a collaboration for the future of the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS). The announcement came at the 30th Annual Charles A. Coltman Jr. San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, held at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio. As a result of the collaboration, the symposium will be renamed the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium beginning in 2008. Complementing the clinical strengths of the highly regarded annual San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, the AACR’s scientific prestige in basic, translational and clinical cancer research will create a unique and comprehensive scientific meeting that will advance breast cancer research for the benefit of patients.

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium attracts academic and private physicians and researchers, as well as other health care professionals focused on curing breast cancer, to discuss and learn about new and late-breaking research including experimental biology, etiology, prevention, diagnosis, and therapy of breast cancer and pre-malignant breast disease, as well as new findings from clinical trials. A primary goal of the CTRC-AACR collaboration is to attract to the meeting more thought-leaders and high-quality proffered papers in basic and translational breast cancer research. Another key goal is to increase the participation of young investigators by providing superior education and training opportunities for the next generation of breast cancer researchers.

The driving force behind the collaboration is the shared mission of the partners to advance progress against breast cancer. By combining their respective strengths, the partnership will produce a scientific meeting that encompasses the full spectrum of breast cancer research, facilitating the rapid translation of new knowledge into better care for breast cancer patients.

“As the founder of the SABCS, the CTRC and The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio will work together with the AACR to provide a unique forum for the scholarly discussion of the latest advances in the etiology, prevention and treatment of breast cancer,” said Karen K. Fields, M.D., president and chief executive officer at CTRC. “SABCS is arguably the best breast cancer research meeting in the world, and with the addition of AACR’s high-quality science, credibility and outreach, this collaboration will be synergistic and garner further scientific prominence.”

“The AACR is delighted to have the opportunity to partner with CTRC and Baylor College of Medicine in presenting this meeting to the breast cancer community,” said Margaret Foti, Ph.D., M.D. (h.c.), chief executive officer at AACR. “The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is already an outstanding meeting. Clearly, the expert input of the AACR will enhance interactions between basic and clinical researchers and expedite the delivery of the latest scientific advances into the clinic.”

Under the terms of a mutual agreement between The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and AACR, the AACR will contribute to program development and oversight of the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. The AACR will also create and obtain funding for a new award and lecture for outstanding breast cancer research conducted by a young investigator. In addition, the AACR will support scholar-in-training awards for meeting attendance by early-career and minority scientists.

In 2005, Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) became a joint sponsor of the symposium and will remain in the CTRC-AACR collaboration. C. Kent Osborne, M.D., director of the Dan. L. Duncan Cancer Center at BCM, will continue to serve as SABCS chair and three co-chairs will represent each of the partners. The program planning committee of the CTRC-AACR San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium will have broad representation by national and international breast cancer experts.

The 2007 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium is expected to draw nearly 8,300 participants from more than 80 countries and runs from December 13 to 16, 2007.



About the Cancer Therapy & Research Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio
Located in San Antonio, Texas, the Cancer Therapy & Research Center (CTRC) at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is one of the nation’s leading academic research and treatment centers, serving more than 4.4 million people in the high-growth corridor of Central and South Texas including Austin, San Antonio, Laredo, and the Rio Grande Valley. CTRC is one of a few elite cancer centers in the country to be named a National Cancer Institute (NCI) Designated Cancer Center, and is one of three in Texas. CTRC handles more than 120,000 patient visits each year and is a world leader in developing new drugs to treat cancer. The CTRC Institute for Drug Development (IDD) is internationally recognized for conducting the largest oncology Phase I clinical drug trials program in the world, and participated in the clinical and/or preclinical development of many of the cancer drugs approved by the Food & Drug Administration. For more information visit our website at www.ctrc.net.

About the American Association for Cancer Research
The mission of the American Association for Cancer Research is to prevent and cure cancer. Founded in 1907, AACR is the world’s oldest and largest professional organization dedicated to advancing cancer research. The membership includes over 26,000 basic, translational, and clinical researchers; health care professionals; and cancer survivors and advocates in the United States and more than 70 other countries. AACR marshals the full spectrum of expertise from the cancer community to accelerate progress in the etiology, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer through high-quality scientific and educational programs. It funds innovative, meritorious research grants. The AACR Annual Meeting attracts more than 17,000 participants who share the latest discoveries and developments in the field. Special Conferences throughout the year present novel data across a wide variety of topics in cancer research, treatment, and patient care. AACR publishes five major peer-reviewed journals: Cancer Research; Clinical Cancer Research; Molecular Cancer Therapeutics; Molecular Cancer Research; and Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. Its most recent publication and its sixth major journal, Cancer Prevention Research, is dedicated exclusively to cancer prevention, from preclinical research to clinical trials. The AACR also publishes CR, a magazine for cancer survivors, patient advocates, their families, physicians, and scientists. CR provides a forum for sharing essential, evidence-based information and perspectives on progress in cancer research, survivorship, and advocacy.

About Baylor College of Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, the only private medical school in the Greater Southwest, was founded in 1900 and is today an internationally respected medical and research institution known for excellence in education, research and patient care. Located in the Texas Medical Center, a 1,000-acre complex housing 46 member institutions, BCM has affiliations with eight teaching hospitals, each with a national and international reputation for medical excellence. The college has total research support of $374 million, with $314 million from federal sources, and more than 90 research and patient-care centers and units. Currently, BCM trains more than 3,000 medical, graduate, nurse anesthesia, and physician assistant students, as well as residents and post-doctoral fellows.

Contact:
Jill Byrd, CTRC (210) 450-5550
Staci Goldberg, AACR (267) 646-0616